The Macramé Tree

This is how I would make a macramé tree using this picture as a guide:

Select the cord. Find cotton twine or cord from a knitting or weaving shop. Find your old box of beads and select as many as you count here, or more or less. I'd be inclined to disassemble some old jewelry and use those beads.

The coarser the twine the more realistic the look as bark, but the harder on your hands. Birch trees have lovely smooth bark, like a good cord.

Find a hoop. I estimate the twine lengths as 4 times the diameter of the hoop. 

Elmer's glue. Small binder clips or clothes pins, to hold unfastened twine ends.

Draw a sketch of your tree and branches. The number of branches are the number of twine lengths to cut. Fold each in half and set aside, with the beads. Wind from the cut ends to the fold, into a neat ball.

This hoop is wrapped over and over with the twine. Start by wrapping a whole lot of cord on a bobbin or thread card, for ease of handling.

Use a dab of Elmer's to fasten the end of the twine to the hoop. When it is dry, begin wrapping the twine around the hoop, packing it firmly as you go. Glue down the finish end. Consider this the top point. There is a hanging cord here.

Now set the branches. This tree has branches spaced around half the diameter. That makes a nice bower of branches. 

Set each branch by putting the the folded and balled twine branch around the hoop, passing the rolled ball through the half way fold and pulling snug. This tree has half its branches on each side of the hanging cord.

At this point hang the hoop somewhere sturdy, like a towel holder or curtain rod. All the floating twine branches should be accessible for ease of working. 

Slide beads on one strand of the twine, according to your sketch. Twist the cord before and after the bead to hold it in place. Roll the twine in your fingers, or pass it front to back to front to back. Follow your sketch or the picture to determine when and where to braid.

When the braided trunk reaches the bottom of the hoop, begin tying off the twine. Begin with the middle twine and work to the end.

Wrap the twine once around the hoop, once around itself, pulling the end through and snugging up. When all is to your satisfaction, put a drop of glue on each knot.

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This is how I would go about making the tree hoop. Please feel free to post this anywhere you want, add instructions or instructional drawings, but not attributed to me. Have fun.