Mad for Macrame with Modern Macrame

Here on Foxtail + Moss, we've long sung the praises of the textile art resurgence trend (like this wall hanging, and this wall hanging, and this DIY). And guess what? We are so not sick of it yet! Learning macrame has been on my to do list for forever now and this summer I finally began to dabble in a few knotted projects of my own. So you can only imagine how incredibly excited I was when I was approached about hosting Emily Katz of Modern Macrame for a Chicago workshop on her very first Midwest mini-tour. Like, fan girl level excited. I geeked out! Emily is the master when it comes to macrame- not only is her work unique and so so lovely but she's my own personal bohemian interior design guru.
Soak up some serious textile inspo and get the details on our Wall Hanging workshop below!

All photos courtesy of Modern Macrame

See what I mean!? Sigh.

Join me September 8th for a super dreamy evening in the inspiring Penthouse at Freehand Chicago as Emily teaches us the fundamentals of macrame knotting. You’ll learn everything you need to know to create a woven wall hanging from start to finish including concepting your piece, basic knots and finishing techniques. By the end of the workshop, you’ll take home your own custom designed macrame wall hanging to hang in your own home, office, or studio, or to give as a special gift- so perfect for a wedding, housewarming, the holidays, or just because!

All supplies + refreshments are included. Sign up for the Wall Hanging Workshop here. Can't wait to see you there!

MAKE / Macrame Wall Hanging

Earlier this year, with help from Lauren, I created my first wall hanging with yarn. It was such a fun and easy project, I knew it was a craft I wanted to continue to learn. One of my goals for 2014 was to learn macrame.  So I decide to combine the two and create an amazing macrame wall hanging that I simply adore.

My best advice for someone learning a new craft: start simple! Sometimes I start a new project thinking "They say that's hard? It looks so easy!" Then halfway in to the project I get completely overwhelmed and give up. Sure I'd love to make a giant wall hanging that takes up the entire space over my couch with a bunch of different knots, textures, and lengths, but for my first macrame wall hanging I decide to keep it simple and stick with one knot throughout the entire project. Yes, this project was a little time consuming, but once you get the hang of it, it's really easy! 

Learn how to make this macrame wall hanging below. 

Supplies

Macrame cord (For my wall hanging, I used 3 spools of Darice Macrame Cord) 

Copper Pipe (whatever width and length you prefer)

Scissors

Wall hooks

Step One // Determine the size you want your wall hanging to be and purchase a copper pipe that is the appropriate length. Home Depot can cut copper pipe to any length.

Step Two // Cut all your cord. You will be folding each piece of cord in half since you will be looping it around the pipe, so one cord will technically be two stands. Starting at the fold, your string should be double the length of your intended wall hanging height. Take that length, double it again, and cut your first string. For my project, I used 34 pieces.

Step Three // Attach each cord to the copper pipe using a lark head knot. *I found it's easiest to work on this project while it's hanging. I temporarily attached mine to a lower spot on the wall using 3M hooks. 

Step Four // Now you're ready to macrame! You can use any knot combination you want but I found the square knot to be pretty easy for a beginner and I stuck with that one knot throughout my entire project. Check out this great knot tutorial for more inspiration!

Step Five // Once your macrame has reached a length you like, trim the excess cord. (I gave my wall hanging a V shape by eliminating one knot on each side, row after row, until I was left with just one center knot.) Now you're ready to hang your macrame!

Although this wall hanging looks like a daunting project to undertake, I promise it's actually very simple once you get the hang of the knot! I'll do my best to answer any questions you might have, so leave them in the comments below. 

{Claire}

Check out other projects from our MAKE series here.