How to Make a Macrame Plant Hanger, Step by Step

What you need and how much cord to cut

Use 4mm cotton macrame cord in a 3 ply or braided construction. Both tie firm, defined knots that hold their shape under a watered pot, while soft single strand cord stretches and looks fuzzy after a few months. Step up to 5mm for pots over 8 in, and drop to 3mm for small, light pots of 4 in or less. You also need a ring of about 2 in (50 mm) in wood or welded metal, sharp scissors, a tape measure and something to hang the ring from while you work, such as a cabinet knob, a coat hook or a clothes rail.

For a 36 in hanger, cut eight cords of about 13 to 16 ft (4 to 5 m) each, plus two short cords of about 24 in for the gathering knots. That works out to roughly 110 to 136 ft of cord in total, so a 109 yard spool makes two or three hangers. If you want a longer drop, add about 8 in of cord per cord for every extra 1 in of finished length in the arms. Cut the long end of the range on your first hanger: leftover cord can become a keychain, while a cord that runs short has to be joined.

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Step 1: Mount the cords and tie the top gathering knot

Push all eight cords through the ring together and fold them in half so the ring sits at the middle of the bundle. You now have 16 strands of equal length hanging from the ring. Hang the ring at about eye level so the strands fall freely to the floor.

Directly under the ring, tie a gathering knot with one of the 24 in cords. Lay a short loop of it along the bundle pointing up, wrap the long end tightly around the bundle and the loop 6 to 10 times working upward, thread the end through the loop at the top, then pull the bottom tail until the loop disappears under the wraps. Trim both tails close and tuck them in. The wraps should be snug enough that the ring cannot slide down the bundle.

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Step 2: Knot the four arms

Divide the 16 strands into four groups of four. Each group becomes one arm of the hanger. In each group the two middle strands are the fillers and the two outer strands are the working cords. Tie a sinnet of square knots: left cord over the fillers and under the right cord, right cord under the fillers and up through the loop on the left, pull snug, then repeat starting from the right. One left half plus one right half is one square knot.

Tie 8 to 10 square knots on each arm, about 5 to 6 in of knotting, starting about 2 in below the gathering knot. Keep the count the same on all four arms so the pot hangs level. If you prefer a twisted look, tie half knots instead, always starting from the same side; the sinnet will spiral on its own. Below the sinnets, leave about 10 to 14 in of bare cord on every arm. This length decides how deep the pot sits, so measure it rather than judging by eye.

Step 3: Build the basket with alternating knots

The basket is made by joining neighboring arms. Take the two right strands of one arm and the two left strands of the next arm, and tie one square knot with them about 3 to 4 in below the end of the sinnets. Do this all the way round, including joining the fourth arm back to the first, so you have four new knots and the cords form a ring of diamonds. Lay the four knots at the same height using the tape measure.

Repeat once more 3 to 4 in lower, this time swapping the strands back so each knot joins the halves you split in the row above. Two rows make a basket deep enough for a standard 6 in nursery pot. For a pot wider than 8 in, increase the spacing between rows to 4 to 5 in or add a third row. Check the fit now: slip the pot into the cords while they hang, and move the rows before the final knot rather than after.

Step 4: Close the bottom and finish the tassel

Gather all 16 strands about 2 to 3 in below the last row of knots and tie a second gathering knot with the remaining 24 in cord, the same way as at the top. Pull every strand straight before you start the wraps; a loose strand here is what makes a finished hanger tilt.

Trim the tassel to the length you like, usually 6 to 12 in. With 3 ply or single strand cotton you can unravel the strands and comb them out into a soft fringe; braided cord does not comb out, so leave it as is or knot each end. A drop of fabric glue inside the gathering knot keeps the wraps from loosening over the years if the pot is heavy.

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Hanging it and fixing a hanger that tilts

A 6 in pot of damp soil weighs several pounds, so hang the ring from a ceiling hook screwed into a joist, a hook in a beam, or a sturdy wall bracket, not from a drywall screw alone. Water the plant in the sink and let it drain before hanging it back up, since cotton holds water and drips for a while.

If the pot sits crooked, the cause is almost always uneven cord between the arm sinnets and the basket rows. Loosen the knots in the row on the low side and slide them up a little, or untie the bottom gathering knot and re-tension all 16 strands before tying it again. Keep both gathering knots tight; a loose top knot lets the arms slide and puts the whole hanger out of level.

Frequently asked questions

How long should the cords be for a macrame plant hanger? For a hanger about 36 in long, cut eight cords of 13 to 16 ft each plus two 24 in cords for the gathering knots. As a rule, each cord should be about 8 times the finished length because it is folded in half.

What size cord is best for a plant hanger? 4mm cotton is the usual choice for pots of 5 to 8 in. Use 5mm for larger or heavier pots and 3mm for small, light pots. 3 ply or braided cord holds the pot better than soft single strand cord.

Can I make a plant hanger without a ring? Yes. Fold the cords in half and tie a gathering knot a few inches below the fold, leaving a loop at the top to hang from a hook.

How many knots does a beginner need to know? Two: the square knot for the arms and basket, and the gathering knot for the top and bottom. Half knots, which make the spiral, are just half of a square knot.