What’s better than a hanging rainbow? An oversized hanging rainbow! This is a take on the traditional Macrame but bigger! I decided I wanted to do a rainbow theme for my Daugther’s first birthday. I’ve seen where you can make a large rainbow with balloon garland or clown balloons, but I wanted to make something that would actually last longer than 24 hours that the girls could also enjoy for a few years!
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Materials needed:
- 5 pool noodles
- 5 different yarn colors (I used Baby Bee Adore-A-Ball yarn – exact colors listed below) Similar ones linked
- Yarn Bee cotton XXL yarn in white x 2
- 1/4 in x 5 ft Copper coil x 2
- X-acto knife
- Glue gun
- Tape measure
- Scissors
- Pipe cutter
Directions (form your rainbow):
Stretch the copper coil the length of your outside (arch) noodle.
Cut the end of the coil leaving about 4 inches of noddle on either side (this is so the coil doesn’t stick out once bent).
Form your outer rainbow arch.
Grab another noodle and place it below your outer arch. Line it up evenly to one side.
The second noodle will stick out longer.
Use an X-acto knife to trim to the same length as the outside (arch) noodle.
Grab a third noodle and measure a piece of copper coil (leaving 4 inches on either side of the noodle).
Bend the noodle to fit inside the arches.
Repeat with each noodle. You only need copper coil in the outer, third (middle) and last (inner) arch. You don’t need to place in each one.
Form your rainbow and push your noodles together as tight as you can (you may need someone to help you). Tightly tie a piece of thick ribbon to help hold the shape of your rainbow together (this is temporary). Don’t use thin ribbon as it may sever the foam.
Place your rainbow on the edge of a table with your outer arch directly on the end and place two pieces of paper on each side.
Place the paper where it lines up with the edge of the table.
Draw a line directly under the paper straight across (don’t worry this won’t show).
Repeat on other side.
Use an X-acto knife to cut along the line.
Your rainbow will now be straight across.
Using your X-acto knife, carefully carve out (about an inch) inside each noodle.
make sure to leave a little bit of a rim on each one.
Directions (wrap your rainbow):
Starting with your outer arch, glue a piece of yarn on the outside of the noodle.
Glue the starting piece all the way around the noodle.
Continue to wrap your yarn.
Make sure to wrap tightly and check for any gaps along the way.
When you get to the end, glue the end piece inside the opening of the noodle.
Repeat this process with each arch!
Glue all of your arches together one at a time, starting from the outer arch and working your way in.
The ends will look like this.
Take additional yarn and carefully fill in the underside of each noodle (this will help to ensure you don’t see any of the noodle once you place your hanging base yarn).
The glued rainbow! You could leave it like this, but I wanted to add the hanging yarn to give it a cloud affect and to give it more of a Macrame look!
Directions (add the ends):
I used this Yarn Bee Cotton XXL yarn because I like the added texture. You could also use cotton rope.
Measure out 5 yards and cut. Repeat for a total of 10. Do the same with the other skein of yarn for a total of 20 all together. (10 from one skein and 10 from the other).
Take one piece, fold it in half, and then in half again.
Fold in half again.
And again.
And again. For a total of 5 folds. Do this with all 20 strands.
Grab two individual folded strands.
Lay one directly on top of the other (not above).
Grab twine or ribbon and place underneath in the middle.
Tie tightly into a double knot.
Cut off excess string.
You will have a total of 10 (double) bunches.
Apply glue inside the end of the noodle (directly in the middle and all around the sides).
Push yarn inside the opening and hold in place for a few seconds.
Repeat with all 10 openings.
Directions (hang your rainbow):
Separate some of the yellow yarn, glue the edge of twine or ribbon onto the noodle underneath the yarn. Glue a piece of felt on top.
Repeat on the other side. Do not glue string directly on top of the yarn as the weight of the rainbow will pull the yarn. Make sure it’s glued on the noodle underneath.
The finished oversized rainbow! I placed it next to the Macrame rainbows I made for my Daughter’s birthday for comparison. You can find that tutorial here!
This was a great addition to her rainbow themed birthday! We placed it in the girl’s playroom as decor afterwards!
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! Follow me along on Instagram and let me know if and make an oversized rainbow for your little ones! The nice thing about rainbows is you can customize them to match any decor or color palette in a room! ♥
