Macra-make a Gorgeous Macrame Wall Hanging

Roxy Taghavian

Roxy has been creating and executing DIY projects since her very first trip to Michael's as a child. If there's a project at hand, she'll figure out how to make it. When she's not wielding her hot glue gun, she can be found at the beach, traveling to far off lands, reading and running at her gym "The Panhandle."

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Jun 03, 2014

Macra-make a Gorgeous Macrame Wall Hanging

Macrame is IN, so now’s the time to bust out your knot-tying skills. With all the displays at Urban Outfitters and macrame curtains lighting up Pinterest, we had to make our own rendition of this wall art trend. Rather than create a traditional macrame project with rope, we used an alternative material: jersey fabric! It worked magically. The end result was a gorgeous wall hanging that would be perfect to hang in your house, use as a backdrop at a party or even as chic DIY wedding decor. Plus, you only need two materials to make it!

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– wooden dowel

– jersey fabric

Tools:
– fabric scissors

Instructions:

1. Cut thin strips of fabric approximately 1 inch by 10 feet. (Knotting the fabric makes the final project much shorter. Our 10-foot strips created a 3 ½ foot wall hanging).

2. Fold a fabric strip in half and slide the loop end under the dowel. String the open ends of the fabric through the loop and pull it tight to secure over the dowel. Repeat with each strip of fabric, placing them about 1 inch apart until you reach the end of the dowel.

3. Make a row of basic knots, tightening them as close to the dowel as you want (We left about an inch between our knot and dowel).

4. Make a row of square knots a few inches below your initial row of basic knots (read below for step-by-step square knot instructions!). Then right underneath, add a second row of square knots using the same fabric strips, creating a double-square knot pattern.

5. Move a few inches below, and add another row of square knots starting two strips in from the edge. Then right underneath, add a third row of square knots using the same fabric strips, creating the same double-square knot pattern.

6. Move a few inches below, and make another row of square knots using the fabric strips from the first row. Then right underneath, add a fourth row of square knots using the same fabric strips, creating the same double-square knot pattern.

7. Get it ;)? Create additional rows of knots (either double-square or basic knots) until your design is complete.

8. Cut the ends of the fabric strips so that they are even. Your shortest strip will determine the length of your wall hanging.

First things first, you need to cut some long strips of fabric. By long we don’t mean a yard, we mean three or four, or maybe even five yards. Whoa! Each piece will be folded in half and then knotted, so the length will decrease substantially.

Fold a fabric strip in half and then wrap the loop end around your dowel. Pull the open ends of the fabric strip through the loop and tighten to secure it to the dowel. Repeat this step with the other strips. This part is kind of like casting on for all of you knitters out there. Though it’s not time to knit, it’s time to knot. Let’s get to it!

We’re going to start with a very basic knot. You’ve done this before, maybe even today when you tied your shoes. Make one row of basic knots by folding one strip over the other and pulling it through. Tighten your knot as close to the dowel as you want. We left about an inch between our knot and dowel. Easy enough, eh? Curveball! Here’s a more complicated knot for you: the square knot.

The square knot is a common macrame knot and it’s quite simple once you get the hang of it. You’ll need to use four strips of fabric. Let’s all start on the same side to make the instructions easier, okay? So move to the far right side of your project. Take the four fabric strips on the far right and separate them from the rest. Using the strip on the far left (that’s the fourth strip in from the right side of your project) lay it over the middle two creating a “four.” It should be perpendicular to the middle two pieces. Weave it under the fabric strip on the far right. Then, take the strip on the far right and bring it under the two in the middle and through the loop on the left. Pull these tight-ish (we left ours a wee bit loose as you can see). Now make the same knot again to complete your square. Ta-dah! We doubled up our square knots and made a full row of ’em.

We added a second row of double-square knots starting two strips in from the edge to create more of a pattern (ohh, diamonds!). Then, we added a third row of double-square knots using the same fabric strips as the first row, and to finish, we tied a row of basic knots falling diagonally.