How to Make Macrame Earrings: 3 Easy Patterns

The finished result: How to Make Macrame Earrings: 3 Easy Patterns
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • About 45 minutes
  • 10 steps

You tapped Save

Save this project for later

We'll email you a link, no password.

How to Make Macrame Earrings: 3 Easy Patterns

  • Your saved projects in one list
  • Your ticked steps on any device

Check your inbox for an email from us. Not there? Look in your spam folder.

Print

Steps written out by Crafting Step by Step from Marching North's video (opens YouTube) (8:20). Published .

Macrame earrings are light, fast and a fun way to use up leftover cord. Crystal Martin of Marching North on YouTube shows three pairs in one sitting: fluffy feather earrings, an easy half circle fringe pair and a crown knot tassel. Each pair takes a handful of short cords, two earring hooks and two jump rings. Make all three and you have gifts for three friends.

How to make macrame earrings: the short version

  • Attach a jump ring to each earring hook with jewelry pliers.
  • Feather: lark's head two center cords, tie five rows of short cords across, brush and trim.
  • Half circle: lark's head four cords onto a wooden frame, add a hook, trim.
  • Crown knot: tie five crown knots on a jump ring, wrap the base with jute, trim the tassel.

Picking the cord

Use single strand cotton cord, not 3-ply rope. Single strand brushes out into soft, fluffy fringe. Rope stays twisted and stiff. Crystal used 3mm cord for the feathers and 4mm for the other two pairs. Either size works for all three. Thinner cord makes daintier earrings. Thicker cord makes bolder ones that weigh a little more.

Cord lengths at a glance

  • Feather pair: two 8 inch cords for the centers and twenty 5 inch cords for the fringe.
  • Half circle pair: eight 6 inch cords and two wooden half circle frames.
  • Crown knot pair: four 12 inch cords per earring and two 12 inch pieces of jute twine.

Brushing and trimming

A pet slicker brush is the secret to a soft feather. Brush both sides until every strand untwists. Lay the earring flat and trim in small snips, working toward a leaf shape. Match the second earring to the first by laying them side by side. A light mist of fabric stiffener keeps feathers from drooping.

Keeping them comfortable

Cotton cord is light, so even large feathers will not pull on your ears. If metal bothers you, swap in hypoallergenic or sterling silver hooks. Close every jump ring all the way so the earring cannot slip off.

Common problems

  • Feather rows slide apart. Push each knot up snug against the one above before you tie the next.
  • Crown knots twist sideways. Keep going in the same direction every time.
  • The jute will not pull through. Use a large eye needle and grip it with pliers.
  • Uneven fringe. Trim a little at a time and compare the pair often.

Ideas for gifting

Pin each pair to a small kraft card with two holes punched for the hooks. Match colors to a friend's favorite outfit, or make a set in school colors for a teen. Holiday red and green feathers make a cheerful stocking stuffer.

More macrame and earring projects

New to knots? Start with how to macrame. Try a bigger macrame feather for the wall or a macrame keychain from the same cord. For a different earring look, see how to make wire wrapped earrings.

Free printable

Print the steps and supply list for this project

One page you can take to the table. Free with a free account, no password.

Get the free printable

What you'll need

Free, for this project

Get this checklist by email

  • All 10 tools and materials, with tick boxes
  • A link to print all 10 steps on paper, to keep by you while you craft

No password. The whole tutorial stays free on this page.

Quick answer

Learn how to make macrame earrings three ways: fluffy feather earrings, half circle fringe and crown knot tassels. An easy project: about 45 minutes. Materials cost about $3 to $8. You need 10 things, including earring hooks, 8mm jump rings and wooden half circle earring frames. The 10 steps start with attach Jump Rings to the Macrame Earring Hooks, tie a Lark's Head Knot on the Macrame Earring Jump Ring and tie the First Row of the Macrame Feather Earring.

Step-by-step guide

10 steps, about 8 minutes. Tap a picture to jump to that step. Your progress saves automatically.

Tick each step off as you go.

  1. Step 1: Attach Jump Rings to the Macrame Earring Hooks

    Watch this step · 0:30

    Grab two earring hooks, two jump rings and your jewelry pliers. Twist one jump ring open sideways with the pliers. Pulling it apart wide warps the circle. Slide the open ring through the small loop at the bottom of a hook, then twist it closed again so the ends meet flush. Repeat for the second hook. Every one of the three earring styles starts this way.

    Tip:

    Two pairs of pliers make opening rings easier than one.

    Back to all steps

  2. Step 2: Tie a Lark's Head Knot on the Macrame Earring Jump Ring

    Watch this step · 0:46

    For the feather earrings, fold an 8 inch piece of cord in half. Push the folded loop through the jump ring, then bring both cord ends through that loop. Pull the ends to tighten. That is a lark's head knot, and it gives you two center cords hanging down. Do the same on the second earring so the pair is ready for its fringe.

    Tip:

    Pull the knot tight and centered. It is the top of the feather.

    Back to all steps

  3. Step 3: Tie the First Row of the Macrame Feather Earring

    Watch this step · 1:26

    Pin the earring to a cork trivet or tape it to the table. Fold a 5 inch cord in half and lay it under the two center cords with the loop on the left. Fold a second cord and lay it on top, loop facing right. Bring the ends of the bottom cord up through the top cord's loop, and the top cord's ends down through the bottom loop. Pull all four ends tight.

    Tip:

    Slide each row up so it butts against the knot above.

    Back to all steps

  4. Step 4: Add Alternating Rows Down the Macrame Feather Earring

    Watch this step · 2:04

    Tie the next row the same way, but flip the direction. This time the bottom cord's loop faces right and the top cord's loop faces left. Alternating gives the feather a neat braided spine down the middle. Pull the row tight and push it up under the last one. Keep going until you have five rows on each earring.

    Tip:

    Same direction every row works too. It makes a plainer spine.

    Back to all steps

  5. Step 5: Brush Out the Macrame Feather Earring Fringe

    Watch this step · 2:48

    Lay both earrings flat. Take a pet slicker brush and comb through the fringe on the front, then flip and brush the back. The fine wire bristles pull the cotton strands apart until they turn fluffy and soft. Hold the knots in your other hand so you do not tug them loose. Keep brushing until no twist is left in any strand.

    Tip:

    Brush over a tray. The loose fluff goes everywhere.

    Back to all steps

  6. Step 6: Trim the Macrame Earrings Into a Feather Shape

    Watch this step · 3:04

    Your earrings will look like fuzzy pom poms at this point. With sharp scissors, snip the fringe into a leaf or feather outline, longer at the top and coming to a point at the bottom. Take small cuts and turn the earring as you go. Hold the two earrings side by side to match their size before the final trim.

    Tip:

    Sharp fabric scissors give a cleaner edge than kitchen scissors.

    Back to all steps

  7. Step 7: Tie Lark's Head Knots on a Half Circle Macrame Earring Frame

    Watch this step · 3:46

    For the second pair you need two wooden half circle frames and eight 6 inch cords. Fold one cord in half and push the loop through the frame from front to back. Bring both ends through the loop and pull snug. Add three more cords the same way, side by side along the curve. Four lark's head knots is all this pair needs.

    Tip:

    Space the knots evenly so the fringe hangs straight.

    Back to all steps

  8. Step 8: Add Hooks to the Half Circle Macrame Earrings

    Watch this step · 4:26

    Open a jump ring with your pliers. Thread it through the small hole at the top of the wooden frame, then slip an earring hook onto the same open ring. Twist the jump ring closed. Repeat on the second frame. Comb the cord ends straight and trim them level, or brush them out for a softer look. This is the quickest pair of the three.

    Tip:

    A great first pair to make with a grandchild.

    Back to all steps

  9. Step 9: Tie Crown Knots for Macrame Tassel Earrings

    Watch this step · 5:42

    Thread two 12 inch cords through a jump ring and center it. Lay one cord across and one up and down so you have four ends. Fold the bottom end up over the right one. Bring the right over the top, the top over the left, then tuck the left through the first loop. Pull all four ends tight. Repeat until you have five crown knots stacked.

    Tip:

    Always fold in the same order so the column spirals neatly.

    Back to all steps

  10. Step 10: Wrap the Base of the Macrame Tassel Earrings With Jute

    Watch this step · 7:00

    Tie a 12 inch piece of jute twine around the base of the crown knots. Hold the short end along the fringe and wrap the long end around five or six times. Knot the ends at the bottom of the wrap. Thread them onto a large eye needle and pull them up under the wraps, then snip. Add the earring hook to the jump ring and trim the tassel.

    Tip:

    If the needle sticks, pull it through with pliers.

    Back to all steps

How to Make a Macrame Feather - Easy Macrame Leaf for Beginners

Keep going

How to Make a Macrame Feather - Easy Macrame Leaf for Beginners

10 steps · about 7 minutes

Keep going with macramé

More on this topic, picked for this project.

You reached the last step

Save this project to come back to it

Your ticked steps, the free printable and your other saved makes, together in My Projects. Free, no password.

You tapped Save

Save this project for later

We'll email you a link, no password.

How to Make Macrame Earrings: 3 Easy Patterns

  • Your saved projects in one list
  • Your ticked steps on any device

Check your inbox for an email from us. Not there? Look in your spam folder.

Free printable

Printable sheet and shopping list for this project

The bonus is hidden until you sign up.

Free with a free account, no password. Every step above stays open to everyone.

Products Used

The Checklist

How to Make Macrame Earrings: 3 Easy Patterns

Tools
5
Materials
5
Steps
10
Video
8 min

Tools we recommend

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Links on this page may be affiliate links - clicking them and buying doesn't change your price, but helps support Crafting Step by Step.

Tags

The Crafter's Weekly

New macramé tutorials, every Sunday

One short email with the week's best step-by-step guides. Free, no spam, unsubscribe anytime.

Did this work for you?

What's next

Related collections

Curated theme pages that include this tutorial.

Similar tutorials

Hand-picked next reads based on the one you just finished.

Liked this macramé tutorial?

Pick the crafts you want to hear about. One email every Sunday with new step-by-step tutorials. No spam, easy to unsubscribe.

Get more like this in your inbox

Weekly digest. Pick the categories you want. Unsubscribe anytime.

Send me tutorials about

We only email about new tutorials. Easy unsubscribe anytime.