Learn how to make a cute and easy macrame ghost wall hanging with a metal hanger and macrame yarn. This is the perfect spooky touch for your Halloween home decor without being too scary. Plus it is fun and super easy to make!
You might have seen the rope ghost projects already where you glue the macrame yarn or rope onto a cardboard backing. My project today is a true macrame project with only two simple knots and perfect for beginners.
How to make a macrame ghost wall hanging
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I actually wanted to make one of these cute ghosts last Halloween season and then ran out of time. I’m glad that I finally made it because it was fun and I got to use some of my leftover macrame yarn.
Supplies
Video tutorial
I always like making a video tutorial so you can see how I made a project with my hand movements. If this doesn’t load for you here on my website then you can also check out my YouTube channel to watch the tutorial.
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Bend metal hanger to shape
Start by cutting the top part of the hanger off with metal snippers. After that bend the hanger into a straight line that lays flat. The most important thing for this macrame ghost is that the hanger lays flat.
Use a round shape to bend the hanger into the head shape of the ghost. I used a soy sauce bottle and bent the hanger in the center around the bottle.
Next are the arms, which I bent by hand. Snip the arms to length and then bend the ends inward. This is so the macrame cord can’t fall off later.
It is pretty easy to bend the hanger into shape but if you have difficulties bending the hanger by hand, use pliers to make the bending easier.
My hanger measurements are 16 inches long altogether, arm lengths are 6 inches each, and head height is 4.5 inches tall.
Step 2: Cut the macrame cord
The amount and cord/rope lengths of course depend on the size of your hanger and the look you want. I can tell you what I did and you can adjust it accordingly. It is easy to cut more cords during the project as needed.
I started by cutting 22 cords at 42 inches long and 29 cords at 20 inches long for the shorter cords. (in addition, you need an extra long cord for the left side of the arm but more details about that later)
Step 3: Loop the macrame cords onto the metal hanger
It doesn’t matter where you start looping on the macrame cords. I started with the ghost’s head using the long macrame cords. In the below steps, I’m showing you how to attach the cords with a Lark’s Head Knot. You can see it even better in my video tutorial.
Fold the cord in half and lay the top loop onto the hanger. After that grab the cords from under the hanger and pull them through the loop. Then pull the cords tight. Keep repeating that with all the cords until the head of the ghost is filled. Cut more cord if needed and don’t make the cord lineup too tight because you will need extra space when following up with the knot in the second row.
After that move on to the arms with the shorter cords the same way you just added the cords to the ghost head. You can secure one of the arms to your working surface with tape like I did if that helps.
When you reach the end of the arm, make sure that you loop the last one or two cords through the bent ends so they can’t slide off.
The next and last step to adding the cords to the arms is important. I’m right-handed so I added a long piece of macrame cord to the left arm. You might find it easier to add it to the right arm if you are left-handed.
Let me explain: The last cord that I added to the left arm was cut 5 times as long as the length of the bent hanger shape. When you loop that cord onto the hanger through the bent end of the arm, make sure not to fold it in half but to fold it so the right part of the cord matches the rest of the macrame cords on the arms. The left side will be super long because that will be the leading macrame cord for the next row of knots to get looped on.
Step 4: Knot one row of Diagonal Clove Hitch Knots
Let’s move on to the Diagonal Clove Hitch Knot row. I have to mention that this step is optional because you could leave it with the simple cords looped on the way I described in the last step. But this row helps with the sturdiness of the ghost’s shape as well as adding another pretty detail.
As I mentioned earlier, the long left cord is the leading cord which means that you have to loop all the cords hanging from the ghost spape onto that long cord. Each cord gets looped on twice and you have to pull it tight horizontally to make sure they all fit onto the leading cord especially when moving on to the curved head. You can probably see this best in my video.
Trim the end of the cord when you moved all the way around the ghost shape on the right side.
Step 5: Trim macrame ghost fringe
This step is also optional because you can leave the fringe uneven if that’s the look you like. I wanted it slightly trimmed but still uneven.
You can also comb and open the bottom of the fringe a bit with a comb or fur brush if you like the look.
STEP 6: Cut out eyes and mouth and glue onto macrame ghost
I used black paper that I had from my easy folk art project to cut circular and oval shapes for the eyes and mouth. Black felt might even be a better material to use but I didn’t have any and didn’t want to buy it. I used hot glue to attach the eyes and mouth.
STEP 7: Hanging the macrame ghost
You can either attach a thin string to the hanger at the top of the head. Or you can use Command hooks the way I did and just slide the top of the ghost head to the hook.
Finished macrame ghosts hanging in our home
I decided to hang the macrame ghosts around my great-grandmother’s portrait. Love the added touch of Halloween to that wall.
I also tried them out on my son’s dark green bedroom walls, so you can see the contrast.
Where to buy macrame ghosts
While this is a super easy macrame project, not everyone feels like crafting their own. So I gathered some Etsy shops that are selling their own versions of them. You can also get an idea for the different shapes you can bend the ghost arms into.
Happy Halloween and talk to you soon,
Materials
- metal hanger (usually from a dry cleaner)
- macrame yarn ( I used 2mm macrame yarn)
- black paper or black felt
- standard glue or hot glue
Tools
- metal snippers
- pliers
- scissors
- measuring tape
- comb or fur brush
Notes
- My hanger measurements are 16 inches long altogether, arm lengths are 6 inches each, and head height is 4.5 inches tall.