I want to let everyone in on a decorating secret that scratches all of my creative itches. It is whimsical, colorful, unexpected, and inexpensive. It is Macramé! About a year ago, I found myself pregnant, restless, and in need of a project. While looking through a magazine, I came across some intriguing pictures of macramé garlands. Realizing that I needed decor for an upcoming baby shower, I decided that this was going to be it.

I soon became obsessed with making garlands. I spent hours waddling from one end of a garland to the other, tying knots to create these beautiful pieces of art. While moving along the line and tying knots, it seems natural to pray to Our Lady, Undoer of Knots for the special people in our lives. With each knot we tie, we can be praying for someone that we love – someone whose heart seems tied in knots. God creatively brings beauty out of our knotted messes! This beauty comes from his transforming work. 

Macramé can be cute or elegant. Either way, it is just a fun way to decorate for birthdays, Easter brunches, parties, baby showers, and nurseries. It is easier than it looks (even kiddos can help!) and you are left with a beautiful and lasting memento of your event.

What you will need:

• Yarn in any colors that match your event’s theme – (about 3-5 bunches of yarn, the thicker the better)
• Painter’s tape or push pins
• Scissors
• Nimble fingers
• Someone to pray for and something to watch as you tie, tie away

Step 1: Cut the main piece of yarn to desired garland length. I make mine 90” long.

Step 2: Cut smaller individual pieces of yarn. Leave 1.5” between each piece when tying them on the main garland (cut 38 pieces for a 90″ garland). Consider the colors you want to use and divvy up the colors accordingly. Cut each piece 40” long.

Step 3: Use painter’s tape to hang the main piece of yarn (I used my mantle as my staging area. It is where family prayer happens and where TV binge-watching occurs). Start tying the 40” yarn cuttings in desired order along the main piece of yarn, knotting them at the midpoint, so that, once tied, both pieces are the same length.

Step 4: Skipping the first piece of yarn on the far left, tie the second and third pieces together in a double knot about 1” down. It should form a diamond shape. Move on to piece number four and five and double knot them. Continue until you reach the end of the right side. Your garland will start to drape a little.

Step 5: Once you complete the first row, go back to the left side and start again. This time start with the first piece of yarn on the far left. Tie double knots all the way across again.

Step 6: Go back to the left side and skip the first piece of yarn (as in Step 4) and begin knotting again.

Step 7: Repeat as many rows as you would like (I ended up stopping after 3 rows to allow some fringe to hang). And voila! You have a macramé garland!

But you need not stop there. Feel free to add beads, pom poms, or tassels to the ends of your fringe. Depending on the type of event, the sky is the limit.

Step 8: hang these sweet little babies wherever the celebrating is happening. I layered mine on the windows and walls near the table with the food. They later ended up over the window in the nursery.

Happy knot tying!