A macrame feather is the perfect beginner project because they are so easy to make and can be used in so many different ways. In this tutorial I am showing you how to make one with a video and 6 different ways to use them as a fashion or home decor accessory.

I had the idea for these macrame feathers at home and brought the yarn and beads with me on a trip to Germany. Crafting with my sister-in-law there is one of my favorite things and packing some yarn and beads is easy to do. All the purse photos and the closet shot with the feather hanging on it were taken at my parents’ house. I just wanted something fun, pretty, and easy to make, and I left one behind as a gift for my mom when I flew home.

I had no idea it would become one of my most popular posts ever.

How to make a macrame feather

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Macrame feathers are also the perfect way to use leftover yarn from other projects. Some macrame projects like my modern macrame wall hanging or macrame chandelier used a lot of cotton cord and trimming at the end of the project produced a lot of odd-sized leftover pieces. Save those leftover pieces for small projects like this. I have also used leftover yarn for my macrame earrings, fringe earrings, and boho drawer pulls using macrame yarn.

Materials needed for a macrame feather

4mm macrame yarn for larger macrame feathers and 3mm for smaller feathers
pair of scissors (I like using sharp scissors for hair)
wood beads (optional, example 1 and example 2)
hair comb or cat brush (I love using a comb in combination with a wire pet brush, sometimes called slicker brushes)
fabric stiffening spray or starch (optional)

If you don’t have macrame yarn, you could also use wool, rope, hemp, jute, synthetic, or any other cords laying around the house. If you use a different material, you might most likely not be able to unravel and comb it like I did at the end. It would certainly give a different look.
Another cute idea is to use different colors to create more texture and variations for each feather (I’m showing an example below).

Video tutorial

You can read my step-by-step instructions below or watch my short macrame feather video tutorial below. If that isn’t loading, then you can also check it out on my YouTube channel.

Step-by-step tutorial

I made my first macrame feathers rather large to make a statement. If you remember, my tassels are all rather large as well. I used 4mm yarn for the large macrame feathers, and for the smaller ones, I used 3mm macrame yarn.

Step 1: Create the feather center shaft

I started out by using a 20-inch piece of macrame cord. Fold that in half and lay it on a clean surface, as shown below. This will be the piece that creates the center shaft of your feather.

long string for making a macrame feather spine

Step 2: Add your cords to the shaft to create the feather shape

Start out with your first two pieces of yarn that are around 8 inches long and folded in half as well. (This project is perfect for using all your leftover scraps from other macrame projects.)

size of short strings needed to make a macrame feather

The one strand that is folded in half gets placed under the longer shaft centerpiece, the way I’m showing in the photo below. (You can see the process in my video)

beginning of a square knot needed to make macrame feather purse charms

Place the other short string on top of the shaft. Then, thread the ends of each piece of macrame yarn through the loop of the opposite piece and pull the yarn ends tight with the feather’s shaft in the center. This is called a Square Knot.

looping of a square knot needed to make macrame feather purse charms

Pull it all tight. You can push these knots up to where you want them and as tightly together as you want.

RELATED: I used this simple method to attach the wings to my macrame angel.

lighting the strings of a square knot needed to make macrame feather purse charms

Then knot the bottom/end of the long shaft string so the square knot can’t slide out of the bottom.

After that, you must keep stacking the same Square Knots to achieve the desired length. You can stack them in the same direction as I did or in the opposite direction for a different look.

stacking square knots for a macrame feather purse charm

equal length of string for making macrame feather purse charms

I made my feathers around 10 to 12 inches long.

stacked square knot yarn for macrame feather purse charms

Step 3: Unravel and comb the macrame yarn

After stacking the Square Knots, unravel the macrame yarn and comb it.

I’ve become an expert in opening and combing macrame yarn. I’ve done it so many times on a large scale, especially with my macrame ball wall hanging using combed macrame yarn and embroidery floss.

unraveling macrame yarn for making macrame feather

I love doing this part while watching a Netflix show. It’s calming to me. I know…I’m odd 😉

Macrame Combing Tip: On my larger scaled projects that involve combing macrame yarn, I solely use the pet hairbrush. I still like using the comb for smaller pieces like the macrame feathers, especially when you get close to the shaft, because the wire brush can tear at the center knots and make them look messy.

combing macrame yarn for making macrame feather

When you unraveled and combed the left side and right side of the macrame feather, then you should end up with something like you see below.

Tip: I love dipping the entire macrame feather in fabric stiffener or starch. I let it dry on a flat surface which will keep the feather stiff and helps keep its shape. (this is optional and not required to make a macrame feather)

unraveled and combed macrame yarn for making macrame feather

Step 4: Trim the macrame feather edges

Now, it is time to trim the ends of the cording to create the shape of the feather. You don’t need a template for this. Every feather is unique in nature and should be slightly different. That’s the beauty of them.

cutting macrame yarn when making macrame feather

And at the end, you can slip a wooden bead at the end of the string.

My tips for making a macrame feather

You can spray the macrame feather with spray starch or dip it in starch to make sure it doesn’t lose its feather shape. I do not recommend using hairspray because it is way too sticky. When the fabric stiffener has dried completely, then you can brush the macrame feather again and see if you need to trim the edges again.
Be careful when you use a brush, especially when making smaller macrame feathers, because you can hurt the shaft of the feather. The comb works better most of the time.
I use hair-cutting scissors or very sharp small crafting scissors to cut the fringe. They work so much better than large scissors for this specific task.
Use the right yarn for the size of the feather you are making! (See my macrame feather earrings below as a great example)

dark gray macrame feather with wood bead detail

And voila, you have a pretty DIY macramé feather that you can use as an accessory.

ivory and gray macrame feather with wood beads

6 ways to use DIY macrame feathers as an accessory

I love that macrame feathers are so versatile and easy to make. I’ve moved them around the house and wardrobe so many times already. Let me show you how I have used them.

Macrame feather purse charm

You know I like adding purse charms to my bags, and the large macrame feathers are my favorite purse accessory.

Last year I made a huge blue ombre stacked tassel. This macrame feather resembles a tassel but adds more boho charm to your outfit or home decor.

Let’s not confuse the macrame feather with a macrame leaf. They are similar in shape but have some differences in added texture and knots.

macrame feathers purse charm on boho shoulder bag

beaded macrame feather purse charm on black and white shoulder bag

By the way, I bought the dress in two colors for under $25 and love it (white with black stripes and black with white stripes). Unfortunately, I bought the dark dress for my mom (haha), and she loves it too, so I have to give it up as intended, even though I don’t want to. The bag was from Loft a couple of years ago and, unfortunately, is not available anymore.

long black and white striped dress with shoulder bag and macrame feather purse charms

The raffia bag is my mom’s and is perfect for the oversized macrame feather. I made the dark one for her, and she keeps it on that bag. If you want a similar one, then you can find great options on Etsy.

straw bag with large macrame feathers attached

RELATED: If you are new around here and like easy macrame craft projects with simple knots, then you can see my macrame garland, macrame plant hanger, macrame wreath, or macrame stone wrap tutorial on my blog as well.

straw bag with large beaded macrame feather purse charms

Macrame feather keychain accessory

In this case, it’s an old key on a wooden cabinet, but you can use it on any keyring or even a doorknob.

I love my parents’ antique milk cabinet. It’s so pretty, and the macrame feather is a fun accessory for it.

macrame feathers as cabinet knob accessory

Macrame feather Christmas ornament

I’ve made several macrame Christmas ornaments that ended up on my boho Christmas tree. They are such a stylish and affordable option. Christmas decor can be so expensive but it doesn’t have to be.

Macrame feather wall hangings

I also like using two different but similar 3mm macrame yarn colors. As you can see below, I used the colors coffee and khaki. Another one of my favorite colors that would look good combined with the others is brick red. I have used that color for my macrame tassel keychain DIY.

beautiful macrame yarn color combination

Loop the main piece that creates the shaft of the macrame feather onto a stick with Lark’s Head Knots. Add as many as you want to create your macrame feather wall hanging.

Macrame feather earrings

Macrame feather earrings are just as easy to make. Simply loop a Lark’s Head Knot onto your earring hook, as shown below. This creates the middle of the feather.

Mine are rather large macrame feather earrings, but I like big jewelry pieces. You can certainly make them a lot smaller, and if you don’t like using hooks, then you could also glue them to a studded earring like I did in my fringe earring tutorial.

Macrame feather basket decor

I love adding some macrame feathers to my basket handles for some added interest. My easy macrame garland also looks good as a basket accessory.

macrame garland and macrame feathers hanging on planters

DIY macrame feather tutorial and 6 ways to use them

I think next, I will make a wall hanging with several different-sized feathers. I love the look, don’t you?

Tschüß,