How to make a macrame towel holder (free pattern & video included)
I’ve been wanting to make a DIY kitchen towel holder like this for a while now and when I recently found some super cute terracotta-colored kitchen towels, I knew it was the time to come up with my own macrame towel holder tutorial to match my kitchen.
Making a macrame towel holder is a fun and easy DIY project that can add a touch of boho-chic to your kitchen. With this step-by-step tutorial, you’ll be able to create your own towel holder in no time! They also make great gifts for Christmas or a birthday.
Easy macrame towel holder tutorial
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With this boho towel holder, you can easily display a kitchen tea towel, or with a larger wooden ring and the same tutorial you can even hang a plush hand towel in your bathroom or possibly hang it over your shower curtain rod.
For another towel holder idea, check out my DIY towel holder that I made a couple of years ago with another wooden ring.
Materials needed for this macrame dishtowel holder
- larger wooden rings
- 4mm macrame yarn
- large yarn needle
- glue or hot glue and glue gun
- measuring tape
- scissors
- duct tape
I wanted to make a larger version than what I found online so far, so I bought the below wooden rings and they ended up being perfect.
Video tutorial
If the below video doesn’t load for some reason then you can also head to my YouTube channel to watch it there instead.
Step-by-step macrame towel holder instructions
The process of making this macrame towel holder is actually very similar to how I made my beginner macrame garland. This is why I love macrame so much. It’s such a versatile material and some tutorials can be used for a variety of other projects.
You can make this macrame towel holder with many different macrame knot combinations to create patterns. I chose to alternate between a Square Knot and a Diagonal Clove Hitch Knot pattern. It’s just preferential. If you want to make it super easy, you can just make the entire towel holder with Square Knots and just skip to step 7.
Make sure you watch my video above where you can see exactly what my hands are doing. It’s a great addition to the below step-by-step photos.
Step 1: Cut macrame yarn
Cut off 8 pieces of macrame yarn at 85 inches long.
Step 2: Loop cords to wooden ring with Lark’s Head Knots
Attach all 8 pieces of yarn to the wooden ring by folding them in half and then looping them onto the ring with Lark’s Head knots as pictured below and shown in my video.
Step 3: Attach the wooden ring to a flat surface
I’ve seen others attach their macrame pieces to a corkboard with pins but I like to just tape them to my kitchen counter with duct tape. I have also used a clothing rack for previous projects by hanging the piece I was working on, but that doesn’t really work for this macrame project.
Step 4: Tie Square Knots
Start out by grabbing 4 strands of macrame cords as pictured and tie a Square Knot.
Here you can see exactly how to tie an easy Square Knot with the help of two different yarn colors to help you see how it is set up.
Keep repeating that with the yarn you attached to the wooden ring. Finish the entire row which gives you 4 Square Knots across.
Now you have to continue with the Square Knots on the next row by centering the next ones over the first row. This way, they are connected.
This will create a triangle shape of Square Knots.
Step 5: Tie Diagonal Clove Hitch Knots
Now it is time for some rows of Diagonal Clove Hitch Knots. I decided to do three rows. You can see really well how to tie them in my video.
Here are the three finished rows that end in a point.
Step 6: Mirror the same pattern of Square Knots and Diagonal Clove Hitch Knots
In order to mirror the pattern that you just made, you have to fill in the sides with some more Square Knots as shown below.
After that, you can add more Diagonal Clove Hitch Knots to mirror the earlier pattern.
When you are done with those three rows of Diagonal Clove Hitch Knots, you have to fill the triangular space with more Square Knots.
Step 7: Attach the end of the yarn to the second wooden ring
You can attach the wooden ring to the ends with a Wrapping Knot/Gathering Knot method which I have used in many other tutorials. Check out my macrame hanging cat bed where I used this method for the top.
For this macrame tutorial, I wanted to make it look identical to the way the first ring is attached. Let me show you how.
Turn the macrame piece around so you can work on the backside. Fold up the 6 middle strings the way I did below. Thread each piece of macrame yarn through the big yarn needle and then pull the string through the knotted backside the way I did.
After you did this to all 6 pieces of macrame cord, the piece should look the same as mine from the front.
Time to attach the wooden ring to the remaining 8 pieces of macrame cord.
Place the piece of yarn over the ring, loop it around the ring, and then fold it over the string and under the ring again. To finish the entire knot, you have to string it through the loop and place the string behind the piece. (This might sound complicated when written down but it’s not and you can see the exact hand movements in my video.)
When you loop the yarn around the ring the way I did, the finished knots will mimic the Lark’s Head Knots you used at the beginning of the tutorial. All the loose ends should be on the backside.
Step 8: Glue and trim the cords
Turn the macrame piece over so you can see the backside again with all the leftover pieces of yarn.
Thread yarn through the needle and then the needle through the backside the same way you did earlier.
Fold the yarn over and add some hot glue before folding the yarn strands back again and tapping them down in place.
Trim all the yarn and you are done.
Finished macrame towel holder hanging in our kitchen
The reason I wanted to make this macrame towel holder and why I love it so much is that my family loves to ruin towels in the kitchen. This way I can dedicate one nicer towel just for hand drying and not for using it for dirty jobs. I know they don’t want to go through the extra work of taking the towel off the ring 😉
I also came up with a little crockpot makeover to match our kitchen using leftover vinyl from my appliance makeover.
I love reminding myself how much we have accomplished over time and it is ok that it was such a slow process. Our kitchen has come such a long way. It doesn’t even look like the same room anymore.
I’m not kidding… that is the same kitchen and the same house.
Oh and by the way did I show you guys the Ikea basket that I hung on the side of my kitchen cabinets for my spider plant? I always disliked that empty side of the cabinets and the plant is perfect in that spot and is thriving.
Where to buy macrame towel holders
I always have to include this option in my tutorials since making things isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Am I right? So if you like the look of this towel holder and would rather buy it handmade then check out the below small businesses on Etsy.
More unique and easy macrame tutorials
- Super easy and cheap DIY macrame dresser drawer pulls
- DIY macrame earrings
- macrame basket using only two knots
- macrame feather tutorial (and 6 different ways to use them)
- macrame wreath tutorial
Tschüß,
Printable macrame towel holder instructions
How to make a macrame towel holder
This easy macrame towel holder tutorial isn't just pretty and easy to make but also adds some functionality to your kitchen.
Instructions
- Cut off 8 pieces of macrame yarn at 85 inches long.
- Attach all 8 pieces of yarn to the wooden ring by folding them in half and then looping them onto the ring with Lark's Head knots as pictured below and shown in my video.
- Use duct tape to hold the ring in place on a table or kitchen counter.
- Start out by grabbing 4 strands of macrame cords as pictured and tie a Square Knot. Keep repeating that with the yarn that you attached to the wooden ring. Finish the entire row which gives you 4 Square Knots across.
Then you have to continue with the Square Knots on the next row by centering the next ones over the first row. This way they are connected.
This will create a triangle shape of Square Knots. - Now it is time for some rows of Diagonal Clove Hitch Knots. I decided to do three rows. You can see really well how to tie them in my video.
Here are the three finished rows of Diagonal Clove Hitch Knots that end in a point. - In order to mirror the pattern that you just made, you have to fill in the sides with some more Square Knots as shown below.
After that, you can add more Diagonal Clove Hitch Knots to mirror the earlier pattern.
When you are done with those three rows of Diagonal Clove Hitch Knots, you have to fill the triangular space with more Square Knots. - Turn the macrame piece around so you can work on the backside. Fold up the 6 middle strings the way I did below. Thread each piece of macrame yarn through the big yarn needle and then pull the string through the knotted backside the way I did.
After you did this to all 6 pieces of macrame cord, the piece should look the same as mine from the front.
Time to attach the wooden ring to the remaining 8 pieces of macrame cord.
Place the piece of yarn over the ring, loop it around the ring, and then fold it over the string and under the ring again. To finish the entire knot, you have to string it through the loop and place the string behind the piece.
When you loop the yarn around the ring the way I did, the finished knots will mimic the Lark's Head Knots you used at the beginning of the tutorial. All the loose ends should be on the backside. - Turn the macrame piece over so you can see the backside again with all the leftover pieces of yarn.
Thread yarn through the needle and then the needle through the backside the same way you did earlier.
Fold the yarn over and add some hot glue before folding the yarn strands back again and tapping them down in place.
Trim all the yarn and you are done.
And done!
Notes
You can make this macrame towel holder with many different macrame knot combinations to create patterns. I chose to alternate between a Square Knot and Diagonal Clove Hitch Knot pattern. It's just preferential. If you want to make it super easy, you can just make the entire towel holder with Square Knots and just skip to step 7.