Looking for a nice way to decorate your walls? If you want to make a fabric wall hanging but don’t know where to start, this DIY yarn wall hanging made from a thrift store find could be the perfect idea for you.
I have decided that this year is going to be the year that I will put an end to bare and empty walls in my home. Since I moved in, I have haphazardly hung some things here and there, but most of the big walls are still pretty bare. Partly because the big outer walls are all of the very solid concrete kind. I can’t just hammer in a nail to hang something. It needs heavy-duty drilling and will leave permanent big holes. And then there is also the question of how I can decorate my walls cheaply since the budget is limited. That’s why I have decided to make my own DIY wall decor, and today’s project is the first.
DIY Wall Decorations
Well, today is the first episode in what I expect will be quite a long series of posts on my wall decorations. And this one was cheap. And easy. And fun to make.Â
Update: Since this post was first published, I made some more wall decorations like my Boho Feather and Seashell Wall Hanging, my burlap pumpkin wall art, or my summer hat wall decor in my Boho bedroom.
I made a yarn wall hanging DIY with a distinct Boho vibe. And looking at that pic, can you guess what I made it from?
Come on, take a closer look. I am sure you can guess…..
If home fashions of days past are anything close to what used to decorate homes over here in the lowlands, then it must be familiar…..
If thrift stores carry the same stuff everywhere, then you must have come across dozens of these…..
Look!:
Remember those hand-crochet half curtains? Those used to be the height of home fashion at one point in time. Grandmothers everywhere were busy crocheting these for daughters and granddaughters until every window had its own little cafe curtain.
I found two of these crochet curtains in a bag of ‘miscellaneous’ that I got for a buck or two at the thrift one day. I was probably eyeing the doilies that were in there, too, and forgot about these as soon as I saw them.
Then, the other day, as I was rummaging through my stack in my craft room, I spotted the tassels with the wooden beads and realized they were part of a set of two crochet window hangings.
And so those two curtains were merged for proper length and upcycled in this DIY Boho yarn wall hanging. It was a lot of fun to make and not hard at all.
New Here?
While working on the renovation, we live in a temporary apartment that we created on the house’s first floor. The apartment is cozy and comfortable but still has a lot of unfinished touches. That’s OK. It will get its final makeover one day. If you’d like to follow our renovating adventures, watch them on our Youtube Channel: Lex and Marianne.
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Nice to Have Tools for Making a Yarn Wall Hanging
You don’t need much to make a boho yarn wall hanging like this. You can use leftovers and thrift store finds like I did. But there are a few tools and materials that I found very handy when doing this fabric wall hanging DIY project.
- Pompom maker
- Sharp sewing scissors
- Set of embroidery needles with large eyes
- Spool knitting tool
- Fringe ribbon
- Extra chunky wool yarn
HOw to Make a Fabric Wall Hanging
Here are the steps for this yarn macrame wall hanging DIY tutorial that makes macrame skills obsolete.
Step 1. Find a Base
Look for something to use as a base to make your fabric wall hanging. This will make it so much easier. I used these crochet curtains, but pillowcases, tapestries, woven wall hangings, or open-knit fabrics would work too.
Lay it all out and decide how tall and wide you want your finished work to be.
Step 2. Rework Your Base Material
Work on your material to give you the desired base. I simply cut off the fringe from one of the curtains (crochet work is forgiving like that), Â turned it upside down, and sewed it to the other one. No need to be fussy. Quick and easy is the way to go. Most of the background will be covered anyway, so imperfections are just fine.
Step 3. Start Weaving and Adding Yarn and Ribbon
Gather your leftover bits of yarn, ribbon, fringe, etc., and have fun. I used the crochet work as a base for some weaving, knotting, and sewing. Whatever worked with my base fabric and the yarns and ribbons I was working with. I just kept adding rows until it started to look full.
Step 4. Make Embellishments
Find yourself a nice movie to watch (in my case, the show of choice would be an English detective), grab your yarn and start making pompoms, and do some old-fashioned spool knitting and make extra embellishments.
Step 5. Assemble Your Yarn Wall Decor DIY Project.
Put it all together until you are happy with your DIY yarn hanging.
Total hands-on time was only half a day of relaxing play with yarn, and that included watching two episodes of Midsommer Murders 🙂 Â
Total costs? Negligible. It was all leftovers and freebies that I used.
But I love my bohemian DIY yarn wall hanging so much. It inspired a mini makeover in my living room because I just had to create the perfect spot for it.
Let’s take a closer look at my handicraft. Shall we.
And trust me, Â when you look very closely, you will see how easy this is, and at the same time, how forgiving for all the little imperfections that happen when you work with second-hand materials.Â
The cut-off fringe was re-attached to add a bit of extra oomph and flair to the project. And the pompoms give it some extra depth and whimsy.
And I am totally not kidding. I moved sofas and settees around my room just to create room for an extra little seating corner. And a place to show off my boho yarn wall hanging DIY in style.Â
If you like this, you will also like my: refashion cardigan project
One more close up, for the road, shall we…..
I love my little boho wall hanging so much. It fits in with the bohemian decorating style I have going on in my home.
So how about you? Are these crochet curtains as common in the thrift stores in your Knick of the Woods as they are here? Have you ever thought of bringing one home and repurposing it?
Can you help me to figure out what to hang on all of my bare walls? Do you have more ideas for me to create more wall decorations cheaply?Â
My coastal plant container – a DIY project from days galore – is still going strong.
Shop the Look
Marianne Songbird is the founder of Songbird, where she hopes to inspire everyone to create a home they love, one DIY project at a time. She shares anything from craft ideas to home decor inspiration and from DIY projects to decorating hacks. Originally from the Netherlands Marianne and her husband Lex are currently renovating a 250-year-old farmhouse in Germany.
Christine Cook says
Oh my goodness is that wall hanging ever gorgeous! WOW! It’s just stunning! Great job!
Marianne@Songbird says
Thank you!
Megan says
I love this wall hanging! And I know this does not have to do with the project but I have to say that the blanket looks so comfortable!! Nice job!
Marianne@Songbird says
You are right, that blanket is very comfy.And thanks for the compliment.
meegan says
Oh, Mary Ann! I just love what you have done with your thrifted crocheted curtains. Simply stunning for any home. You are very talented.
Something like this will look in amazing in my new place. Thanks for sharing.
Marianne@Songbird says
Thank you Meegan, I was pleasantly surprised at how it turned out too 🙂
meegan says
And I apologize for completely mis-spelling your name 😉
Have a beautiful weekend, my friend.
Amy says
This looks phenomenal! Awesome job! I would have never guessed that use to be curtains. It definitely looks like something you would buy at a store!
Marianne@Songbird says
Thank you, Amy!
Ans Potting says
Wat schitterend Marianne. Ik vind dit echt een van je mooiste en beste projecten. Mama zou ontzettend trots op je zijn.
Ik moest trouwens ook meteen aan mama denken toen ik het zag. Weet je nog dat geweven ding dat we in de veranda hadden hangen? En die grote bloempot vind ik ook heel mooi. Ik denk dat ik dat allemaal maar eens ga namaken……. Kiss kiss Ans
STEPHANIE ABBOTT says
I love this idea! I see those old things everywhere. I would have never thought about weaving in some pretty yarn. Nice job!
Ruthie says
What a great idea! I love the detail you added to it and how you gave it the boho vibe!!
Anam says
So chic and Beautiful!
Danielle Pientka says
So pretty! It looks super soft too.
Cindy says
You did an absolutely amazing job Marianne, I love the boho vibe! Looking forward to more wall ideas!
Eileen says
This is so beautiful, Marianne! I’m going to be on the lookout for those crocheted curtains now. 🙂
Kenya Rae says
This is so beautiful and creative. It looks like it could be found in the store.
Marie says
Visiting from the DIY Salvaged Junk Projects party and had to pop over to take a closer peek at your gorgeous wall hanging. My first thought was, wow can this gal macrame! How clever to repurpose curtains. It really does look like the real thing. Love it – pinned it 🙂
Betsy @ Happily Ever After, Etc says
I absolutely love the before and after… it looks so professional! It turned out so pretty, love it!