Macrame wall hangings are wonderful to craft and will look lovely hanging on any wall. In this article I will be explaining how to make an easy macrame wall hanging for beginners. DIY macrame wall hangings are relaxing to make and this macrame wall art is sure to look amazing in your home or make the perfect gift for friends and family.
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What is macrame?
Macrame is the art of making decorative patterns from knotting threads together. A macrame wall hanging is a type of boho wall art made from knotted strings. In fact Macrame dates back to the 13th century when Arab weavers would use up extra thread to make decorative fabrics. Nowadays macrame is popular for making wall hangings, plant hangers, place mats and even bikinis. Macrame wall art is a great craft activity for adults that produces lovely looking and impressive pieces.
What makes this macrame wall hanging a great DIY craft?
This macrame wall hanging is suitable for macrame beginners. It involves only three types of knot and will take a few hours to make. The beauty of macrame is that it doesn't need to be finished in one go so you can craft this boho macrame wall hanging whenever you want a relaxing activity and really take your time with it. Moreover, once you have learnt the knots you will be able to play around with different patterns and make your own unique macrame wall hangings.
How to choose a macrame cord for making a macrame wall hanging?
For a macrame wall hanging it is better to choose a cotton cord. Cotton cords are easy to untie if you make a mistake and will also look great fringed at the bottom of your wall hanging. It is a good idea to choose a cord which is between 4 and 7mm thick to create the perfect DIY macrame wall hanging. A popular cord for beginners to macrame art will be a soft 3 ply twisted cord. Whilst there are no rules as to which colors you can use to make a macrame wall hanging, it is common to choose white or natural coloured cords.
Supplies Needed
How to make a macrame wall hanging
- At First, cut your cord so you have 8 cords that are 4ft long and a further 18 cords that are 3ft long.
2. Next, attach your 8 4ft long cords to your stick or shape in 4 groups of 2 so that you have 4 groups of 4 strings hanging down. You will want to use a lark's head knot for this. To make a lark's head knot you need to fold the cord in half. Take the looped end and wrap it over your stick. Then pass the other ends of the string through the loop and tighten. This should leave you with two equal length strings hanging down from one knot.
3. Once you have all eight cords attached you are going to make 4 square knots, one at the top of each group of 4 strings. To make a square knot, bring the right cord over the 2 middle cords to the left side. Take the left cord and place it over this right cord then bring the left cord under the center cords and through the loop formed by the right cord. This forms half the square knot. Repeat this action starting with the left cord to form the second half of the square knot. I have tried to show you how to do this knot in the photo as it can be less complicated to copy the path of the strings.
- Next you are going to make 3 more square knots. Start by taking the right 2 cords from the first group of 4 cords and the left two cords from the second group of 4 cords and make a square knot with these.
5. Repeat the square knot with the middle 4 strings.
6. Make another square knot with the left 2 cords from the last group of 4 cords and the right 2 cords from the third group of 4 cords. You should now have 3 square knots in a row.
7. Next you are going to make 2 more square knots. This time you will need to use the right 2 strings from the left square knot and the left 2 strings from the middle square knot to form one square knot. Then form the other from the left 2 strings from the right knot and the right 2 strings from the middle knot.
8. Next make one more square knot below in the center of your macrame wall hanging. For this knot you will need to use the middle 4 strings.
9. Using the larks head knot that you used at the beginning, attach your 3ft cords in groups of 3 to each section of string along the bottom of your knots.
10. For the rest of your wall hanging you are going to be using double half hitch knots. A half hitch is made by looping one string round the other and putting the end back through the loop. A double half hitch is simply a half hitch knot repeated twice with the same piece of string. Starting with the furthest right string, double half hitch it to the one next to it. Then take this string and double half hitch it to the next one. Repeat this until you get to the middle of your wall hanging.
11. Repeat this from the furthest right string to the center.
12. Take the center 2 pieces of string and make repeated half hitch knots until you run out of cord.
13. Repeat step 12 with the two ends of your macrame wall hanging and any other strings you want to.
14. Make one more line of double half hitch knots starting at each end and meeting in the middle.
15. Use your scissors to shape the ends of your cords at the bottom of your macrame wall hanging.
Tips & Tricks
- In case you struggle to make any of the knots then there are easy to follow tutorials on youtube.
- You don't need to stick to the pattern I made. You can play around with knots to make your own pattern.
- There are free macrame wall hanging patterns online. In addition, you can also join macrame groups on social media where other macrame crafters will be happy to help you out and offer tips.
- There are many places you could hang your macrame wall art including above a bed, on a door, or from a fireplace or shelf. However, a macrame wall hanging will look equally nice on a plain wall.
If you are looking for more easy DIY projects to decorate your home, check out this easy Resin Coasters idea and this beautiful stained glass mason jar craft.
FAQs-
What are the 3 basic macrame knots?
A lark's head knot, a square knot and a double half hitch knot are the basic macrame knots. With these three knots you will be able to create many patterns on your wall hanging.
How to hang a macrame wall hanging?
If you made your macrame wall hanging on a shape like mine then it will easily hang on a hook or nail in the wall. If you chose to use a straight stick for your wall hanging then you could tie a piece of string to the ends of your stick to make a loop of string and hang this from a nail or hook.
How much does it cost to make a macrame wall hanging?
A macrame wall hanging is fairly cheap to make as all you really need to buy is the cord. You can even find a stick outside in the park or your yard to tie your cord from. You may also find that you have cord left over which can be used to make more boho wall art. A roll of cord can be purchased for between 6 and 20 dollars.
Can I use regular yarn for macrame wall hanging?
You can use regular yarn for a macrame wall hanging but you may find it more difficult, especially if you make a mistake as regular cord can be hard to untie when it is knotted.
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