A few weeks ago, someone described my house as a pastel rainbow. Well, that made me ridiculously happy! So when I was looking for some decor for my shelf, I immediately thought about the cute DIY rainbow wall hangings made from rope. I’ve seen them all over Etsy and LOVE the look, but wanted to figure out how to make a rainbow wall hanging on my own.
And let me tell you, it turned out better than I hoped!
This was SUCH a fun project to do, but wrapping the yarn does take a long time. This is a great project while you watch a movie or take a long car ride. My 10 year old niece helped with it a bit so believe me, it’s easy to do. It’s not hard, just a little monotonous.
how to make a rainbow wall hanging
Let’s start with the video tutorial so you get an overview on what I did. Then, I’ll dive in with more details below:
If the video doesn’t work here, you can watch it on YouTube here. P.s. I’m trying to build that page up, so if you’d subscribe, I’d really appreciate that!SUPPLIES
If you’re wondering what do you need to make a macrame rainbow? Here’s the supplies-
- 13′ of Twisted Nylon & Polyester Rope 5/8″
- 7 skeins of Yarn in colors of your choice
- Floral Wire
- Fabric Scissors
- Hot Glue Gun
- Painter’s Tape
- Scotch Tape (mine is in an acrylic dispenser)
This post is inspired by this tutorial.
step 1- lay the rope in a rainbow shape
Begin this project in the easiest possible way- lay the rope out in a rainbow shape.
When doing art, I like to stick to odd numbers (since they’re more pleasing to the eye) so there are 7 arches in my rainbow.
All of the examples I saw and I liked also had 7 arches so that’s what I went with. Less works too and will simplify the project.
step 2- cut the rope
Next, use some good scissors to cut the rope on the loops between each arch. The rope is thick so it takes a bit of effort to slice through all the layers.
Add some painter’s tape to the ends to prevent the rope from unwinding prematurely. The rope that is covered by the tape will be the fringe (aka the clouds)!
step 3- add wire to hold the arch
And now it’s time to cut the floral wire. The wire is what helps the rope hold the rainbow shape.
For this step, each arch needs one piece of wire cut to the size of the exposed rope. Use clear scotch tape to attach the wire to the rope. I used a piece of tape at each end and one in the middle.
step 4- wrap the rope with yarn
Here we are! At the fun part- it’s time to start wrapping the yarn around the rope. Start at one end and tie a knot. Next, lay the tail of the yarn up on the rope.
Then start wrapping the yarn (which will cover up the tail of the knot). Wrap the yarn tightly trying to not overlap any strands or leave any gaps.
At the end of the rope, right before the painter’s tape, tie a knot at the end and cut the tail off. Position the knot on the outside of the arch so it’ll be covered by the next arch.
step 5- details. unravel the rope and even out the arches
After each arch is fully wrapped, remove the painter’s tape and unravel the rope. Mine got really fluffy and I kind of like that! Line up the rainbow and then use a hot glue gun to connect the pieces together.
If you’d rather, there’s also the option of using a needle and thread to attach the arches of the rainbow.
Note, the ends of each color of the rainbow ended in a different place and looked funny to me (see the photo below). So I went in with scissors and cut off the yarn on the longer ones.
To secure the end, I just used hot glue so it didn’t come unraveled. I also had to remove some tape and wire, but it was worth it to me to get a cleaner finish.
step 6- trim the clouds
Finally, it’s time to give the rope (aka the clouds) a hair cut. I used my scissors to even out the ends.
step 7- add a hanger
To finish this project up, a hanger is needed on the back so there’s a way to attach it to the wall. For that, I just used items I had on hand.
So I took a paper clip and a piece of felt and hot glued it to the back. That worked like a charm to hang it on a nail on the wall!
after- rainbow wall hanging
Ta da! This pretty little rainbow got hung in my main bedroom for the time being (when my shelves are done in my office, it’ll end up there). It is such a happy piece! Wouldn’t it be perfect in a nursery or a playroom?!
This was a really fun project! I loved taking this rainbow wall hanging that was something I’ve long admired and finding a way to make it myself. I’m really happy with how it turned out. Yay for another rainbow addition to my home!
p.s. I have another tutorial for making a smaller version of this macrame rainbow. It has a fun additional detail I think you’ll love! It also has the exact measurement for the length of rope and yarn needed.
I also have a blog post with step by step instructions for how to make an oversized rainbow wall hanging. It’s super big and so fun!
printable instructions for the rainbow wall hanging
How to make a Rainbow Wall Hanging
easy DIY- how to make a rainbow wall hanging out of rope. This fiber art is the perfect statement art in a home. It would look so cute in a playroom, nursery, or little girl's room. You can add any colors you like plus this craft project adds a lot of textrue with the macrame details. Here are tips on how to make this plus a video tutorial
Materials
Instructions
- Lay the rope out in a rainbow shape. I like to stick to odd numbers (since they’re more pleasing to the eye) so there are 7 arches in my rainbow.
- Next, use some good scissors to cut the rope on the lopes between each arch. Add some painter’s tape to the ends to prevent the rope from unwinding prematurely.
- And now it’s time to cut the floral wire. The wire is what helps the rope hold the rainbow shape. Each arch needs one piece of wire cut to the size of the exposed rope. Use clear scotch tape to attach the wire to the rope.
- It’s time to start wrapping the yarn around the rope. Start at one end and tie a knot. Next, lay the tail of the yarn up on the rope. Then start wrapping the yarn. Wrap the yarn tightly trying to not overlap any strands or leave any gaps. At the end of the rope, right before the painter’s tape, tie a knot at the end and cut the tail off.
- After each arch is fully wrapped, remove the painter’s tape and unravel the rope. Line up the rainbow and then use a hot glue gun to connect the pieces together. Note, the ends of each color of the rainbow ended in a different place and looked funny to me (see the photo below). So I went in with scissors and cut off the yarn on the longer ones.
- Finally, it’s time to give the rope (aka the clouds) a hair cut. I used my scissors to even out the ends.
- To finish this project up, a hanger is needed on the back so there’s a way to attach it to the wall. So I took a paper clip and a piece of felt and hot glued it to the back. That worked like a charm to hang it on a nail on the wall!
- After- look how cute it turned out!
Notes
My mini macrame rainbow wall hanging post has another helpful tutorial. It has the exact lenghts to cut each piece of rope- https://athomewithashley.com/mini-macrame-rainbow-wall-hanging/
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If you love it, pin it!
Super cute! Pinning.
What a creative project it is. Like your work skill. I am really too excited to make this for my bedroom. Then I need a hot glue gun.