How to Make a Macrame Flower Lamp

by eliscety in Craft > Fiber Arts

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How to Make a Macrame Flower Lamp

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I have been inspired lately to create something colorful with macrame rope. I came up with the idea of making this beautiful hanging flower lamp when I got gifted a bunch of colorful rope to play with.

It elevated the room so much and it's the perfect gift for any room decor lover.

Let's get started!


Supplies

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  1. Macrame rope - ideally 3-4 mm thick
  2. Scissors
  3. Metal ring
  4. Light cord - mine is Strata from Ikea
  5. Hot glue gun

Spiral Knots

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Start out by cutting a long piece of green cord. I chose a stunning army green color.

It's hard to estimate the length of the cord. It should be around 4 times the length of the cable. As you will see in the next steps I ran out of cord a few times but no worries - you can add more cord anytime.

To make the spiral knot take your green cord,fold it in half and place it at the base of the light fixture.

You will be working with the outer two cords while the cable will be the third cord you will use to tie the knots.Take the outer left cord and create a small loop placing it over the cable,creating a shape resembling the number 4.Then take the outer right cord and place it over the left cord.Start to create your knot by taking the right cord under the cable.Then take the right cord through the loop formed by the left cord.Pull the cords to tighten.Repeat this step over and over again - the spiral will form by itself.

Be prepared because this is a very tedious and repetitive process however you will get used to it and even enjoy it.

Add More Cord

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Since the length of the cable is about 4 metres you will probably run out of cord. If you run out of cord you can glue it with hot glue and start the same process over again - cut some cord,fold it in half and place it where you ran out.


Keep Spiraling

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Keep making the spiral knots until the length of the cable resembles a green DNA cord.

Set your light fixture aside and let's get started on the flower.


Base of the Flower

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We will be working on the flower next.

A couple of things to keep in mind here:


  1. The length of the cords should be longer than you need since you can't really add more here like you did in the previous step
  2. The circumference of the metal ring you will be using should be slightly bigger than the one of the light fixture - this is because you will be looping some cord though it and at the end it will get tighter.


Start out by cutting 14 pieces of cord each measuring 3.40 metres. To make this process easier cut one cord first and use it as a guide to cut all of the rest. Set them aside in piles.

Next up you will make a Lark's head knot.Begin by taking a strand of cord and fold it in half.Place the loop you have created under the metal ring.Reach over the loop and under the ring and grab the two loose strands.Bring them down through the loop and pull and tighten the knot. Repeat this step with all 14 strands of cord.

Follow the video for a visual instruction.

Making the Flower

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Begin working on the flower.

For this step you will need a carrier cord. This cord will be the one that's going all around the flower as you work on it.

Cut a piece of cord that is about 7.50 metres long. To make working with it easier fold it around your hand several times and turn it into a yarn ball of sorts.

You will be working in sections and there is a pattern you will follow - two vertical half hitch knots and two double half hitch knots.


First Row

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As I mentioned you need to make two vertical half hitch knots and two double half hitch knots.

To make the vertical half hitch knot take the carrier strand of cord and place in underneath the first strand of rope.With the small tail end on your left and the long tail on your right you are going to form a loop on your right,wrap it around your cord and pull it through.Then you are going to repeat the same process once again:

  1. Make a loop on your right
  2. Wrap around and through the loop
  3. Pull everything nicely together and secure the vertical double half hitch knot

Make one more vertical half hitch knot.

To make the double half hitch knot take the carrier cord and place it on top of the next cord.From left to right, tie a half hitch knot - pass the next cord over and then under the carrier cord, followed by over itself to form a loop. Pull the knot tightly and push it up.Tie another half hitch knot to make it a double half hitch. Make one more double half hitch knot.

Follow the video for visual instructions.

Second Row

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İn this row we will begin adding more cord to the flower so that it gets bigger. Cut 7 pieces of the cord,each measuring 2.50 metres. Set them aside in separate piles.

Begin the second row by making two vertical half hitch knots. Tie one double half hitch knot. Take the first piece of 2.50 metre long cord and fold it in half. Attach it to the carrier cord by tieing a Lark's head knot. There is a detailed description on how to make it in Step 4.


Here are the steps simplified:

  1. Place the loop you have created under the carrier cord.
  2. Reach over the loop and under the carrier cord and grab the two loose strands.
  3. Bring them down through the loop and pull and tighten the knot.


Repeat this process with each section of the flower.

Follow the video for a visual instruction.

Third Row

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İn this row we will not be adding any more cord.

We will be making two vertical half hitch knots and four double half hitch knots.

Repeat this pattern all around the flower.

Follow the video for a visual instruction.

Fourth Row

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Repeat the same process for the fourth row.

After finishing this row transfer the project onto a vertical surface. I used an empty wine bottle.

Fifth Row

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İn this row we will be adding the last set of cords.

Cut 7 pieces of cord each being 1.20 metres long.Place them on different piles and set them aside.

Start by making the vertical half hitch knots. Continue making the first and second double half hitch knots. Once done add one of the 1.20 meter cords making a lark's head knot.

Finish the section by making the other two double half hitch knots.

Sixth,Seventh and Eighth Row

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The next three rows follow the same pattern - two vertical half hitch knots and six double half hitch knots.

Repeat this process until you get to the ninth row.

Ninth Row

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İn this row we will be using a new carrier cord for each section. As you will notice each section that repeats the pattern forms a flower petal.

Begin by cutting 7 pieces of cord that are 1.20 metres long each.Set them aside.

Take one strand and make a single vertical half hitch knot. Continue by making the double half hitch knots. End the row by doing one more vertical half hitch knot.

Now repeat this process from left to right.

Follow the video for a more detailed instruction.

Tenth,eleventh and Twelfth Row

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Continue making the same knots until you get to the thirteenth row.

Thirteenth Row

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On this row we will start removing some of the strands.

Begin by making a vertical half hitch knot as usual. Continue making the double half hitches. When you get to one of the shorter strands of rope tuck it to the back and skip making a double half hitch knot with it.

Continue the pattern and finish the rest of the row.

When you finish you should have one vertical half hitch knot,five double half hitch knots and one more vertical half hitch knot.

Finishing Rows

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The rest of the rows follow the same steps - make one less double half hitch knot and keep tucking one strand at the back for each row.

The number of double half hitch knots you should have at the end of each row is as follows:

14th row - 4 double half hitch knots

15th row - 3 double half hitch knots

16th row - 2 double half hitch knots

17th row - 1 double half hitch knot

Finish the Petal

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To finish the petal make a final vertical half hitch knot with the last two strands.

Voila! You have one of the seven petals of the flower ready!

Petals,petals,petals

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Repeat the same process from Step 12 to Step 16 for each petal.

There are seven petals in total.

Trimming

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Once you are done with all of the petals your flower will be a bit messy.

Trim all of the excess cord off. Leave about 2-3 cm off of each strand.

Gluing

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Using a hot glue gun glue each of the leftover strands down. Cut any excess unglued strands off.

Finishing Touches

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There is a small plastic piece of the light fixture that twists off - remove it.

To finish the project glue the army green cord to the neck of the light fixture.Use hot glue to secure it in place and keep going around until everything is covered in green.

Attach the Flower

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Attach the flower to the light fixture by twisting the white plastic piece back on,add the light bulb and the project is finished!

Hang Your Lamp

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You can hang this beautiful macrame flower lamp and elevate the decor of any room. İt brings a bright pop of color and is the perfect gift for any interior design lover!

Thank you so much for reading or scrolling through this İnstructable. I hope you enjoy this project as much as I enjoyed making it.