“My bird feeder brings all the birds to the yard… and they’er like… it’s better than yours… damn right, it’s better than yours… I can teach you… how to make a DIY Macrame Bird feeder too!” – Wink
Bringing all the birds to the yard is super fun with these super easy to make DIY Macrame Bird feeders that are made from… can you guess?!?! Empty Kraft Peanut Butter Containers!! That’s right!! We go through so much of that yummy peanut butter in this house (sorry to those peanut allergy peeps out there… you can substitute any plastic lidded container that you have in your home for this project). But seriously peanut butter… it flows easy in this house, hence we need to find a way to upcycle them into something amazing… that brings all the birds to the yard!!
Sooooo, these awesome DIY Macrame Bird Feeders attract the most magical birds. Just another reason to create some for your own yard!!
(Disclaimer: This tutorial cannot guarantee magical birds coming to your yard).
Bonus: If you are looking for some more fun outdoor creativity, check out our awesome DIY Stepping Stones, that might bring all the magical kids to the garden… Wink!
HOW TO MAKE A DIY MACRAME BIRD FEEDER
Materials Needed:
Bird Feeder:
- Empty Kraft Peanut Butter Container (Or any appropriate plastic lidded container)
- Craft Knife or Xacto Knife
- Sharpie Pen
- Spray Paint (I used Flat Black Spray Paint by Rust-oleum)
- 1/2 inch x 12 inch Wooden Dowel (I got mine in a 12 pack from Walmart in the craft section)
Macrame Hanger:
- 4mm Macrame Cord
- 2 Wooden Rings (I used a 2 inch and a 2.8 inch wood ring)
- Scissors
Method to make a DIY Macrame Bird Feeder:
Step 1: Draw a half circle with your Sharpie pen on the lid of your peanut butter container (the area to be removed to create an opening for the birdies to eat through).
Step 2: Use a Craft knife (I love my super strong, heavy duty Fiskars Craft knife) to cut out the half circle. Like this…
Step 3: Trace the end of your dowel onto the lid and use your Craft Knife to cut it out too. Like this…
Step 4: Spray Paint your containers whatever colour your heart desires. We used a Flat Black Rust-oleum spray paint because we like to be matchy-matchy with our black fence! Plus it’s hip!
… don’t forget to paint the inside of your containers too, because you will be able to see it when the birds are taking a rest from flocking to the bird feeders. And those magical birds notice the small details like these…
Now Comes the fun part…!! EEEKKKKK
Step 5: Create the Macrame Bird Feeder Hanger!!
Now you can use any thickness of Macrame cord that you have, but I happened to have 4mm Macrame Cord, but I think this project would look awesome using a 3mm Macrame Cord too.
How to make a Macrame Bird feeder Hanger:
- 1. Cut 8 strands of macrame cord about 3 arm lengths long.
- 2. Group the strings into 2 groups of four, and then find their centers.
- 3. Tie the 2 groups of 4 strings together at their centers using a Lanyard Knot. Like this… In this diagram I found (I cant find its source) each string will represent your group of 4 strings.
- 4. First Layer of knots = Tie 2 strings (that are next to each other) together with simple knots. Like this…
- 5. Second Layer of knots = Tie 2 more strings together that are next to each other. Like this…
- 6. Third Layer of Knots = Continue to tie simple knots with the strings next to each other until your Macrame hanger can wrap around the peanut butter container. I only needed 3 layers of knots for this Macrame hanger, but depending on how far you space your knots you may need more layers (my second Macrame Bird Feeder needed 5 layers of knots, because I tied the knots closer together).
- HOWEVER!!! On your last layer of knots you need to keep a section open for the opening of your bird feeder to go!! So instead of connecting each string to it’s neighbor in that opening, just add the lonely string into a threesome with it’s couple next door… Like this…
I hope that made sense… if knot… just look at the photo and figure it out! It’s hard explaining things sometimes… Crazy face…
- 7. Place your up-cycled peanut butter container in the middle of your Macrame creation.
- 8. Bring all of the strings up and through the smaller wooden ring.
- 9. Bring each string over, down, and through the wooden ring again to secure it too wooden ring. Like this…
- Note: if you don’t have a wooden ring you could just tie a big simple knot. Might not look as hip though…
- 10. Tie the end of the strings to the large wooden ring and trim off the scraggly ends. Like this…
Step 6: Hot glue the Dowel in place, so those little magical birdies don’t fall while enjoying their lunch.
And there you have it. An awesome peanut butter container up-cycled macrame bird feeder that brings all the birds to the yard. BAM! Magical!
I hope you found this tutorial to make a DIY Macrame Bird Feeder inspiring to get you creative with items you may have around your home, such as an abundance of empty peanut butter containers?!?! We usually recycle them, but I thought that their shape was destined for greater use! Who knew that just a little creativity and macrame cord was all we needed to bring all the magical birds to the yard?!?! And you can make one too!!
Until next time, enjoy feeding the birds, and creating beautiful things everyday!
XO JCL
