Macrame sun wall art is made by attaching radiating fringe cords all the way around a metal ring and then brushing them out into fluffy rays. The key to a full, even sunburst is consistent cord spacing around the ring combined with thorough brushing after all the knots are tied. This intermediate project takes about 90 minutes and produces a statement piece that looks far more complex than it actually is.
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What You Will Need
Before you start, gather everything so you are not hunting for supplies mid-project.
Ring and cord:
- 12" Metal Ring Frames — the standard size for sun wall art. A 12-inch ring gives enough surface for full, flowing rays without overwhelming a wall.
- Single-Strand Macrame Cord (Regular Rolls) — 4mm is ideal. Single-strand brushes into soft, airy fringe that mimics real sunlight. Use code KNOT10 for 10% off.
- Extra cord for wrapping the ring (about 5 meters of the same or a contrasting color)
Tools:
- 8" Macrame Stainless Steel Fringe Comb — essential for the brushed fringe finish. A fine-tooth metal comb works far better than a plastic pet brush.
- Sharp scissors
- Measuring tape
- Fabric marker or small pieces of tape for marking spacing
If you are new to lark's head knots, read the beginner's guide to macrame before starting. That post covers the foundational knot you will use to attach every cord in this project.
Understanding the Sunburst Design
The macrame sun wall art is built outward from a central ring. Every cord attaches to the ring with a lark's head knot, and the two hanging tails become one ray of the sun. The more consistently you space those knots, the more evenly the sunburst radiates.
The look of the finished piece depends on two decisions you make at the start:
- Cord thickness — 4mm gives a medium-density ray pattern. Use 3mm for lighter, more delicate rays, or 5mm for a bold, chunky sun.
- Fringe length — longer cords create longer rays. Cut each cord about 4 to 5 times the finished ray length you want. For rays extending 6 inches beyond the ring, cut cords around 50 to 60 cm.
Once you understand those two levers, you can scale this design up or down freely.
Step 1: Mark Even Spacing on the Ring
Lay the ring on a flat surface. Use a fabric marker or small pieces of tape to divide the ring into equal sections all the way around. For a 12-inch ring, aim for 24 to 30 sections — that gives you one knot group per section and keeps the rays radiating symmetrically.
Even spacing is the single thing that separates a professional-looking sun from a lopsided one. Take two minutes here and it pays off for the rest of the project.
Step 2: Wrap the Ring
Cut a long length of cord and wrap it tightly around the entire ring until the metal is fully covered. Tuck both ends under the wrapping to secure, or use a lark's head knot to start and finish. A fully wrapped ring gives every subsequent lark's head knot a better grip and covers the metal cleanly.
You can use the same 4mm cord for wrapping, or wrap in a slightly thinner cord like 2mm for a tidier base. Either approach works.
Step 3: Cut Your Fringe Cords
Cut all your fringe cords to the same length before you begin knotting. For a standard 12-inch ring with rays extending beyond the ring, 50 to 60 cm per cord is a good starting point. You will trim them to shape later, so it is better to cut a little long than too short.
For a full, lush sunburst, plan on 60 to 80 cords depending on thickness. With 4mm cord, 70 cords gives a well-filled look. With 5mm, 60 is usually enough.
Step 4: Attach Cords with Lark's Head Knots
Fold each cord in half and loop it onto the ring using a lark's head knot — pull the folded end through the ring from front to back, then pull both cord tails through the loop and tighten. Work evenly around the full circle, placing knots at your spacing marks.
Go slowly and check periodically that you have not drifted off your marks. If a section looks crowded or sparse, adjust the surrounding knots slightly before continuing.
For a deeper look at the lark's head knot and its variations, see the lark's head knot variations guide — it shows reverse lark's head and picot options that can add extra detail to the ring edge.
Step 5: Trim the Rays to a Sunburst Shape
Once all cords are attached, hold the ring up and look at the silhouette. For a classic sun, trim the cords so the rays are roughly even all the way around — this creates a full circle sun. For a more stylized look, trim the rays longer at the bottom and shorter at the top, suggesting a rising sun.
Use sharp scissors and make clean, single cuts rather than sawing. A rotary cutter and cutting mat can speed this up if you have one. Do your rough trim now, before brushing — you will do a final clean-up trim after the fringe is fully brushed out.
Step 6: Untwist and Brush the Fringe
This is the step that transforms the project from cords on a ring into actual sun rays. Work section by section around the ring:
- Untwist each cord end completely with your fingers — pull the plies apart until the cord is fully separated.
- Brush firmly with the stainless steel fringe comb in short, downward strokes.
- Repeat until the section is fully fluffy and airy.
Single-strand cord brushes out very easily. Move on to the next section and repeat until the entire ring is brushed. This step takes about 20 to 30 minutes for a 12-inch ring and is meditative once you get into a rhythm.
For tips on getting an even fringe texture, the macrame wall hanging ideas post covers fringe finishing techniques that apply here as well.
Step 7: Final Shaping and Trimming
Hold the finished piece at arm's length. Check whether the sun silhouette looks balanced. Trim any stray or uneven strands to clean up the outline. Small corrections here make a significant difference in the final look — a clean trim line reads as intentional, while a ragged edge looks unfinished.
For a crisp pointed-tip effect, gather small bundles of brushed fringe and trim them to a slight V-shape rather than cutting straight across.
Step 8: Add a Hanging Loop
Loop a short cord length around the top of the ring and knot it securely, leaving a loop for a nail or hook. Alternatively, clip on a pair of S-Hook Rings for a clean, adjustable hang — S-hooks let you level the piece precisely without re-knotting.
Check that the piece sits level before mounting. Stand back and view from across the room, as minor tilt is easier to catch at a distance.
Design Variations
Once you are comfortable with the basic construction, there are several ways to push the design further:
Two-tone sun — Wrap the ring in a contrasting color (try natural cord on a wrapped ring, or wrap in a warm cream before attaching natural rays). The contrast between the ring color and the ray color adds visual depth.
Layered ring — Attach a smaller ring inside the large ring using cord bridges, then attach shorter fringe to the inner ring. This creates a sun with a distinct core circle, which reads as a more detailed, artistic piece.
Gathered rays — After brushing, divide the fringe into sections and bind each section at the base with a half-hitch knot. This creates individual defined rays rather than a fully open fringe halo.
Mixed texture — Alternate sections of brushed fringe with sections of left-as-knotted cord tails. The contrast between fluffy and structured adds rhythm to the sunburst.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Skipping the ring wrap — Unwrapped metal is slippery. Lark's head knots slide and bunch together, making it nearly impossible to maintain even spacing. Always wrap first.
Not marking spacing before you start — It is very difficult to fix uneven ray distribution once cords are knotted on. The marks take two minutes and save you from having to re-do the whole ring.
Under-brushing — Many people stop brushing when the fringe looks "good enough." Keep brushing. The transformation from passable to genuinely fluffy takes longer than expected and is worth the effort.
Skipping the final trim — Brushed fringe always reveals stray strands that were hidden when the cord was twisted. A quick clean-up trim after brushing is what makes the finished piece look polished.
What's Next
The sunburst technique works well as a standalone statement piece, but the same principles apply to other ring-based projects. Check out the macrame dreamcatcher tutorial for another ring-centered design, or visit the macrame wall hanging ideas post for more inspiration on where to take your wall art practice next.
