Home Ideology

I’ve always wanted to give Macramé a go, but it’s always looked so difficult, until I saw a beautiful Macramé feather that didn’t look too difficult and thought there’s a chance I could pull this off.

When decorating at home, I love to put a personal touch on the place. I love making cushions that are a bit different and I’m dead set on creating some more wall décor that you can’t find in the shops.

A delicate diy Macramé feather is a great place to start if you’ve ever wanted to give Macramé a go. And you’ll never guess how you get those beautiful wispy ends….a CAT brush!! Crazy genius idea!

Below is what you’ll need and step by step instructions to create your very own diy Macramé feather at home;

You’ll need:

• 5mm single twist cotton string in a colour of your choice, here is the link to the ebay one I purchased, mine is grey
• Spray Starch, here’s the link to the one I used
• Sharp fabric shears, here’s the link
• Cat brush, yes I said cat brush 😉 here’s the link
• Ruler
• Cutting mat or large piece of cardboard

For a small size Macramé feather, cut:

• 1 32 inch strand for the spine
• 14 inch strands for the top
• 10, 12 inch strands for the middle
• 8, 10 inch strands for the bottom

To begin:

Step one:

Fold the 32 inch strand in half then take one of the 14 inch strands, fold it in half and place under the spine.

Step 2:

Take a second 14 inch strand, fold it in half and insert it in to the loop of the top horizontal strand. Pull the strand through and lay it horizontally, on top of the opposing strand.

Step 3

Step 4

Step 3:

Pull the bottom strands all the way through the top loop. You’ve made your first Macramé knot!

Step 4:

Pull both side tightly. The on the next row, you’ll need to alternate the starting side. Meaning if you laid the horizontal strand from left to right on the first knot, you’ll need to lay the horizontal strand from right to left next time.

Step 5:

Knotting hell you’re doing great! Next, lay the first folded strand under the spine, thread another folded strand into its loop, then pull the lower strand through the top loop. Now tighten.

Step 6:

You’re flying! Keep it going, working gradually down in size…

I leave the next one at the top so I don’t forget which way to go next

Step 7:

Be sure to push the strands up to tighten and grab the bottom of the middle (spine) strand with one hand and with the other, push the strands up. Once you’ve done that, drag the fridge down to meet the bottom of the middle strand and snip the spin to be the longest point of the feather.

Step 8:

You’re nearly there fire fingers!!! It’s time to give you macramé feather a rough trim. This helps guide the shape of the feather, but also helps when brushing the strands out with the CAT brush! (I’m thinking of all the other things I can use this brush with now).

Step 9:

Once you’ve given it a rough trim, place the feather on a durable surface, as you’ll be using an animal brush, there’s a chance it will damage the surface you’re work on. You can you a self-healing cutting mat or another piece of flat carboard. (Lucky my recycling day is a week away 😉

Step 10:

This is the fun bit! Time to start brushing. Start at the spine, and push hard into the cord. It will take several hard strokes to get that beautiful, wispy fridge like effect.

Step 11:

Work it…..all the way to the bottom. And when you reach the tip, hold the bottom of the spine while brushing as you don’t want the brush to pull out any strands.

Step 12:

Next, you need to stiffen the strands as the cord is so soft, it will flop when you pick it up and try to hang it up. Give it a spray, or two and allow it to dry properly for at least 2 hours.

Step 13:

Now your feather has stiffened up, you can give it a final trim. Take you’re time here as it can be quite hard. Start by trimming less then more. We’ve all had some real like fridge dilemmas at the hairdressers 😛 Once you’re happy, give your macramé feather a last spritz of spray starch and you’re ready to find it a home and hang it up on your desired wall.

Good luck and I’d love to see your DIY Macramé feathers in all their glory. Be sure to tag me on social media – @home.ideology