stylish DIY macrame chandelier made from planter basket

I will call today’s post part two of my macrame light fixture post because you can use that same fixture and add on to it to make it a chandelier. The best part is that the top part of this macrame chandelier is removable and you could use it either way.

This macrame chandelier can be hardwired with a lighting kit or you can add battery-operated fairy lights and hang it wherever you want to add some boho flair to your home.

DIY macrame chandelier

Like I said before, I originally wanted to make this into a hanging macrame cat bed but while I was working on it I noticed that I’d rather make a lighting piece out of it.

At first, I thought a flush mount light would look fantastic and then I wanted to see what it would look like as a chandelier too. I kept going so I could make up my mind later.

Macrame Chandelier Instructions

First part of the macrame chandelier

The first part of this tutorial is the same as my macramé flush mount light fixture. The steps are all identical until mark 8:52 of the video tutorial.

For this part, you only need Vertical Lark’s Head knots for the top and Square Knots for the side strands. If you measure and cut a piece of macrame yarn 45 feet long, it should be enough to wrap the top part.

You might have different measurements and amounts of metal strands depending on what basket you bought. I needed 220-inch pieces times 4 per metal section. There are 18 metal sections in my basket which meant I needed 72 pieces of macrame yarn at 220 inches long to wrap them all. I know that’s a lot!

This macrame chandelier tutorial would have gotten way too long had I described the exact same steps again. If you need more details then head on over to the macrame flush mount light fixture for more in-depth descriptions. The steps are also in the above video tutorial which is very helpful.

How to make Alternating Square Knots

Alternating Square Knots are the same Square Knots as I used above only this time the next row is stacked off-center.

Let me show you…

1. Line up the 8 strands of macrame yarn
2. Hold the two centerpieces of macrame yarn together so you can form the first row of square knots around them
3. Use the two adjacent pieces of yarn to the middle strands for the first Square Knot loop
4. Pull tight
5. Form the second Square Knot loop
6. Pull tight again and you can see that this Square Knot now connected the two stacked strands of Square Knots from earlier
7. Now you do the same thing to the left side with 4 strands
8. Be careful not to pull everything too tight or the Square Knots won’t be straight across a horizontal line
9. Form the same Square Knot on the right side
10. Now repeat the square Knot in the center again
11. Keep going until you have a strand of Alternating Square Knots that is 11 inches long as you can see below on the finished piece.

Doesn’t the below finished top piece look like an octopus? All you have to do now is knot it to the bottom lamp shade part of the light fixture.

Connecting the top part to the bottom part of the chandelier

The six arms that will carry the bottom part of the basket are knotted onto the top rim. For that I used square knots followed by diagonal clove hitch knots.

1. Hang the top part that looks like an octopus to something like a curtain rod and so you can prepare to attach the alternating square knot strands to the sections of the chandelier where the fringe swags meet. (this is where the clips can help you hang it all)
2. I folded the 4 strands behind the metal top and 4 in front as shown in image number 2. (first one behind, two in front, two behind, two in front, and last one behind again)
3. Time to attach the strands with Square Knots again. So grab the 4 left pieces of macrame yarn.
4. Form the first part of a Square Knot and pull very tight so it can hold the weight of the metal basket.
5. Pull the second part of the Square Knot tight as well.
6. Repeat the same thing on the right side with the other 4 strands formed into a tight Square Knot.
7. Form one Alternate Square Knot in the center.
8. Now it’s time for the Diagonal Clove Hitch Knots. Grab the left outside strand and hold it down along the side of the Square Knots. Loop the next macrame piece onto that diagonally held piece of yarn.
9. Pull tight!
10. Repeat the same loop and pull tight again. Drop that strand and grab the next strand of macrame yarn in line from the Square Knots.
11. Repeat the same looping as above twice and drop the yarn to grab the next one in line. When you did this with 3 strands of yarn, you arrive at the center.
12. Repeat the same thing on the right side.
13. When you arrive at the center, the Diagonal Clove Hitch Knots form something that looks like a triangle.
14. Cut a small piece of yarn and tie the macrame yarn that hangs down together.
15. Hide the knot in the back.
16. Repeat this with all 6 arms and trim the yarn to about 6 inches long. I decided to not unravel those strands like the other fringe because I like the contrast to the unraveled fringe. You could certainly unravel and comb it too though.

Photos of finished Macrame Chandelier

I love the look of this boho cascading chandelier so much. One of my favorite things to do with macrame cords is to unravel, comb and trim it. In some cases even starch it to give it an even straighter look.

Check out my unique modern macrame wall hanging to see my favorite un-twisted and combed macrame yarn project.

I contemplated hanging the macrame chandelier over our coffee table in the living room and had even purchased a ceiling medallion and hook for it already. The fairy lights would have looked so pretty…

…but I finally decided to use this light as a flush mount after all because this hallway is the perfect spot for it, don’t you think so? You can see how I hung the flush mount macrame light fixture in part one of this blog post.

So is this something you’d be able to tackle? And which way do you like it better? The funny thing was that the majority of people on Facebook voted for a macrame chandelier and the majority on Instagram voted for a flush-mount light fixture. Which team are you on?

The great thing is that I can easily use it both ways should I ever change my mind.

If macrame yarn isn’t your thing, then check out my DIY pendant light made with jute yarn I recently made for our dining room. I used an old lampshade for that project.

I also recently made a macrame chandelier for our front porch but don’t have a tutorial for that one since I used an old Ikea lighting part from my daughter’s room and you can’t buy that anywhere. I love the look. This one has the same battery-operated fairy light fixture that I used for my DIY macrame chandelier.