It’s been a while since I’ve made something for our cats and I had the macrame itch again, so I made a DIY macrame cat teepee. Our Willy is often attacked by our Walter, who likes to sneak up on him while he sleeps in his round cat bed. I thought that if I put a teepee over the bed, Walter wouldn’t be able to sneak up on him from behind. So not only is it pretty, it also serves a purpose.
Materials needed
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Optional deliveries are: a pet bed, drill and drill bit, wooden beads, screw and matching nut
Tip: This macrame teepee is not only suitable for cats, but can also be made for dolls, children and adults. Simply purchase longer dowel rods and continue with the same method of grid-linking longer macrame strands. As you work your way down, gradually cut each new strand 5 to 10 inches shorter than the previous one.
Video tutorial
It’s always a good idea to watch my video tutorials to see what my hands are doing. You can also visit my YouTube channel to watch it instead. Also follow me if you go there.
Step-by-step instructions
The basic knot grid that holds this macrame teepee together is the same as my macrame cat bed and macrame lantern.
Since not every cat likes a bed that can rock around, a macrame teepee may be a better option for these anxious cats.
Let me show you what I did.
Note: In my tutorial I drill into the dowel rods, which helps make the teepee’s construction more stable, but it is optional. The two wooden beads and the screw for the top of the teepee can also be omitted to improve the stability of the teepee.
Additionally, most macrame teepees I’ve seen are made from four or even three dowel rods. I used five of them because I like the look better and the teepee fits better over a round pet bed.
I also don’t take the measurements too seriously and end up with a lot of scraps left over, which is okay because those scraps will end up being used for the fringe.
Prepare the dowel rods and tie them at the top
I drilled 5 inch holes in my 5 dowel rods. As I just mentioned, you can definitely skip that and move on to the part where you just tie the top together. It works pretty well that way, but I wanted to make sure it didn’t collapse under any circumstances, just in case Walter and Willy had one of their moments, which unfortunately happens often. (Image 1 in the collage below)
I then wrapped the tip of a macrame cord with clear tape so I could easily thread it through the 5 drill holes. Then you simply tie them together tightly. (Pictures 2 to 6)
After spreading the teepee frame, you can add another structural piece, which is again optional. I inserted a long threaded screw with a matching nut and two beads (as shown in the video) into the top center of the attached dowel rods. This helps keep the dowel rods open and prevents them from collapsing during fights. (Pictures 7 to 10)
Lastly, I tied the top of the teepee frame structure with additional cord. (Pictures 11 to 13)
Prepare the bottom of the dowel rods
Again, I chose to drill 5 inches into the bottom of the dowel rods, which honestly was an afterthought. This isn’t necessary, and macrame weaving works without it, but it does help maintain the structure/shape of the teepee. (Image 1)
I measured the distance between each dowel rod to make sure it was even. The gap was about 11 inches. I then measured and marked 5 inches from the bottom of each dowel rod and drilled the appropriate holes while placing a cutting board behind the rod. (Pictures 2 and 3)
Next, I threaded another piece of macrame yarn through the dowel rod holes that was slightly longer than the circumference of the teepee. I also tied simple knots before and after each hole to keep the macrame thread securely in place. Be sure to measure around the perimeter as you work to ensure the sections are even. (Pictures 5 to 8)
Macrame is not an exact science and I don’t work with strict measurements. The strand lengths I provide are approximations and may vary depending on the size of your dowel rods, the strength of the knot, and the desired length of your fringe. When in doubt, cut longer than you think is necessary. You can always trim off the excess, but don’t add any length. And I have lots of pretty macrame projects where you can use up all the leftover yarn.
(Even if you run out of string, you can add more and tie it into one of the knots.)
Knot the macrame teepee front panel pattern
You could just repeat the same square knots all the way down or add a few more details like I did.
First, you need to attach a 140 inch piece of macrame yarn to the top front of the macrame teepee so you can attach more yarn to it. As you can see, I marked the center of the piece of yarn so I could make sure it lay evenly and centered on the front. (Pictures 1 to 6)
Now loop 3 pieces (folded in half) onto the top piece of yarn using the same length of 140 inches of cord. (Pictures 7 to 9)
I added a long section of square knots while also adding more yarn or attaching it to the sides. This section ends in an upside down V shape (Images 1 to 12 above) so you can add two rows of diagonal clove hitch knots (Images 1 to 12 below).
I then added a row of square knots to the inside of the inverted V-shaped diagonal clove knots, followed by two more rows of V-shaped diagonal clove knots.
Add fringe to the front dowel rods
I used most of the leftover cord I had previously cut from the bottom of the teepee to add fringe to the front using Lark’s Head Knots. (Pictures 1 to 5)
Then I decided to tie back the long fringe on both sides, resembling a teepee opening. (Pictures 6 and 7)
Cut off the fringe and you’re done.
Similar macrame teepees for sale
Here are some pretty macrame teepee options for sale if you don’t feel like making your own like me.
More of my macrame craft and DIY cat projects
The other day I was cuddling with the cats in bed and thought to myself, “I really enjoy this.” That’s why I decided that I would like to write a little more about my cats in the near future. So stay tuned.
Bye,
