All posts tagged: macrame

curtain tie backs.

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I’ve been using a macrame-ish curtain tieback for a few years now (pictured on left below) and it was time for an upgrade. Modern Macrame rope and idea to the rescue! You know the drill – Cut two strands 10 feet long and one strand 12 feet long. Fold the two 10-foot strands in half and hang the midpoint onto the ring. Using the 12-foot strand, create sinnet of square knots. If you’re using 5mm rope 14-16 square knots is a good length for gathering one curtain; I would start with a longer working cord and do maybe 20 square knots if you want a tie back to gather two curtains together. This is the perfect project for some footwork. 🙂 You can also hang the hoop from an S-hook if you prefer not to use your foot. Leave a gap after your first set of square knots – make sure your ring has room to slip into the gap – and continue making 5-6 square knots. Modern Macrame suggests to switch out two of …

market bag.

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I’ve had this 500-foot spool of gorgeous mustard rope hiding in my craft closet. I thought maybe I would get 3 or 4 projects out of the rope, but I ended up choosing a 400+ foot market bag project. Look at this beaut! This project was from Modern Macrame by Emily Katz.* I cut out all the lengths of rope*, attached to my feet, and got to knotting. I didn’t use the suggested rope (jute) so partway through I realized I had to adapt the pattern slightly and add an additional 8 strands to my project. It’s such a pain to undo knots, but it made sense for this project otherwise I would have had major gaps in the bag for more falling out potential. There were so many new-to-me macrame techniques in this project. I learned how to create a bag opening and strap, how to connect two panels (the front and the back of the bag), and a crossing technique to add dimension to two sinnets of square knots. My favorite part in …

chandelier.

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So…our floor lamp toppled over and broke. But it’s ok, because this macrame chandelier lamp project was in my queue. (Ay.) This project was a kit from the Crafter’s Box (now Crafter) by Modern Macrame*. The kit included*: You’ll also need*: I won’t share the pattern here because it’s Modern Macrame’s design and part of a kit, but you can see it uses two basic macrame knots – reverse lark’s head (or you can use lark’s head) and square knot. There is also a series of wraps (around the larger hoop) and basic overhand knots at key rope-hoop connection points. This project took about 3 leisure hours including photography time (ha!). Hubby got excited because he thought maybe I was making a basketball hoop – and now I want to make one of those! The first part of the project (along the hoop) can be done on a flat surface; then you’ll need to move to a hanging situation. It definitely looks like a basketball hoop here. If you’ve never tried a Crafter workshop before, …

heart garland.

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I’m a big fan of hearts so I Googled “macrame heart garland” and was inspired by artist Isabella Strambio. It looked daunting because this was my first try at creating a shape with knots (versus shapes/images with color blocking). It was easier than I thought it was going to be; and it only uses two knots. Bookmark this craft for Valentine’s next year. 🙂 Materials*: How to: For a garland with five hearts, cut one strand of rope at least 6 feet long. This will be your base cord and the length will give enough extra rope between each heart and hanging cords on each side. I like to tie ends with an overhand knot to create hanging loops. For each heart, cut twelve 4-foot strands of rope. Tape down the hanging cord as you knot. Attach twelve 4-foot strands to the hanging cord with lark’s head knots. Ensure the knots are not squished too close together. The hearts are made up solely of square knots (SK). Here is the pattern: You can also create …

hanging garden.

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On my crafty wish list: get better at macrame. So for March (National Craft Month!), I’m sharing all macrame projects, all the time. First up is a 4-plant pot hanger featuring a Modern Macrame pattern and rope. You will need: Shop supplies on Modern Macrame and get $10 off your order with my Modern Macrame affiliate link*. Macrame instructions are the only time I enjoy following a pattern. For any other craft I prefer to make it up as a I go. I hope to one day grow my macrame skills to design patterns more consistently and create more intuitively. Note: I won’t share the pattern here because it’s not mine to share, but I hope this project inspires you to support a small business or to be inspired to create your own hanging garden! The Modern Macrame pattern is fairly basic with a row of lark’s head knots and series of square knots throughout. I like the addition of the chunky ceramic beads for added texture. And these handmade beads from their shop are …

macrame basics.

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Use these knots and techniques to create unique designs for your macrame pieces. Lark’s Head Knot The lark’s head knot is often used as an anchoring knot to start your piece. Fold rope cord in half. Place the midpoint underneath the dowel in a U fashion. Bring the top loose rope strands over the dowel and through the U. Pull loose rope strands all the way through to tighten the knot. Square Knot To create a square knot, work four cords at a time. Using the first four rope cords, place rope cord 1 over cords 2 and 3. Place rope cord 4 over rope cord 1, under rope cords 3 and 2, and through the loop made by rope cord 1. Pull rope cords 1 and 4 out and up to create the first half of the square knot. To complete the square knot, perform a similar but opposite pattern. Place the now rope cord 4 over cords 3 and 2. Place rope cord 1 over rope cord 4, under rope cord 2 and 3, and through the loop …

plant people.

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No more surface area for plants? Hang them! Here’s an easy macrame plant holder you can whip out in 30 minutes or less. This recipe creates a plant holder for 4-7 inch plant pot, up to 6-8 inches tall. For this project, you will need: 67 feet of 5mm rope, cut into: 6 10-foot pieces 1 3-foot piece 1 4-foot piece 2-3 inch hoop (metal, wood – your choice) Scissors S hook Somewhere to hang your project as you work Knots used (knot reference): Finishing knot Overhand knot Square knot How to: Hang your project using an S hook. Find the midpoint of the 6 10-foot pieces and hang on the ring. Using the 3-foot cord, create a finishing knot to gather the 6 10-foot pieces of rope. Working in cord pairs, create overhand knots approximately 4 inches from the bottom of the finishing knot. You will end up with 6 overhand knots. Working in groups of four, create 3 square knots approximately 3 inches from the bottom of the overhand knots. You will end …

macrame tree.

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I did it! I made a macrame tree. I was inspired by the macrame landscape piece I recently created. I planned a pattern based on the landscape project. I had a rough idea of how I would create the tree gradient, but I totally winged it because I wasn’t sure how much cord to use for each column. I eventually figured out that each square knot would need about 7-8″ of cord (when using 4mm cord). Even if you run out though, you can use multiple pieces of the same color cord to complete the column. Materials: 1 12″ dowel 18 strands of 22″ natural cord (for the base) 9 strands of natural cord in varying lengths for the “background” (see below recipe for lengths) 9 strands of green cord in varying lengths for the tree (see below recipe for lengths) 3 strands of 24” brown/copper cord for tree trunk 1 strand 18″ natural cord (for the hanging string) Yellow felt (for star) Sewing needles Sewing thread Battery operated string of lights (optional) Fabric scissors …

macrame landscape.

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I worked on a fun thing! I recently subscribed to The Crafter’s Box and the macrame landscape kit was my first project. This project was taught by Rachel Breuklander of the Lark’s Head. The kit came with everything we needed for the landscape project, including a pattern, a video tutorial, and even a really nice pair of scissors. I didn’t have to pull anything else out other than my macrame stand so I could work on my project while it hung. The color palette was so dreamy. They had a few additional color palettes to choose from if you wanted to create more than one project. After cutting all my rope to size, the pattern called for lark’s head knots and square knots. This was a fairly easy to follow project; it’s also a really good project to practice your square knot tension. I’ve done many a lark’s head and square knot, but I had never worked with the technique of changing the rope color to create a design. It’s so cool! Now that I …

chunky macrame.

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With Fall in full swing, I thought it would be appropriate to bring out the cozy and fluffy macrame! This would make great wall decor for a small space. All you need: 32 feet of fluffy roving, cut into two 16-foot pieces 3.5 inch dowel 2 feet of twine or similar cord A ruler or tape measure Scissors First, prepare the dowel with a hanging cord. You want the hanging cord to be secure first because the fluffy roving might ‘push’ the cord out of place. Tie a double knot, wind the cord a few times around the dowel, tie another double knot. Create an arch for hanging and repeat the same knot, wrap, knot technique on the other side. Next, we will anchor the two 16-foot pieces of roving onto the dowel with Lark’s head knots. Fold one piece of roving so that the outer tail is ~11 feet and the inner tail is ~5 feet in length. Place the ‘fold’ under the dowel. Place the two loose tails under the hanging cord, over …