If you’re anything like me, you meticulously keep all the offcuts from completed macrame projects with the intention of using them…but almost never actually do! My containers of offcuts have been piling up for some time now. So follow along with me and learn how to make beautiful macrame feathers, while using up some of your offcuts in the process.
Instructions to Make Macrame Feathers (or Leaves)
Macrame feathers are arguably the most well-known project for using up otherwise-wasted offcuts of cord. They’re easy to make, requiring knowledge of only one knot (or two if you’re attaching them to a dowel or alternative). And when attached to a piece of dowel or driftwood, together with other macrame feathers, the result can be a beautiful artwork at a fraction of the cost.
Better yet, if you run a business that involves selling macrame products, you can make and sell art that incorporates macrame feathers. This allows you to receive income from those offcuts of cord you would otherwise have thrown in the bin.
Materials needed:
- 1x long cord for anchor (fold in half and make sure it’s long enough to attach to the dowel or accessory you want to attach the macrame feather to)
- 16x shorter cords (I used cords ranging from 12cm to 28cm, but the length will depend on what offcuts you have available and the size and shape you desire your feather to be)
- Metal rule or measuring tape
- Scissors
- Hot glue gun/hot glue or fabric glue
- Pet brush (or comb)
- Spray starch, iron, and tea towel (and ironing board or suitable surface to iron on)
- Wooden beads (optional)
- Dowel, driftwood, ring, or keychain (optional)
Step 1: Collect offcuts of cord
Gather together the offcuts of cord from other macrame projects. Offcuts are the excess lengths of cord you cut off.
I recommend having a container (or three!) set aside specifically for collecting offcuts. If you only make the occasional macrame project, one container may suffice. However, if you’re an avid macrame-er or if you run a macrame business, you may need three containers to help sort the offcuts into similar lengths or cord diameters.
Step 2: Choose appropriate colours and lengths
Sort through the offcuts you’ve collected and find some appropriate lengths in the colours and diameter you want to use. You can keep your macrame feather all one colour, or add some playful accents by changing up a couple of rows of cord to a different colour. You could even do something a little crazy and make a rainbow feather!
Making multiple macrame feathers in different colours can also make quite an impact when displayed together on a piece of dowel or driftwood.
NOTE: See “Materials needed” section for number and lengths of cord to use. The shortest cords I used were 12cm, but if you want a nice long section hanging down at the point of the feather, you’ll need to use slightly longer cords.
Step 3: Lay out the macrame feather pattern
Before attaching the cords, lay them out so you can position the different lengths and colours where you want them.
Fold the longer anchor (stem) cord in half and position it vertically with the looped end up the top. Then fold each of the shorter cords in half and arrange them so there are identical cords in each row.
Depending on the shape you want your feather to be, you may place the shortest cords at the bottom and gradually increase in length as you work upwards. Another option is to place a row or 2 of shorter cords at the top and bottom, then slightly longer cords in the middle.
Step 4: Attach the cords
Now all the cords are positioned correctly, it should be easy to move through and attach them all. We’ll be attaching the cords by tying a square knot using an alternative method than the one I’ve given in the Basic Macrame Knots post.
For this alternative method:
- Take the short, folded cord on the top right side and slide it underneath the main anchor cord.
- Then take the cord on the left side and slide the loop over the two ends of the cord moved in the previous step.
- Bring the new cord over the top of the main anchor cord, then thread the two ends down through the loop created by the first cord.
- Pull to tighten.
Repeat this process to attach the remainder of the cords. When all of the cords are attached, gently slide the cords down the main anchor cord to push them closer together. Keep maneuvering the cords up or down the main anchor cord until you’re happy with their final resting position.
The two tail cords of the main anchor cord should be no shorter than the length of the final two cords protruding out the sides.
Step 5: Secure with glue
When you’re happy with the positioning of the “feathers” or “leaves,” you can secure the cords in place with glue. I’m using hot glue sticks and a glue gun for this task, but you could also use fabric glue.
Turn the feather over so you apply the glue to the back (or look at both sides and apply glue to the one that already has imperfections). Gently pull each of the sets of cords coming out the sides to ensure they are secure.
Apply a small amount of glue to each square knot where the cords cross to ensure they stay tight. Lastly, apply glue just below the final square knot so the glue covers a little of the main anchor cord and a little of the square knot. This stops the square knot from sliding down.
Step 6: Brush out the cords
If you have tape around the ends of the cords, now is the time to remove this. Carefully cut down the side of each piece of tape and remove.
Using a pet brush, or fine-toothed comb, gently brush out the cords. Place one hand over the square knots to hold them in place, then begin brushing the very ends of the cords. As the cords begin to unravel, gradually start the pet brush closer and closer to the square knots until the entire “feather” is brushed out.
Step 7: Roughly shape the feather
At this stage, cut off any obviously-long sections of cord. This can be done either by simply eye-balling the feather, or you can print off a template and cut 1-2cm further out from it.
I like the shape of this leaf template printable on Freebie Finding Mom. I just printed it out, cut around the outside and smoothed out the edges, then used it to guide my cutting. If you need to adjust the size of the template, this can be done in the print options by lowering the percentage of the print size.
Step 8: Apply spray starch and iron
There are a few options for stiffening the “feathers.” The one I prefer to use is applying spray starch and ironing the feathers straight. Alternatively, you could use fabric stiffener or a cornstarch and water mixture (as I used in this macrame butterfly).
Gather the feather/s, pet brush, spray starch, iron, and tea towel together on the ironing board. Use the pet brush to gently straighten out the “feathers” and ensure there are no stray fibres.
Following the instructions on the container, apply the starch to the front of the feather. Cover the feather with the tea towel, then gently iron from the line where the square knots finish out towards the edge. Continue ironing until all the brushed-out cords have been ironed.
Turn the feather over and repeat on the other side.
I generally turn the feather back over to the front and repeat this process once more with a small amount of extra spray starch just to make sure the front looks as good as possible.
Once you’ve finished ironing the feather/s, leave on a flat surface to dry for a few hours.
Step 9: Trim the macrame feathers to their final shape
Once the macrame feather/s are dry, you can trim them to their final shape. Less is more here. Trim small amounts off at a time and check the shape regularly. It’s much easier to trim off a little extra than it is to fix a feather you’ve trimmed too much.
For this step, I used the template referred to in Step 7. If you’re confident, you could just do this by eyesight. Otherwise, find a template you like the shape of and use that.
Place the template over the feather, making sure the square knots are sitting perfectly down the centre, and cut a little wider than the template. Cutting wider than the template allows you to see which sections need more attention and also gives you a bit of wiggle room if you make any mistakes. Of course, you can cut right down to the template if that’s the size you want!
Step 10: Add wooden beads and attach to dowel or alternative (if desired)
Finally, if you want to add any accessories, now is the time. To add wooden beads to the feathers, hold the looped end of the cord in your fingers, push it through the wooden bead, and gently twist the cord around until it comes out the other side. Then pull the cord all the way through so the bead sits just above the feather.
If you want to attach the feather/s to a dowel, do this using a Lark’s Head knot. You can make a Lark’s Head knot using an alternative method by folding the top of the looped section over on itself and sliding it onto the dowel.
Conclusion
I hope this post has inspired you to turn that growing pile of offcuts into something beautiful.
Leave a comment if you’ve tried making these macrame feathers and let me know what project you added them to.
