That 70s Plant: Modern Macrame Plant Hangers Tutorial

Does “modern macrame plant hangers” sound like a contradiction in terms? Well it shouldn’t, because macrame is back in a big way.

Is it just me or does vintage macrame often look a bit… dusty? Maybe it’s just something about the colours used in the old pics, but they look stale in a literal as well as a design sense!

Modern macrame is less fussy, with fewer owls, beads and warts (!!) than we saw in this trend last time around.

I’ve been collecting examples on a Pinterest board for quite a while – and if you follow me on instagram, you’ll have seen I’ve been making my own!

Killed half my houseplants, got some new ones 😂🌱🌱So into my #macrame right now! I used Jersey Be Good by @woolandthegang.

A post shared by Rachel (@amiguru.me) on Apr 25, 2017 at 5:46am PDT

I don’t have a pattern for these – should I write one up? In the meantime, here’s the world’s fastest tutorial…

Starting with the yarn, of course. I used Wool and the Gang Jersey Be Good – mostly because I love that lipstick-y pink against the green plants and the white wall.

I found this yarn easy to work with and would recommend it. You could use any yarn you like – keeping in mind you need something sturdy enough not to collapse under the weight of your pots. Maybe a cotton-acrylic blend?

Whatever you pick – you need eight strands, each around two metres long.

I used plastic pots. Don’t hate, interior designers. I went with these because:

1. They’re cheap.
2. I’m sticking these pots to my ceiling with those stick-on hooks – I don’t think they could handle the weight of a terracotta pot!
3. Should they fall down, they won’t smash and make even more of a mess

I did look for tin pots, but they were heavy, pricey and not really what I wanted. You could also spray paint the pots a more attractive colour, but I kinda like the charcoal.

Oh – and to keep the weight down, I used balled up tinfoil for drainage instead of pebbles.

To make these modern macrame plant hangers, gather the yarns together and tie a simple overhand knot a few inches from one end. This will snug up under the base of your pot.

Tie the yarns together in pairs a few inches from the knot.

All the yarns are neatly paired off, but in true seventies style, we’re going to swap partners (too much? sorry). Split those couples up and tie them instead to their neighbours. Not too close – three or so inches away.

I used a series of crochet chains for interest, but you could just tie knots.

Repeat this – pairing and un-pairing yarns – as many times as you like to make a little net.

Pop in your plant and hang it from the ceiling. And the result!

As you can see, each of these modern macrame plant hangers uses a slightly different pattern. But they all follow they same template of knotting, pairing and knotting, pairing and knotting.

I love having fresh plants around. I’d love to buy cut flowers every week, but the expense seems difficult to justify (15CHF for a small bunch?!) and they’re not great for the planet either. Plants last longer (even if you kill them as regularly as I do). They can even purify the air in your home – bonus! (Just watch out if you have pets – some house plants are toxic to animals.)

I have a macrame goal of filling up that whole wall with planters. To that end, I’ve been careful to pick plants I can cultivate from cuttings. I’ve already got some “spiderettes” started in a pot and once my ivy’s adjusted to its new home, I’ll be taking cuttings so I can grow a true 70s style indoor jungle!