Learn how to make this large macrame wall hanging!

1. Intro: Hi, I'm Megan and I'm self-taught macrame artist. I'm also the owner and creator of my own little business, Luna Crafts Online. In today's class, we are going to be learning how to make this large macrame wall hanging, if you've watched my other tutorial on how to make small macrame wall hanging. You will recognize the middle centre of this. I created this larger wall hanging first, and then I designed that smaller one based off of this one. If you've already made that one, you'll be very familiar with how to make that semicircle shape. So if you fancy making this wall hanging in the next lesson, I'll go over all the materials and supplies that you'll need. I created my small business, Luna Crafts Online back in December 2018. Since then I've fallen more and more in love with macrame and fiber arts and the process of creating bespoke wall hangings. I find creating something with my hands very therapeutic and relaxing. But I'd love to now be able to teach other people about this craft, and inspire others to be creative. My hope is that my lessons, we'll teach you some basic knots and patterns so that you'll be able to create your own wall hanging, plant hangers. And even macrame bags. Not only for yourself but for friends and family as they make really amazing gifts. Some of my other hobbies include yoga, running, baking, and house plants. I have probably about 60 houseplants. I have a lot of different macrame plant hanger tutorials to share with you. I really hope you learn some techniques from me so you're able to create your own unique, beautiful hangings. 2. Supplies & materials: So first of all, you will definitely need some macrame cord. This is a three mm, three ply cord. It's my favorite to work with. And it brushes out really easily for the two tassels. You can get away with using single twist if that's what you have, but this makes it much easier to do the tassels. As always, the measurements for the cords and every section that you'll need will be written down below. You'll need a tape measure. Of course, you need some scissors. You'll need a wire brush or comb. I really recommend getting a wire brush though. This is just a pet brush. And it really helps when brushing out the cord for the tassels. And of course you need some sort of branch. This is a birch branch. So any branch will do, you could use driftwood, which would be really pretty or just a wooden dowel if that's what you can get your hands on. So you need one that's about 80 centimeters long and the width of it, doesn't really matter, but here I'm just measuring mine for you and it's about 3 and a half to 4 cm. You'll need somewhere to set up your branch. So I'm going to use these two hooks, but as you see, my branch is way too thick to go in the hooks. So what I have here is just to scrap cords that I've just tied a double knot in, and I'm just hooking them onto the hook and then I'll just slide my branch through them and that's how I'm going to be working. So this is an easy way to attach it to maybe a chair or something. If you can tie the macrame, cord around the top of the chair and you can slide your branch in. If you don't have any hooks like this. Once you have hung your branch up, we can get started on the next lesson. 3. Larks head knot: So to attach our cords to our branch, we are going to be doing a larks head knot. So if you can grab your six, lots of 2m cords and grab one and split it in half like I'm doing here. So you're going to measure 40 centimeters from one end of your branch to get the middle point of your branch. And then this first cord you're going to put right on the middle point. So if you take the middle point behind your branch, and then you take those two cords through the loop. And then just pull that to tighten. So that's one attached. So now for the next five cords we're going to be attaching them to the left of this middle cord. And that will make sense in the next lesson. So I'm just going to be doing the exact same. splitting the cord in half, taking midway point behind the branch and then passing those two cords through the loop. So here, I'm just double-checking that the 40 centimeter mark is where that cord on the right is. 4. 1st layer - semi circle: Okay, so in order to create our semi circle shape. We're gonna take that third cord from the right here. that I've got in my hat and we're going to need to loosen the knot like so And we're going to need to make that third cord slightly longer than the other cord in that group. This is so that we have enough length to do the semicircular shape and then also wrap around the branch again. So just keep loosening it until it's around 20 centimeters longer than the left cord in that group. So here you see it's about 20 cm, doesn't have to be exact. So take the 3rd cord in your right hand, and then with your left hand, grab that second cord from the right and bring it up and over the cord that's in your right hand and behind it. And then that cord is going to pass through this loop here. And then you can pull and tighten that and then repeat once more with these group of cords here. Then pull that and tighten. And then that's one double clove hitch knot. So then we're going to take the first cord that's on the right. and repeat the exact same there. So now with the cord in your right hand, the cord that we made longer we're going to have to attach it to the branch in a larks head knot, but obviously, we can't do it in the normal way that we would. So we're going to take that cord, go up and over behind. your branch. And then it's going to come from behind through that loop there. And then you can just pull that to tighten it up against the rest of the knots. And then from there we're going to take it behind the branch up and over. And then it's gonna go through that loop there, so once you've done that and tightened it, you should see it should resemble a larks head knot. So this is just another method of making a larks head knot when you can't attach it in your normal way. So we're going to be repeating this with the other four cords here, making sure each time we make the cord on the right of the set a little bit longer than the left. So for this one, I would make it 23 - 24 cm just so we have that added length as the semicircle increases in size. So again we're going to be making rows of double clove hitch knots using all of those the cords there. And then we're gonna do that special larks head knot to attach it to the branch. But you will definitely get the hang of this and it will become super, easy to remember how to do it. But I remember the first time I done it, it was a bit tricky to remember. Okay, so now you should already see that semicircle shape start to form. So we're just going to attach the last cord like so. And then you can go ahead and grab your cord that measures to 220 cm in length. And attach that again using a larks head knot to the left of your work, leaving about a two centimeter gap in-between. And then again with this one, we're going to make sure that one cord is longer than the other. So if you take the cord that's on your left and measure out 80 centimeters and then hold your finger on that point. We're just going to loosen the knot and then make it so that that point is then at the top of the branch. So that cord on the left will measure 80cm in total. and the cord on the right will have added length to it. So you can go ahead and just measure again to double-check that you've got the 80 cm on the left. And then we're going to be creating rows of double clove hitch knots again. But you want to make sure you leave about a one to two centimeter gap between the semicircle and this row that you're creating now and that will create that really pretty almost looks like a sun to me. So I'm just going to call it a sun, that really pretty sun look. As you can see here, I've got a gap in-between all those cords. And you need that gap because that's where we're going to be attaching tassels once we're finished with this. So just keep going around making sure you'll leave about the same amount of gap between the semicircle and this row. And then again, we're going to just attach it to the using that special larks head knot method, leaving about 2 cm gap between the two sections. I'm just going through and I like to put the end 2-bits right up to the top and then I space out the rest inbetween, evenly, as evenly as I can anyway. And now we can go ahead and move on to the next lesson, which is attaching the tassels and creating this really pretty V shape. 5. Tassels & V-shape: Okay, so now you can grab your 11 lots of a 120 cm lengths. This is what we're going to be using for the tassels, which go in-between all these little lines So for this, we're going to be touching this in a cow hitch knot, which is just a larks head knot in reverse. So you're gonna take that midway point and come behind your work and through that gap and then obviously pass two cords through the middle, thought that loop there and pull to tighten it. So you can see it is just a larks head knot backwards, but it's called a cow, hitch knot or sometimes known as a reverse larks head knot. So we're just going to continue this, going the whole way around the semicircle until you've used up all your 11 cords. Okay, So now all the tassels have been attached and you can see it's much, much fuller. So you can go ahead and grab the first cord from that larks head knot on the left. And we're going to be creating a row of double clove hitch knots here. As we go, we're going to slightly increase the gap in-between the two rows. So we start to form this nice V shape. So as you can see here as I'm going along, I'm slightly increasing the gap in-between the two rows ever so slightly just to have it that gradual gap and create the V-shape. And then you can just stop on this side once you hit the middle cord. And then we're gonna do the exact same with the cord on the right, trying to make sure that we mirror the V-shape on the left side so that it looks symmetrical. And then we're going to just finish it with a double clove hitch knot, going towards the right. So now you can count out full cords from the left here and just put them out of the way. because we don't need them at the moment. And then take that first cord there and we're going to create a row of double clove hitch knots. Now this time We can just stay snug against that first row, We don't need to leave the gap or anything. And then again, do the same on the right. So take 4 cords out and make a row of double clove hitch knots And then again finish with a knot going towards the right. Again, we're taking four cords out on either side and repeating the same. So this will be the third row of double clove hitch knots and it will be the final row as well. And I got one final knot going towards the right. and then this section is complete. 6. 2nd layer - square knots & tassels: Okay, so now we can grab our 4 lots of 180 cm lengths of cord and attach two of them on either side of this using a larks head knot So I'm doing it about five cm away from the last layer that we made. And then attaching the other two on the other side about 5cm away again. Okay, so now I'm just going to make a square knot. So we're taking that cord on the right, the fourth cord over the middle two, and it will go behind the first one, the first one will go behind the middle 2, and through that loop right there. And then you can pull that up to the top. And then we're going to be taking the first cord over the middle two. And behind the fourth, and the fourth will go behind the middle two and through that loop there. And that is a square knot, so I'm just going to make one of them on either side. So now we can take the third and the fourth cord from that set, like so. And then I'm going to be taking from this third row of double clove hitch knots, I'm going to be taking the first two cords from there. And then I'm just going to make a square knot using these four cords. And then you can repeat that on the other side. And now lastly, we're going to be taking the two outer cords on either side like this. So the 3rd and the 4th from the first knot and then the 1st and the 2nd, from the second square knot to make a square knot that meets in the middle. Okay, so now we're going to be taking our 34 lots of a 150 cm. With this lot we're going to be attaching them using a cow hitch knot again, like we done before. So you just split it in half and then take that midway point behind your cords and then push those two cords through the loop. And then that's done. So on this first section we're going to be applying 10 tassels, So 10 on either side. And then in that middle section where the middle square knot is, we're going to be attaching seven cords on either side. So as you can see from the weight of the tassels, it creates this really nice curved sort of V shape. So now on the middle section here we're going to be taking that outer cord from the cow hitch knot. And we're just going to create a row of double clove hitch knots that is snug up against that first row. And then we're going to be repeating the same on the other side. So taking that first cord from the cow hitch knot on creating that row off double clove hitch knots. And then I'm going to be closing the gap using a double clove hitch knot, going towards the right, so it matches the same size ones above it. 7. 3rd layer - small diamonds: So now we can attach our four lots of 340 cm lengths of cord using a larks head knot. And again, I'm doing it about 4cm away from that last layer. Okay, so with this 4 we're going to be adjusting the length of the cord again. So the first cord, we're going to be measuring a 100 cm and then just adjusting the knot so the first cord measures a 100 cm in total. You can see here I've got that 100 cm point on my finger And then I'm just sliding it up to the top and then pulling the other cord. So the other cord will have all the added length. So this is just so we don't have too much wasted cord. And then we're going to be making the. Third cord in the set, a 120 centimeters long. Okay, so now that all the cold lengths have been adjusted, we can go ahead and start making this small diamond pattern. So for that we are going to be taking the first cord here. Pulling it over and creating a row of double clove hitch knots, angled down towards the right. So once you've finished the 3rd double clove hitch knot, we can stop. So now you can grab that second cord there and create a double clove hitch knot going towards the left. So you can see you've got the top of the diamond starting to form and then swap that cord over. So then you are now making a knot going towards the right. And then the same with that cord on the right so you can swap it, so angle it towards the left. Now and make one knot. And then we're going to be joining the two together. I want to follow that line that I started at the top. So you can see it has a nice curved line going on. It's not broken up or anything. And now I'm just going to make one more knot going towards the left using that first cord. Now I'm going to be swapping it round, making one going towards the right. And then take that 3rd cord, and use that and make a knot going towards the right. So it's very repetitive, but it does look a bit complicated at first, but promise you'll get the hang of it. And then swapping that again and making one going towards the left. And then I'm just going to make sure I follow that curved lines so i'm, I'm making one going towards the right. So just continue this pattern until you have 10 small diamonds in total. And then we can attach it to the layer behind it. So here I have my 10 small diamonds and then I'm going to attach it to the layer behind it using a double clove hitch knot. So here you can see I'm grabbing that middle layer where we created that row of double clove hitch knots going to be counting out 8 cords, and then I'm taking the 9th cord here. And I'm going to be using that to create a double clove hitch knot so you can see I'm just using my cord from the small diamonds and using that cord to make it might seem a bit complicated at first. And then I'm just going to finish this diamond shape here. And then instead of taking the cord that I used from that back layer, I'm just going to be swapping in and grabbing the cord that was originally from the small diamond layer that still has all the length added that we need. And then I'm just going to be substituting that back in, creating a knot using that cord. And then finishing off this diamond shape. And then just carry on until you have two more diamond shapes. So you should have 13 diamonds in total. And then we just repeat the exact same on the other side. Making sure to try and mirror the curvy line up the top so they look symmetrical. So just like on the other side, we're going to be adjusting the knots to make sure that one cord is longer than the other. So I'm just adjusting the second cord to measure a 120 cm and making sure that the 4th cord measures a 100 cm so I can match the other side and make that symmetrical curve pattern. 8. 4th layer - big diamonds: Now we can get 8 lots of 430cm lengths of cord and again attach them using a larks head knot about five cm away from that small diamond layer that we just made. I so I actually had completely finished this wall hanging, filming it and everything and I went to edit it. I noticed from this layer on was really out of focus, so I had to unpick everything. So my cords are actually a bit shorter. You will have much more length on your cords because I had already trimmed my all wall hanging, but I didn't want to waste new cords. Okay, so we're gonna be taking this cord here and pulling it down towards the right and creating diagonal row of double clove hitch knots. So once we finish that, we can go ahead and take this first cord from the row of double clove hitch knots. so it should be the 4th cord And angle it towards the left and create a row of diagonal of knots going towards the left. So once we finish that, we can take the 4 middle cords and just create a square knot with them. And then we're going to close this big diamond shape from taking the cord on the left and angling it towards the right and creating a row of double clove hitch knots until I hit that middle cord from the square knot. And then I'm just repeating the same with the cord on the right, And like before, on the layer before this. we're gonna just be following that shape that we've created. So making one going towards the left. What the side on the right, we're going to be making it a little tighter, as you can see here. I'm making the gap between the two diamonds a little shorter than the side on the left. So this is going to give us a really nice curved effect. So it should follow the small diamonds curve. And this is because we'll be adding tassels to those end cords on the left. So we need them to be slightly longer so I'm just repeating this, making sure to make the side on the right slightly shorter than the side on the left to mimic that curve until I have nine big diamond shapes in total and then repeat on the other side too. So now I have both sides done and nine diamonds in total. We can go ahead and attach them both in the middle. So I'm taking this last cord on the left, and the first cord on the right, and I'm just going to make a double clove hitch knot. So I'm making a double clove hitch knot going towards the left, but it doesn't matter what way you do it. So I'm just eyeballing this and I'm going to be adjusting the cord so the two sides hang however far away I want them, this is completely up to you. You could space it out. So that they hang much further away. So I'm going to be using the four cords here just to create a line of double clove hitch knots And I'm leaving out the first four cords from this left side, and I'll be leaving out the last four cords from the right side. So you can see here I've got one side of a new diamond shape. I'm going to be taking the last cord here. and creating another row of double clove hitch knot going down towards the right. But before that we are going to be taking those 4 middle cords and creating a square knot. And then we're just going to close this diamond shape exactly like we've done before. But like I say, you'll have a lot more length in your cords than I do here as I've already trimmed all my cords. So there'll be a lot easier for you to create this shape. So for this one, I'm doing the opposite of that line that to create this nice diamond here. And then I'm just carrying on this line, but I'm going to leave out the end 2 cords from this layer. So I'm just making two knots here, and I'm going to make two knots on this side as well. Leaving out the last cord on either side. We're not making any square knots or anything inside this shape. And then I'm just going to close this diamond. And then I'm just carrying on that curvy line. And then like before I'm going to leave out the last two cords on either side. Again and just create a much smaller diamond shape. So this is a nice way to have three diamond shapes decrease in size. That's very easy to do just by leaving out the last two cords on either side every time. Okay, so that is this big diamond shape is complete. 9. Big diamond tassels: And now we can add all the fringe to the big diamond shape. So if we get our 54 lots of 65 centimeters, lengths of cord and you know, the drill, we're splitting them in them in half. And then taking the midway point behind this first cord. Then taking those two cords through that. So again, attaching all of these in a cow hitch knot. So we're gonna be adding three tassels in-between the diamonds until we have used them all up. Making sure to also attach three tassels, either side of where you joined the two sides together. 10. 5th layer - spiral tassels: Now grab your four lengths of 320 cm lengths of cord. So the code is all curly like this because I had already created it all and then I have to pick it all. So yours will be nice and straight and it will be easier to work with. So attaching 2 about five cm away from the last layer. And then we're going to be making the inner cords here, so cord 2 and 3, about 70 cm long. So we need all the length to be on the outer 2 cords. So for this we are going to be creating the first half of a square knot and then we just repeating that. So we're not closing off the square, knot by creating the second half, we just repeating the first half and then it should start to spiral around. And it creates a really, really pretty texture and feature to your wall hangings. Looks really nice in plant hangers as well. So as you see here it's starting to curl around and keep going until it measures about 30 cm in length. And then we're going to be attaching this to the layer beneath it. So here you can see, I'm going in between the third and fourth diamond into those tassels and I'm splitting the first two away from the third one. And then just in-between those is where we're going to be attaching so I'm taking this outer cord, just pushing it from the front through those. And then I'm just repeating this spiral pattern, making sure to tighten that so it sits flush against that last layer. And then just keep going with your spiral pattern until it measures about four cm long. So like I said before, your cords will not be this short. It's just because I had already trimmed them. So it was very difficult. And then we're just going to repeat the exact same steps on the other side to create two matching spirals. 11. Crown knot tassels: Now you can grab your 16 lots of 40 cm to create the crown knot tassel. It's a lot easier to show you against a desk. So we're going to be splitting these cords in half so you use 8 cords per tassel So here I've got one set, I'm splitting that into two groups of four and I'm crossing them over like this on my desk making short little cords lay flat. So it's easiest if you number your cords from one - four. So 1 2 3 4 this will make it much easier. So if you take the first one over cords number 2, and then I'm just sliding that off a bit to give it more length to the top and then take the second group of cords and lay it over cords number 1 & 3. And then the third group will go over cords number 2 and 4. I'm just making sure everything is laying flat and pretty. So the fourth set will go over the third set and then through the loop that is created by the first set of cords. So here you can see I'm pulling it under the first set. So here as long as you have this box shape and it's closed, you'll be fine too. If you've made my macrame, bag or followed that video along, you'll recognise this tassel. So I'm just tightening this ever so slightly so it's easier to see your shape. And then you can see you've got these four gaps in the middle here. And this is where we are going to be putting our tassel. So we're just gonna take 2 like this at a diagonal and then using the cords from the spiral knot, we're going to split those into two. So the first two and then the last two. So I'm taking two of those, put in it through one of the holes that, and then taking the hole opposite that and putting that through the other two cords through like so. And then we can just go ahead and tighten all the sides of the box. And then I just take my time with this and make sure all the cords are pulled as tight as they can and are also laying flat. Again it will be a lot easier for you because you're spiral cords will be a lot longer than my two. Okay, so now everything is laying flat. I'm going to be turning the tassel around so the working on the back of it. So grab one of your 40 cm lengths of cord and we're going to be creating a gathering knot. So we're going to have a small tail like this at the top, and a big loop at the bottom there. And we're going to take that longer tail bit and keep wrapping it around until you do about two or three wraps quite tightly around all of your cords. Then we're going to take that long tail bit and go through the loop there and gently hold that in place. And then if you pull on the smaller tail at the top, you can see it will close that loop and secure that cord in place. Pull it so it's about halfway through. Your knot, you don't wanna pull it all the way through as it will undo your knot. So you can see it looks nice and neat at the front when you turn it around. You can just snip off that excess cord. And that one there. And then turn your tassel around and it will look nice and neat. So I'm just going to give mine a quick little trim. This is not going to be the final length. This is just to get some of the bulky length off. So it's easier to comb out. So I'm just going to repeat the exact same on the other side using that crown knot tassel method. And now we're going to brush the tassels out, but I find it much easier to just unravel all the cords individually first, as when you have loads of cords bulked together like this, it does make it a bit difficult to comb out. So if you just take your time and go through each cord, unraveling it. It's quite therapeutic actually. And then we'll come back just to comb it all out. and give the tassels the final trim. Okay, so I have unraveled all the cords here and I'm just going to grab my wire brush. and give it a quick brush out. You can see it's a lot easier than trying to brush the cords when they're all wrapped up. Just going in from all angles making sure that everything is brushed out and smooth. This is entirely optional though. You could just leave the tassels as normal cords if you wanted. I just like the texture this creates. And then I'm just going to be eyeballing this and cutting it to a length that feels right to me. So I mine measured around eight centimeters long. So I'm just going to repeat this on the other side here, and then we can go onto the final step. 12. Trimming & adding hanging cords: So now we're onto the final step which is to trim all your cords. As you can see, we've got this back longer layer, which is the first two or three layers, I think so I leave them longer than the layer that's in the front. I like the layered effect it creates, but it's entirely up to you how you trim yours, whether you even trim yours at all, you could just leave it as is. So here I'm just trimming all the cords to my desired length. But I'm just eyeballing it. I don't like to make it neat. I'd like the organic look it gives. And here's a quick little tip that you can do if you're like me and you don't like the look of cords that have just been freshly cut. You can actually just grab a few cords in between your hands and rub them together and it will fray the cords a bit and make them look a bit aged. I did film me doing this, but it was completely out of focus. So I couldn't add it in. Here I'm just going in and I'm trimming that layer that's at the front. Just so it's not covering the back layer too much. And obviously you can always go back and trim up some more after you've had it hanging for a day or two just to see how you like it. Last but not least, we're going to grab all a 130 cm length cord. And I'm just going in between the first two layers here, and I'm just double knotting it. And this will be our hanging cord. So now you can just determine how long you want this to be. I like mine quite long, so it's in proportion with the wall hanging. And then I'm just tying it in a double knot on the other side in the exact same place. And then I can go ahead and trim the excess cord of this and then your wall hanging is finished. So you can see it does weigh quite a bit, so it's a bit difficult to hold up with one arm. Here you can see the final finished product. And if you flip it over to the back, it will look nice and neat and you can see all the different layers that you created. So I do love making wall hangings with lots of different layers and I also love making them when different layers attached to the layer behind it. So it creates a really lovely, layered, textured look. 13. Final thoughts & class project: So I really hope you love this class on how to make this really large macrame wall hanging, it took me probably about two hours to design this will hanging. And then the first time I made it, I think it probably took me about six hours. because the most difficult part is measuring all the cords and figuring out how much cord you will need. But here all the work's done for you and you can just create your own pretty wall hanging. So for the class project, I'd like you to re-create this. You can do it in any style you want. You could miss out layers or add some more layers. You could even add a tassel to the middle point of those three diamonds there. I think that would look really pretty. You could even do the tassels in different colours. You could use driftwood, just whatever feels right to you and your style I'd like you to create that. Please share your progress pictures and your final picture in the class project section below, because I would really, really love to see it if you recreate it. And I'm sure everyone else would love to see it. You can even just pick certain sections from this and make a new wall hanging using that because there's a lot of different techniques in this class that you should have learnt now. And I'll see you in my next class.