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Make a Hanging Planter From an Old T-Shirt!

Budget: $$, D.I.Y. Project, Home Decor, Indoor Plants, Living Room, One Day Project, Plants, Renter Friendly
By LaTonya Staubs

Make A Hanging Planter From An Old T-Shirt! (click through for tutorial)Playfully, I call myself a plant hoarder, and if I took count of the many I have (20…ish) and the many urges I try to fight to purchase one, I guess you would say that too. I not only adore plants because they clean the air in our old apartment, but because they can easily transform a space! My apartment feels more homey, colorful, and alive with my plants. Thankfully, I have a great relationship with my local guy, so I don’t really run a bill. But purchasing plant accessories surely can! I’m talking about pots and plant hangers. For the most part, I’ve stayed away from investing in any plant hangers, and I’m glad I did.

This simple macrame plant holder can be made out of an old t-shirt within an hour. I added just a few beads, but you can really go crazy and personalize it.

Make A Hanging Planter From An Old T-Shirt! (click through for tutorial) Here’s what you’ll need to create your jersey macrame plant holder:

-jersey fabric
-scissors
-measuring tape
-beads
-plant and round bowl or plant pot (I used a woven basket lined with plastic.)
-a hook for hanging your plant

Make A Hanging Planter From An Old T-Shirt! (click through for tutorial) For starters, you’ll need to cut your fabric into 8 strips about 1.5″ wide. I tend to go to 1″ only because I’ve noticed that I always cut out, creating larger strips. But if your cutting direction is better than mine, stick to the 1.5″

Make A Hanging Planter From An Old T-Shirt! (click through for tutorial) Make A Hanging Planter From An Old T-Shirt! (click through for tutorial) My fabric was already pretty stretched out, but I suggest you stretch each piece individually. This is also the time to clean up those edges of fabric. Though, I in no way think this is a project for the perfectionist, and found comfort in knowing that because the fabric was jersey, the plant holder would show some good wear.

Make A Hanging Planter From An Old T-Shirt! (click through for tutorial) Grab all eight of your pieces of fabric and knot them on one side. You’ll want to leave a few inches of fabric at the end of the knot. Do not tighten the knot too much, this will happen as you move forward with the planter.

Make A Hanging Planter From An Old T-Shirt! (click through for tutorial) Make A Hanging Planter From An Old T-Shirt! (click through for tutorial) Now it’s time to start knotting on down! Group your fabric into four sets of two and knot each set about 2″ down from the top knot.

Make A Hanging Planter From An Old T-Shirt! (click through for tutorial) Make A Hanging Planter From An Old T-Shirt! (click through for tutorial) After you tie each knot, you can choose to add one bead or a full stack of beads. Because the fabric stretches, you don’t want to tighten it. The weight of the plant should take care of this.

Make A Hanging Planter From An Old T-Shirt! (click through for tutorial) After your first round of knots, do this once again. This time, creating two new pairs, and knotting the pair 1.5″ down from the previous knot. You’ll find that you have a single strand of fabric on each side and you want to take one from one side and cross it over the larger knot (the one keeping the fabric together) so it meets the other singled out fabric on the opposite side.

Make one last knot on each pair about 1.5″ down again. Once you’re done, it should look like a bunch of funky diamonds.

Make A Hanging Planter From An Old T-Shirt! (click through for tutorial) For size, I tried it over another planter. I believe this works best with a rounded one. But this shows the pattern of the design a bit more. I choose not to cut the remaining frayed edges after the initial cut, simply because I felt it would make it a little more tough. But if you’d like a cleaner look, go ahead and snip away while it’s in a shaper like this one.

After you’re all set shaping and snipping, place your actual planter and plant in the macrame plant holder and tie a knot about directly above. Make sure that the plant is also seated correctly in the planter. Any offsets and your plant will be all lopsided while hanging.

Make A Hanging Planter From An Old T-Shirt! (click through for tutorial) I hung my planter by an extra piece of tightened fabric in the back, but you could also make the knot so far from the plant that it can simply hang over the hook.

Make A Hanging Planter From An Old T-Shirt! (click through for tutorial) What I love most about this project is that it literally costs nothing. You can round up a ratty old shirt and make this in a jif. In addition, as a mom, I love how it’s totally kid friendly and makes the perfect little gift for your next housewarming party. Did I mention that it costs nothing? And you can have fun by adding however many beads you desire. –LaTonya

Credits // Author and Photography: LaTonya Staubs. Photos edited with A Beautiful Mess actions. 

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