We are going back to an old yet modern craft in today’s post with all things macrame! See how to make your own boho decor inspired dip-dyed macrame feathers!

Macrame has been around for years and has come and gone in popularity as a craft. In more modern times, macrame was a big hit in the 1970s and in the last few years has gained popularity once again. There are many different forms of macrame, some being more technical, with others being more simple, like these DIY macrame feathers in today’s post.
But what exactly is macrame?

What is macrame?

Macrame is a way of designing and making a form of textile using knots. This differs from other traditional crafts such as weaving and knitting, which use similar materials. There are various types of knots to achieve different designs involved in macrame such a square knot, half hitch knots and wrapped knots. Some of these knots take a bit of practice to get right, but the effects afterwards can be breathtaking.

Macrame is a great way of bringing texture into your decor, by the use of a wall hanging or even coasters that you may not achieve with other materials. The technique can also be used as a way of making useful items, such as a shopping bag, plant hanger and even a fruit bowl. The possibilities are endless with macrame.

Macrame Feathers

I have really wanted to get into macrame for the longest time, and this simple macrame feathers project felt like the perfect way to practice a few knots. It has also given me some beautiful decor pieces for the wall as well.
In this tutorial, I will show you two different types of knots that you can use to make the macrame feathers. Then to finish off the project with some fabric dye, and trying out the dip-dye technique for an ombre fade effect. Perfect for adapting to your colour scheme and bringing boho-vibes into your decor.

So, if it sounds like something you would like to have a go at, then let’s get crafting!

Jump to the end of this post for the video version of this tutorial too.

Macrame Feathers – What you need:

Making these macrame feathers is really easy, and doesn’t require a lot of material to do it. To make this project you are going to need the following:

*Just to note that some of the items on this list are affiliate links. This means I will earn a small amount of commission should you purchase through the link. This is at no extra cost to you. All links will be marked with an asterisk (*)*

• 3mm Macrame Cord* – This is a great starter kit
• Ruler
• Sharp scissors
• Fabric Dyes in various colours – Green*, Purple* and Blue*
• Pet comb* and/or fine-tooth comb

Step 1 – Measure out Macrame Cord

The first thing to do is to measure out the macrame cord. You can make the macrame feathers to be as small or as big as you like. This is totally dependent on the space where you want to hang these or use them for.
To make the same as mine you will need to cut one piece of macrame cord at 40cm. I measured to 20cm and then folded the macrame cord in half to double the size to 40cm, as I only had my 30cm ruler to hand. This will make the stalk of the feather.
You are then going to need to cut 20 pieces of macrame cord all measuring 20 cms. These will make the ‘arms’ of the feather. These pieces will make up one macrame feather, so if you are wanting several, you will need to cut the same amount for each feather.

Step 2 – Making the macrame feather

As I said there are two knots that can be used to make these simple macrame feathers. There are other more technical knots to have a fancy middle, but I found that these two knots are easier to learn and get a great looking feather from.

Before any knotting can begin, you want to lay your ‘stalk’ piece down, folded in half so that you have a loop at the top.

Knot 1 – Reverse Lark’s Head Knot

This is a simple knot that is mainly used to attach the cord to either a piece of dowelling or another piece of cord. This is sometimes known as a holding cord and is what your ‘stalk’ of the feather is.
Take one 20cm cord, and fold this in half to create a loop. Place this loop over the main ‘stalk’ cord. Then you want to bring the ends of the cord through the loop and pull to secure the knot.

You can create an alternate pattern by completing the same knot, except placing the loop underneath the ‘stalk’ cord rather than on top. This will give the feather arms a more staggered look as they go down.

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Knot 2 _ Square Knot

This knot is one of the more commonly used knots in macrame and is really simple to achieve on the macrame feather. I found it less fiddly to do on this type of project than I did when attempting a wall hanging piece. The square knot will knot differently on a wall hanging piece because you use the filler and working cords to make it.

For the feather, you want to place the ‘stalk’ down. Then, grab two of the 20cm cords. Like the previous knot, fold each cord in half so that you have a loop at one end. Place one of the loop cords underneath the ‘stalk’ cord and the remaining loop on top of the ‘stalk’ cord in the opposite direction. You should have a loop on either side of the middle cord.
Bring the tails of the loops up or down through each loop and pull. The loops will start to come together in the middle to form the knot. Pull so that they are tightly together, and move up or down the ‘stalk’ cord to the position where you want.

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Repeat whichever knot your prefer, or mix and match them up until all cords have been used. You now have the basis of your macrame feather.

Step 3 – Fray the edges

Once all of the cords are knotted, it is time to create the actual feathering part to the macrame feather.
First, the trailing end of the ‘stalk’ piece needs to be knotted to keep all the other cords in place. To do this, you are going to need to complete an overhand knot. This is the most basic knots that you will use and is simply knotting the two pieces together. It is the exact same knot you would use to start a show lace off, crossing the two cords together and pulling. Do this twice to give it a bit of strength and make sure it is pulled tight.

To create the feather, you are going to need to unwind the ‘arm’ cords. To do this, all you need to do is untwist. However, this isn’t enough to get the feather look, and you are going to need some form of comb to fray it further. I used both a pet comb and a regular fine-tooth hair comb. I found the pet comb was great at untangling some of the threads that were still wound together. The fine-tooth comb was great at really getting out any knots and gave the feathers a more refined look.
You will find that some of the macrame cord will come loose and lots of fluff will come out. This is normal, as you are pulling at the cords with a comb. Keep coming until you are happy with how the feathers look.

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Step 4 – Trim the feathers

As all of the cords were of the same length, you will find that the feathers are a bit square. All you need to do is taper the edges with some sharp scissors to create a bit of definition to the feathers. I like to cut from the bottom to create a point and bring this up at a sort of diagonal curve. Trim however you want your feather to look.
Comb through again to make sure that there aren’t any stragglers and trim accordingly.

There you have your fully made macrame feather. Now, you can leave it at this, if you have a neutral colour palette or you can try your hand at dip-dying for a great effect.

Step 5 – Dip-Dye the Macrame Feathers

This is the more messy part to the project, but totally worth it for the effect. You can use whatever colour dye to suit your decor or have a go at re-creating mine. I opted to use green, purple and blue dyes, as I am planning on places these feathers on my tropical gallery wall. These colours match the canvases that I have, and I thought it would look great.

Mix up the dyes in accordance with their instructions. I only made up roughly half of the dye as the feathers are small. You want to make sure that you use containers that are suitable and are not worried about being stained. I used metal takeaway containers and they were perfect for this project.

Place the feathers in some water to make them damp before dying. I think this helps open up the fibres of the cord for dying. Start with the lightest dye, which is the green one in this case and place the damp feather into it. Dip it in and out until you feel you have the right shade. Note that when you rinse the dye later the colour may lighten.
Then repeat the process into the purple dye, however, don’t place the whole feather in. Dip the ‘arm’ parts in only. Repeat until you have the shade you like. Finally repeat with the blue dye, making sure you only dip the tips of the feathers in this time.

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Rinse the dye in cold running water and allow the macrame feathers to dry. The dye packet will tell you the best method for this.

Step 6 – Restyle feathers and hang

When the macrame feathers have dried completely, re-brush them to get the fluffiness back. The dye may have made them clump together, but now that it is dry, should fluff out nicely.
Then it is time to hang them wherever you like, or even attach them to a piece of wood for a different piece of decor.

What do you think of this DIY? Are you new to macrame? Let me know in the comments below!

DIY Macrame Feathers Video:

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DIY Macrame Feathers Pin it!

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