When you think about a high school teacher, you think of seven periods every day, countless hours of grading, and office hours with students. Imagine spending hours making and selling macramé pieces every week in addition to that full-time job.

That's where Jessica Melrose comes in, an art teacher and interim principal at City High School in Tucson, Arizona.

For her, the love of macramé began in high school in an Advanced Placement art class. "One of the requirements was that we had to have a 3D component, and I was not into sculpture at all. But I spent a lot of time in summer camp [making] friendship bracelets and hemp necklaces... so I just decided, all right, well, I'm going to do a weaving and I'm going to make a macramé lamp," said Melrose. She went on to receive the highest possible score for that assignment.

It took until around 2017 when she became aware that her love of macramé could become a business. This realization came when she walked into a store and saw a large macramé piece on the wall. She realized, "If this is the thing that people are into again, I should pick it up."

As she started experimenting with macramé more and more, she discovered that she could weave the art quickly. "And then it just sort of happened," reflected Melrose.

Over the years, she has developed a dedicated following. Melrose said her clients think of her art "when they see an empty space on their wall that could use some texture."

Regarding her clientele, Melrose stated, "The other thing is just finding the right markets to go to."

She clearly has found the right markets, because her work can now be found in retailers in the Tucson area, such as Green Things, Pop Cycle, and others.

Melrose shares the macramé stage with multiple artists in Tucson, but that doesn't bother her. In fact, they often share clients. "I like when there's more macramé in the world. It kind of solidifies the fact that this is the thing that people do still like."

Along with local markets, like the Tucson's Summer Night Market on May 27th, you can view Melrose's work online at melrosemacrame.com. She is also on Instagram (@melrosemacrame) and TikTok (@melrose.macrame), the latter of which "I don't do very well because I'm over 40," Melrose joked.