DIY Macrame Plant Hanger for Beginners

Welcome to your new favorite weekend project! Macrame has made a massive comeback in home decor, and it is incredibly easy to learn. This DIY macrame plant hanger is the perfect beginner project to get your hands used to the basic knots while creating something genuinely beautiful for your home.

Before we dive into the knots, let’s talk supplies. You really don’t need much to get started. The beauty of macrame is in its simplicity. You will need some high-quality cotton cord (I recommend 3mm or 4mm single twist), a wooden or metal ring for the top, some sharp scissors, and optionally, a measuring tape. That’s literally it!

I personally love using natural unbleached cotton cord because it gives that quintessential boho look, but feel free to experiment with dyed cords if you want a pop of color to match your living room.

Step 1: Prep Your Cords

First things first, cut your cords. For a standard medium-sized plant hanger, you’ll want to cut 8 pieces of cord, each about 15 feet long. Yes, that sounds incredibly long, but remember that tying knots eats up a lot of cord length very quickly! It is always better to have too much cord at the end than to run out halfway through.

Once your cords are cut, thread all 8 pieces through your wooden ring so that the ring sits exactly in the middle of the cords. You should now have 16 cords hanging down, each 7.5 feet long. Tie a simple gathering knot right below the ring to secure everything in place. This will be the anchor for your entire project.

Step 2: The Square Knot

The square knot is the bread and butter of macrame. Divide your 16 cords into 4 groups of 4. We are going to work with one group at a time. Take the outer left cord and cross it over the two middle cords, then under the right outer cord. Then take the right outer cord, pass it under the two middle cords, and up through the loop created by the left cord. Pull tight! You’ve just done half a square knot.

To complete it, do the exact same thing but starting from the right side. Repeat this process until you have a nice section of square knots (about 10-12 knots). Do this for all four groups of cords.

Step 3: Creating the Basket

Now we need to create the "basket" that will actually hold your plant pot. Leave a gap of about 5 inches below your square knot sections. Now, take 2 cords from one group, and 2 cords from the adjacent group, and tie a square knot to join them together. Do this all the way around.

Leave another 5-inch gap, and repeat the process, alternating the cords again to create a diamond pattern. This net-like structure is what will cradle your beautiful pothos or spider plant securely.

Step 4: Finishing Touches

To finish the hanger, gather all 16 cords together about 4 inches below your last row of knots. Tie one large, tight gathering knot to secure the bottom. Trim the excess cord straight across for a modern look, or unravel the ends and comb them out for a fluffy, bohemian fringe.

And there you have it! Slide your favorite potted plant into the basket and hang it in a sunny window. I hope you enjoyed this quick and easy DIY. Happy knotting!