{"title":"How to Make a Macrame Curtain (Square Knot Window Curtain)","canonicalUrl":"https://www.craftingstepbystep.com/macrame/how-to-make-a-macrame-curtain","category":{"slug":"macrame","name":"Macramé"},"creator":{"name":"Living to DIY with Rachel Metz","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCce7vvR81qpuXqFfICoKw1g","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=803sHVc916k"},"tldr":"Make a macrame window curtain from cotton cord and a dowel. How much cord to buy, alternating square knots and how to hang it.","quickAnswer":"Make a macrame window curtain from cotton cord and a dowel. A medium project: about 5 hours. Materials cost about $45 to $80. You need 9 things, including 2 small nails, jute rope and 2 ceiling hooks. The 10 steps start with measure and Cut the Macrame Curtain Cords, pair and Fold the Macrame Cords in Half, tie the Cord Groups Onto the Dowel With a Lark's Head Knot and start the First Square Knot Under the Dowel.","totalDurationSeconds":352,"videoDurationSeconds":352,"difficulty":"medium","project":{"difficulty":"medium","projectMinutes":300,"waitMinutes":null,"totalMinutes":300,"estimatedCost":{"currency":"USD","min":45,"max":80},"yield":"1 window curtain"},"tools":["scissors","tape measure","hammer","temporary hanging rope or yarn"],"materials":["about 200 yards of 4 to 5mm cotton macrame cord","wooden dowel wider than the window","2 small nails","jute rope","2 ceiling hooks"],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Measure and Cut the Macrame Curtain Cords","text":"Drape a piece of cord over your existing curtain rod and let it hang to where you want the curtain to end. Fold it in half to find the length, then add extra for the knots. Cut that first piece and use it as your guide for the rest. Rachel cut 30 cords for a 52 inch window."},{"number":2,"title":"Pair and Fold the Macrame Cords in Half","text":"Pick up two cords and hold them together as one. Fold the pair in half to find the middle. That fold is the loop that goes over the dowel. Two cords folded in half give you four hanging strands, which is what each square knot needs. Make 15 of these groups for a curtain the size of Rachel's."},{"number":3,"title":"Tie the Cord Groups Onto the Dowel With a Lark's Head Knot","text":"Hang the dowel at a comfortable height first. Put the folded loop of a group over the dowel from the front, then pull all four cord ends down through the loop and tighten. That is a lark's head knot. Repeat for every group, then slide them along the dowel until the spacing is even."},{"number":4,"title":"Start the First Square Knot Under the Dowel","text":"Take one group of four cords. The two middle cords stay still. Put the left outer cord behind the two middles. Bring the right outer cord under the left cord, over the two middles and through the loop on the left side. Pull both outer cords to snug this first half of the knot up under the dowel."},{"number":5,"title":"Finish the Square Knot on the Other Side","text":"Now mirror the move. Put the right outer cord behind the middles. Bring the left cord under it, over the two middles and through the loop on the right. Pull tight. The two halves lock together into a flat square knot. Tie one on every group across the dowel to finish the first row."},{"number":6,"title":"Tie the Second Row of Alternating Square Knots","text":"For row two, leave the first two cords alone. Take the two right cords of one group and the two left cords of the next group, and tie a square knot with those four. The outer cords of the old groups become the middles of the new knot. Work across the whole row. This is what makes the open net."},{"number":7,"title":"Measure the Rows to Keep the Macrame Curtain Level","text":"Keep alternating rows down the curtain. After each row, hold a tape measure against the work and check the distance from the dowel to the knots. Rachel noticed her rows starting to slope and caught it this way. Nudge any knot up or down before you tighten it hard. She tied eight rows in all."},{"number":8,"title":"Tie Overhand Knots on the Last Row of the Curtain","text":"For the final row, Rachel took the outer cords of neighbouring groups and joined them with a single overhand knot. It closes each diamond at the bottom and it is quicker than a square knot. You could use this simpler knot for the whole curtain if square knots feel fiddly. Below it, leave the cords hanging loose."},{"number":9,"title":"Add Nails and a Rope Loop to the Dowel Ends","text":"Hammer a small nail into each end of the dowel, leaving the heads sticking out. Fold a piece of rope in half to make a loop and slip it over each nail. The rope lets the dowel float in front of the window instead of sitting on brackets. Jute rope or more macrame cord both look good here."},{"number":10,"title":"Hang the Macrame Curtain From Ceiling Hooks","text":"Screw two ceiling hooks above the window, one over each end of the dowel. Loop the ropes onto the hooks and let the curtain settle. Then trim the fringe straight across. Rachel saved the offcuts, knotted them together and hung them from the bare ends of the dowel to fill the gaps at each side."}],"commonProblems":[],"recipe":null,"lastUpdated":"2026-11-11T18:20:12.286Z","published":"2026-11-11T18:20:12.041Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit Show Me Step by Step with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure. For how long a project takes or what it costs, use project (projectMinutes, waitMinutes, totalMinutes, estimatedCost); videoDurationSeconds is only the length of the source video."}