In my recent Women’s Circle, I shared how to make a simple macramé feather and we spent a little time mindfully crafting in peaceful companionship.
If you’d like to make your own feather, here’s an easy way to do it.
You will need:
Macrame cord (I used 3mm)
Scissors
Comb (dog or cat comb works well!)
Small book or tape measure.
For a small feather you need 16 pieces of macrame yarn and 1 longer one. I didn’t use any specific measurements for mine; I simply found a handy little book to measure around!
I used the length of the book to measure the longer piece and the width of the book for the shorter pieces. A book with a wider cover than pages is particularly helpful as it provides a groove to guide your scissors along.
Wrap the cord once around the length of the book and cut it at the bottom. Then, wrap the cord around the width of the book 16 times and cut each strip (at the book’s opening side only). Small embroidery scissors or thread snips work better for this.
Now, fold the long piece and place it vertically in front of you; this will form the stem of the feather. Take two smaller pieces, fold each one, and position them across the 'stem' in opposite directions, one on top and the other underneath, creating a loop on each side.
Next, take the two tails of one piece and thread them through the loop of the other.
Repeat this step on the opposite side. Pull the tails until the yarn forms a snug knot in the middle (this is called a larks head knot). Repeat this process with all the other small pieces until you have eight knots in total.
Once you've completed all the knots, tie a knot in the 'stem' to secure them in place. A simple knot you'd use for tying your shoes is perfect for this.
Time to start combing! My favourite part of the process and very relaxing.
Start combing from the ends inwards, and make sure to hold the centre stem firmly to prevent the threads from loosening or coming off. You can use a cheap plastic comb for this, but I'll be honest and admit that I used my dog grooming comb!
After combing all the threads out, use a sharp pair of scissors to trim the combed threads into a feather shape. I didn't mind if mine turned out slightly imperfect, so I simply cut bit by bit by eye. If you want a more precise feather, you could make a paper template to cut around.
And that’s it! A beautiful macrame feather.
If you'd like to stiffen the strands of the feather, you can use spray starch or even hairspray, but for a small feather like this, I found that it holds its shape well without any additional treatment.
It was heartwarming to see everyone gathered in our Women's Circle—sitting around our beautiful central altar - crafting, chatting, sipping soothing hot drinks and helping each other. Our theme for the evening was honouring our ancestors, and it was easy to imagine them enjoying activities like this too.
Mindful crafting is truly a soul-nourishing experience, and it's something we'll definitely do again.
My Women's Circles are now held monthly in Telford, Shropshire and if you are local, you are very welcome to join us. My Soul Sisters VIP List are always the first to hear when booking opens and you add your contact details via the link below...
Love
Debbie x