The current macrame trend holds a special place in my heart. It’s one of those trends that I’m old enough to remember from the first time it was popular. It was 1979, and as a very young child, I accompanied my mom and aunt to an outdoor craft market where my aunt sold her beautiful macrame creations. Her specialty was macrame owls that were designed to fit a potted plant. Yes, plants were also a very big deal back then. As were bean bag chairs and mod patterned pillows. Today’s macrame has re-emerged in new colours and designs. I designed this DIY boho macrame feather wall hanging for the beginner macrame student. The predominantly cream colour modernizes the look, while the beige and rust accents are a nod to the past.
I hope you enjoy making this wall hanging. This project can be completed in under an hour with only a few supplies. And the finished project will add a fun modern Boho touch to your home. I think it would be a lovely Mother’s Day gift as it’s easy to customize the colours to someone special’s favourite colours.
Supplies
I have linked the exact products I used here:
- 36 ft cream/natural macrame rope (3 mm size)
- 20” beige macrame rope (3 mm size)
- 11 ft rust macrame rope (3 mm size)
- 12” long wooden dowel (3/8 to 1/2 inch diameter)
- One 30” piece cream/natural macrame rope (3 mm) for hanging
- Paper templates for the feathers:
Tools
- Sharp scissors
- Cat brush or hairbrush
- Ruler or tape measure
Instructions
Cutting
Large Feather (all cream)
From the cream macrame rope, cut one piece 24” long and 52 pieces 6” long.
Small Feather (3-tone)
From the cream macrame rope, cut 16 pieces 5” long.
Using the beige macrame rope, cut 4 pieces 5” long.
From the rust macrame rope, cut one piece 22” long and 20 pieces 5” long.
Knotting
Large Feather (all cream)
- Attach the 24” piece of cream rope onto the wooden dowel by knotting as shown in Figure 1. Make sure that both hanging ends are the same length. You will tie your knots to this piece.
- To attach the first piece (closest to the dowel), fold a 6” piece of rope in half and place it as shown in Figure 2. Then fold a second piece in half and place it as shown in Figure 3. Pull tightly on the ends to form a knot. Slide the knot up so it is touching the dowel (Figure 4).
- All knots are formed exactly the same way, so repeat this process for the remaining 6” pieces of rope.
- You will have 26 knots total.
- Knots should be quite tight- pull strongly on the rope ends to create a tight, secure knot. There also shouldn’t be any spaces between the knots, so slide them towards the previous knot as you go (Figure 5).
Small Feather (3-tone)
- Attach the 22” piece of rust rope onto the wooden dowel like you did in Figure 1 (rust rope this time though).
- To attach the first cream piece (closest to the dowel), fold a 5” piece of rope in half and place it as shown in Figure 2. Then fold a second piece in half and place it as shown in Figure 3. Pull tightly on the ends to form a knot. Slide the knot up so it is touching the dowel.
- All knots are formed exactly the same way, so repeat this process for the remaining 5” pieces of cream rope. After you have attached all 16 pieces of cream rope, attach the 4 pieces of beige rope, then the 20 pieces of rust rope (Figure 6). You will have 20 knots total.
Combing and Trimming
- Comb out the rope using a cat brush or hair brush. Keep brushing until there is no twist remaining in the rope and the rope fibres are soft and smooth (see Figure 7).
- Cut out both feather templates. Use the large feather template for the all-cream feather, and the small feather template for the 3-tone feather.
- To trim, make sure the feather is on a flat surface and that the fibres are brushed out. Place the template on top of the fibres making sure it is centered left to right (see diagram 5). Carefully trim away the excess fibres following the template as shown in Figures 8 and 9.
Finishing Up
Position the two feathers side by side on the dowel so the 3-tone feather overlaps the cream feather. Attach the hanging rope by tying a knot on either side of the feathers, letting the excess rope hang down behind. I have one final tip for you. If you don’t love the look of slightly floppy strands of string, then you can spray your feathers with a fabric stiffening spray. I use Aleene’s Stiffen Quick and it gives my macrame pieces a very tidy look. It’s certainly not necessary, especially if you like the more natural and fluid look.
