My First Beginner’s Macrame Project – DIY Butterfly Bag Charms

My overinflated memory of making a macrame plant hanger as a child easily convinced my adult brain that I could confidently make a large wall hanging for our recently renovated guest bedroom.

After browsing through library books on macrame, I quickly realized I had no idea what I was doing. That project idea is still waiting for me to start it.

Then I told myself I would start smaller, and I should relearn the basics in no time. So I bought a box of keychain supplies and looked up patterns. After a few pitiful attempts, I put the supplies in storage boxes until I had time to focus more on learning a new craft.

Grandkids are always a good motivator to try again. With one granddaughter headed to kindergarten and another to preschool, I was motivated to restart my macrame learning process with a simple pattern to make butterfly keychains, also called bag charms, for their backpacks

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This post is part of the monthly Creative Craft Blog Hop, where I co-host each month with Sara of Birdz Of A Feather blog. 

If you are joining me from Gail’s blog, then I am glad you are here. I love her project for a Woven Bamboo Fibers Placemat Box.

A few disclosers before I get to the crafting part…

First, I did not create this macrame pattern. Actually, I am not sure who did. I saw an image of this type of butterfly project for kids on Pinterest, but the link on the pin led to a totally different project. (Sad when that happens.)

Eventually, I found a site that shared YouTube videos of tiny macrame animal keychains and watched someone make a great-looking butterfly macramé keychain. But it still was not exactly the one I wanted to make for their backpacks.

I took what I learned from watching those videos and adapted it to what I wanted to make for my granddaughters, using the supplies I already had available. I am using different techniques, different yarn, and materials. Any similarities are because – well, tying knots is just that – tying knots and learning how to create something new.

This post is not meant to teach how to make specific macrame knots, but only lists a reference to the type of knots used and the outcome.

Easy to make in 15 minutes or less – a Macrame Butterfly Bag Charm – or Keychain

You will probably notice that the small wooden bead used for the head of my butterfly charm has a larger hole. Thankfully, I had these in my stash because it made threading the yarn through so much easier.

Before tying the body of the butterfly, I first created the face of the butterfly on the wood bead with Zebra Sarasa markers. They are not perfect, but the ink didn’t run as much as the fine tipped Sharpies did. Basically, use what you can make work for you.

It starts with using up leftover yarn…

Two Christmases ago, my daughter gifted me 15 Woobles® kits, which I am still enjoying as I learn to crochet (again). My husband gifted me even more on my birthday this year. So, I have plenty of kits to keep me busy for weeks months.

One of the side benefits of completing these kits, is that you end up with a surplus of their custom Easy Peasy Yarn™.

You should already realize that I will not throw extra crafting supplies away. Even though the yarn blend and texture are very different from traditional macrame yarn, it’s still perfect for practicing macrame knots and for lightweight projects like these bag charms.

Here are the yarn cuts you will need for this project:

One base yarn strand cut to around 24 inches

One strand for the body and wings cut to 36 inches

One small black yarn strand cut to 4-6 inches

You will also need scissors, tape, and a lobster claw keyring (or other style of keyring).

Tie a Lark’s Head knot to the open ring of the lobster clasp of the keyring to get started.

Next, I tied four basic knots in the yarn. This made for a sturdier section for the beaded head for the butterfly. After the bead was attached I tied two more basic knots.

This is where I then turned the project upside down to tie the next round of knots. You will understand the reason why at the end.

The more colorful, 36-inch yarn is tied around the other lead yarn with a series of square knots.

Tie two square knots.

For the third square knot, leave extra yarn in the shape of loops between it and the previous knot. Repeat this technique with slightly larger loops for the fourth square knot. These loops create the wings of the butterfly.

Two more square knots finish off the body of the butterfly.

Flip the project right side up with the bead at the top. The section with the square knots should be easy to slide up the base threads to just underneath the bead. The loose ends of the body section thread should be at the bead.

Tie a small knot at the end of each of those pieces to create the arms of the butterfly. Cut them to a shorter length if needed.

To make the legs, tie a knot in each of the strands of the base yarn and cut shorter as needed.

Finally, take the short piece of black yarn and tie it around the base thread above the wood bead. Tie two smaller knots at each end and cut off the excess. This creates the butterfly’s antenna.

And now you have a cute little butterfly bag charm!

Since practice makes perfect sense when learning to tie macrame knots, I made several of these adorable little butterfly charms in different colors.

So cute on their backpacks.

Remember to Pin For Later!

Please visit the other talented and crafty bloggers who joined this month’s Creative Craft Hop. On the list after me is Cecilia’s post for how to Crochet a Cozy Chenille Steering Wheel Cover.

Crochet a Cozy Chenille Steering Wheel Cover

DIY Decorative Tray: An Easy Wrapping Paper Project

Sassy Polymer Clay Waffle

 Woven Bamboo Fibers Placemat Box

DIY Macrame Butterfly Bag Charms for Kids

Hugs,