Leftover macramé cord can be reused for small projects, decorations, practice knots and finishing details.
Even short pieces can be useful, so you don’t have to throw away every offcut after you’ve finished your project. Sort the cord by length and condition before deciding what you want to keep.
Make Small Macramé Projects
Longer leftover pieces can be used for projects that don’t need very much cord, such as:
- Keyrings
- Bag charms
- Plant-pot decorations
- Napkin rings
- Bookmarks
- Mini wall hangings
- Christmas decorations
- Small tassels
- Simple bracelets
- Gift decorations
The exact project will depend on the length and thickness of the cord. A keyring may only need a few short working cords, whilst a small wall hanging will probably need much several longer pieces.
Use It to Practise Macramé Knots
Leftover cord is useful for practising unfamiliar knots before you test them out in a new project.
You could use scraps to practise:
- Square knots
- Half-square knots
- Spiral knots
- Double half-hitch knots
- Gathering knots
- Lark’s head knots
Practising first can help you work out how tightly to pull the cord and how much material a repeated knot uses.
The sample you produce doesn’t have to look perfect. You can undo the knots and reuse the cord until it becomes too frayed or difficult to work with.
Make Tassels or Fringe
Short pieces of cord can be grouped together to make tassels, fringe and other finishing details.
Add them to:
- Wall hangings
- Baskets
- Keyrings
- Bags
- Garlands
- Gift wrapping
- Cushion covers
You can leave the cord twisted or carefully unravel and brush it to create a softer fringe.
Uneven scraps may work particularly well for fringe because the ends can be trimmed into shape after they have been attached.
Add Cord to Gift Wrapping
Macramé cord can replace ribbon or string when wrapping gifts.
Use it to:
- Tie parcels
- Attach gift tags
- Make a small tassel
- Add a simple knot decoration
- Secure rolled paper or fabric
Natural cotton cord works particularly well with plain paper, handmade tags and other simple wrapping materials.
Avoid using heavily frayed or dirty cord on gifts; think how your recipient would feel!
Use It for Craft Organisation
Leftover pieces can be used around your craft space.
For example, you could tie them around:
- Rolled fabric
- Bundles of pencils or brushes
- Groups of cords
- Gift tags
- Small storage baskets
- Packets of craft materials
A short loop can also be added to lightweight tools or decorations so that they can be hung from a hook.
Don’t rely on scrap cord for holding anything heavy unless you know that the cord and knot are suitable for the weight of the project.
Combine Different Colours
Leftover cord does not have to match perfectly.
Several colours can be combined in:
- Tassels
- Small rainbows
- Decorative garlands
- Keyrings
- Braided cords
- Practice samples
- Abstract wall hangings
Using scraps can be a good opportunity to experiment with colour combinations before using them in a larger project.
Different cord thicknesses can also be combined decoratively, although they may behave differently when knotted together.
Can You Join Leftover Macramé Cord?
You can sometimes join shorter lengths to create a longer working cord.
The join can be:
- Hidden behind another knot
- Covered with a gathering knot
- Placed at the back of the project
- Incorporated into a decorative section
A joined cord may be visible, so it is not suitable for every design.
It should also be avoided in parts of a project that must carry significant weight. For a plant hanger or another load-bearing item, it is safer to use continuous lengths of appropriate cord unless the pattern provides a secure joining method.
Should You Keep Very Short Pieces?
Tiny scraps can still be used as stuffing, texture in mixed-media crafts or material for small fringe details.
However, you do not need to save every piece. Discard cord that is:
- Dirty
- Mouldy
- Badly frayed
- Weakened
- Covered in unsuitable glue or paint
- Too short to use realistically
Keeping unusable scraps can quickly create clutter.
How Should You Store Leftover Cord?
Sort leftover cord into groups based on length, colour or material.
You could wrap longer pieces around pieces of cardboard and keep shorter scraps in labelled bags or small containers. Try to store natural cord somewhere clean and dry.
Writing the cord type and thickness on the container can help if you want to combine it with the same material later.
Leftover macramé cord can be useful, but it doesn’t have to become another major project. A few small decorations, practice samples or finishing details can help you use scraps without creating another large collection of unfinished work.