Macramé curtains: everything you need to know to make them

1. What cord or thread should I use to make macramé curtains?

Short answer: 4mm twisted cotton rope You can buy it here ]

But to help you learn how to choose the best cord for your project, and to start delving into the exciting world of macramé, I recommend reading this article.

The first thing you need to understand is that macramé can be made with any type of cord, as it involves making knots and knots can be made with anything. Therefore, any thread or cord that works for making knots would work for making a curtain. There is no "correct" string nor "incorrect" one. And whoever tells you otherwise or says "this is the correct one / the good one, it is because they do not know much about macramé. Understanding this, we see that the choice of cord basically depends on each person's personal preferences as well as the characteristics of the project.

To decide which string you prefer to use for your project, you should ask yourself these 3 questions:

1.1. Is it a curtain for a door or for a window? [Type of string]

It is important to know it to choose the type of rope: cuerda torcida, cuerda trenzada, cuerda peinada (weft) or trapillo (t-shirt). Not all cords are equally resistant to wear, due to their structure, and if you don't want your curtain to turn into a rag in no time, it's important to keep this in mind.

This is the order from highest to lowest resistance: the twisted rope, the braided rope, the t-shirt yarn, and finally, the combed rope (warp).

For a curtain for a door, which will have a high frequency of use and, therefore, greater wear, I would recommend twisted rope, braided rope, or t-shirt yarn.

For a curtain for a window, you could use any of the four materials.

Here you can check our complete string guide to learn about the differences, advantages, and disadvantages of each one.

1.2. What level of detail do you want the curtain to have? And how much time do you want to spend making the curtain? [Thickness of string]

It is important to decide the thickness of the ropeThe finer the rope, the more the pattern will stand out and not the individual knots since they will be smaller, resulting in a more delicate and sophisticated curtain, with more lightness and a better drape, but it will take you longer to make it. Conversely, the thicker the rope, the more the knots will stand out as they will be larger, resulting in a coarser and bolder curtain, and it will take you less time to make it.

In any case, the minimum thickness I would recommend is 2mm.

Using thicknesses of 2-3mm you will achieve a high level of detail but you need to be patient because it will take you quite a long time to finish the curtain.

The standard and most used thickness is 4mm. It is the optimal thickness and the most recommended for this project.

A 5mm rope still allows for a good level of detail and lets you finish the project quickly.

The thicker sizes, 6mm and above, provide coarser results, but they are perfect for when you need to make very large sizes and time is key.

1.3. Is it a curtain for indoors or outdoors? [Composition of string]

This will determine the composition or the fiber we should choose, as it is not the same a curtain that is inside the house, than one on a balcony or a covered terrace, than one that is completely outside subject to weather conditions.

Natural fibers like cotton or jute withstand outdoor conditions worse than synthetic fibers.

If the curtain is going to be very exposed to the sun, humidity, and rain, I would recommend a synthetic fiber rope, it can be made of polipropileno (PP), poliéster or polyamide (PA, for example, nylon).

If the curtain is going to be indoors or covered, you could opt for natural fibers, such as algodón, lino o yute.

2. How much rope do I need for a curtain and how do I calculate it?

Short answer: minimum 200 meters, and the maximum depends on 6 factors that I will explain to you below.

I'm sorry to tell you that there is no magic formula to calculate how much rope you need for a project. Some people say to multiply the length by 3, others say by 4... but whether you do it that way or just guess, there isn't a big difference. If you prefer not to overthink it, you can do it that way, but you risk running out of rope halfway through the project or having excess and wasting the rope. If you prefer to be safe, I would recommend calculating for your project.

The amount of rope you will need depends on the following factors:

• The size of the curtain.
• The ratio between the knotted part and the unknotted partThe more "drawing" you want to achieve, the more knots you have to make and the more rope you need.
• The type of knots usedThere are knots that consume more rope than others. And even within the same knot, not all the ropes you use to make it wear out equally, since some ropes actually form the knot while others only serve as filler or guide.

• Your way of tyingThere are people who tie tighter and there are people who make looser knots. This can make a big difference in the size of the knots and, as a consequence, the amount of rope you will need. If you tie tighter, the knots will be smaller and you will need more rope to make the same size as someone who ties looser when knotting. That’s why even if you use exactly the same material as someone else, the result can turn out very differently for you.
• The type of rope you are going to use. Very related to the previous point. The strings that are stiffer can be tightened less, so the knots will be similar to a person who tightens a lot and another who does not. In contrast, in the case of softer strings, the knots will be smaller if you pull tight or larger if you leave the string looser.
• The thickness of the ropeThe thinner the rope, the more you need. This is because to achieve the same curtain size, you would need to make more knots than if you were using a thicker rope.

The step-by-step to calculate the amount of cord for your curtain:

1. Choose the string you are going to use.
2. Decide the width and length that your curtain should have. Make it wider if you want it to have pleats.
3. Draw a detailed diagram of your curtain, indicating all the knots you need to make to create your design.
4. Using the same rope that you will use later for the project, calculate how much rope is used for each type of knot that you will use in your design, and write it down. For example, if you are going to use square knots, calculate how much rope is used for one knot of this type. To do this, tie a square knot, mark the rope where the knot ends, untie the knot, and measure the piece of rope up to the mark. This way you will know the length of rope you need for this type of knot.
5. Add the length of string you need to make all the knots you have drawn in your diagram.
6. Add it length of cord that is not knotted.
7. To the total you have obtained, add 10-15% to compensate for any possible margin of error.
8. And you will already know how much rope you need for your project!

3. Tutorial: How to make a macramé curtain?

If you don't know where to start or are confused with the calculation, I recommend following a tutorial. There are many free and also paid tutorials that you can find online, in text format and also video, you can also find tutorials in libros de macramé. Normally, the tutorial indicates both the step-by-step process and the amount of cord you need. The important thing is that you use a cord that is as similar as possible to the one indicated in the tutorial. We can help you choose the most similar cord, just write to us.

Here are some tutorials for macramé curtains.

Macramé Curtain Tutorial #1
Curtain size: 90cm x 185cm
Material: 5mm twisted rope (you can buy it) here).
Length of rope: 240 meters (you will need 5 spools)

Macramé Curtain Tutorial #2
Curtain size: 120cm x 200cm
Material: 4mm braided rope (you can buy a similar one) here).
Amount of rope: 573 meters (you will need 6 skeins)

Macramé Curtain Tutorial #3
Curtain size: 84cm x 200cm
Material: t-shirt yarn (you can buy a similar one here).
Amount of rope: 200 meters (you will need 2 skeins)

Macramé Curtain Tutorial #4
Curtain size: 100cm x 200cm
Material: twisted rope of 5mm (you can buy it here).
Length of rope: 416 meters (you will need 9 spools)