Macrame Heart Wall Hanging

Learn how to make your own macrame heart wall hanging using just square knots. This macrame wall hanging is a fun project for Valentine’s Day or to give as a gift to someone you love.

I have wanted to make a wall hanging with hearts for quite some time. Valentine’s Day comes and goes and it never seems to get it done.

This year I did it! I’m sharing the tutorial below and also my thoughts on making wall hangings, how to decide which supplies to use, and whether or not you need a pattern.

Is a macrame wall hanging easy to make?

Macrame wall hangings can be really easy to make. You can make them entirely with one knot in different configurations. You can also get really detailed with lots of different knots and make it really fancy. It really just depends on the style you’re wanting and how you want the finished piece to look.

Dowel vs branches/driftwood for wall hangings

Dowels

Which is best to use, dowels or branches/driftwood? It really depends on the look you’re going for. Dowels give a wall hanging a clean modern look and they are easier to come by than that perfect branch or piece of driftwood.

They can purchased at your local craft store or home improvement store. You can even order them online and have them delivered in just a few days. Dowels can be cut to the size you need for your project and you can stain or paint them the color of your choice.

Branches or Driftwood

Branches have to dry out and that can take a very long time. Then you have to clean off the bark which is a LOT of work. I’m not saying don’t do it, when you’re going for a more organic boho look, a tree branch or piece of driftwood will definitely give you the look you want.

Unless you have access to driftwood where you live, it can be pricey to purchase a really nice piece of driftwood in a substantial size. Etsy does have some affordable options, but you need to make sure you get the size you need for your project. I always look for free shipping, shipping costs for a piece of driftwood can be high.

You really need to take into consideration the look you are going for and plan ahead when using tree branches or driftwood.

How to start macrame wall hanging

Do I need a pattern?

A pattern certainly makes creating your macrame wall hanging a lot easier. When you want to recreate someone else’s project exactly, a pattern is very helpful. The pattern will give you the number of strings you need and exactly which knots to tie and where.

Should I draw out my design first?

When coming up with your own design, you may want to sketch it out on paper first. It will help you to visualize the completed wall hanging. I sketched out my wall hanging with hearts so I would have an idea where I wanted to place the hearts.

However, most of the time my macrame wall hangings just make themselves. No prior planning involved, LOL.

New to the art of macrame? Learn to macrame with these 4 basic macrame knots and check out the 19 Macrame Terms for Beginners You Need to Know.

How to Make a Macrame Heart Wall Hanging

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Supplies for Macrame Wall Hanging with Hearts

• Wooden dowel
• 3mm natural twisted 3ply cotton macrame string
• 3mm red twisted 3ply cotton macrame string
• 3mm pink twisted 3ply cotton macrame string
• Scissors

Cords Needed (lengths will vary)

• 47 natural
• 12 red
• 10 pink

Step-by-step-tutorial

Step 1. Cut your cords

The length of your cords will depend on how long you want your wall hanging to be. I cut my 25 filler cords 4 feet long. The natural knotting cords for the filler cords that go all the way down with no change in color, I cut 8 feet long.

Because the rest of the knotting cords are all different lengths, I cut what I thought I would need for that section. This will make more sense when we get to the step of transitioning from one color to another.

Step 2. Attach your filler cords

Attach 25 filler cords across the dowel using a lark’s head knot. Don’t worry about spacing, you’ll be able to move them around later.

Step 3. Tie the knots

We are creating this wall hanging from top to bottom instead of across. Tying square knots around each filler cord by adding a knotting cord to it instead of joining adjacent cords. All of the knots are square knots

Transitioning from one color to another

Cut your strings long enough for each sinnet of knots per color as you transition from one color to another.

When transitioning from one color to another, tie the previous color’s leftover string in the back and cut off the excess. You can see how to do this in the video.

Then start the new color by attaching the string using a square knot and continue knotting the full sinnet of square knots for that color.

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Note: Different brands of macrame string may have different thicknesses, so you may need to adjust the number of knots for your heart shapes to look like hearts. It’s not an exact science and you just have to step back and look to see if your heart looks like a heart. I found that taking a picture of it with my phone made it easier to see.

Step 4. Finish

Check to make sure the last square knot on all your filler cords is even. Line them up so that they are just touching each other with no overlap. You want them to be able to move freely without catching on each other. Cut the excess filler cords so that you have about 2 inches left hanging then fringe it out.

Here is how the macrame heart wall hanging turned out. I really love the look of this wall hanging! It turned out exactly how I envisioned it in my head.

This was my first time making a wall hanging like this. It took me a while to get the knots lined up so that they actually looked like a heart so that I could write up a pattern for you.

Of course, you can tell by the video that I didn’t knot each filler cord one after the other, figuring out how many knots to tie for the hearts had me jumping all over the place. Luckily, I did all the hard work for you and you can tie your knots one filler cord at a time.

This was also a practice run for a wall hanging I’m planning to make for my newest granddaughter that is due to arrive in just a little over a month. I’m hoping my daughter will love it and put it in her nursery. I’ll share that one with you along with the pattern after I give it to her at her baby shower…🤫 don’t tell her!

Happy Knotting,