DIY Crochet Fall Leaf & Acorn Wall Hanging | Boho Autumn Home Decor on a Birch Branch

There is something quietly magical about autumn that no other season quite manages to replicate. The way the light shifts to something amber and slow, the crunch underfoot, the deep satisfaction of pulling a blanket tighter around your shoulders — it all invites a certain kind of nesting instinct. If you are a crocheter, that instinct almost certainly translates into wanting to fill your home with handmade things that echo the season. And honestly, nothing does that better than a boho fall wall hanging made with crochet leaves, little acorns, and a beautiful piece of birch branch as your hanger.

This project is one of my absolute favorites to make in late summer and early autumn. It is beginner-friendly enough that someone who has only recently learned to single and double crochet will feel confident finishing it, but there is enough texture and variety in the design that seasoned crocheters will find it genuinely enjoyable too. You end up with something that looks like it belongs in a carefully curated Etsy shop — warm, organic, handcrafted, and deeply personal.

Let me walk you through everything: the materials you will need, the stitches involved, each component step by step, and how to assemble the whole piece into something you will want to hang on your wall every single year.

Why This Wall Hanging Works So Well as Autumn Decor

Before we get into the how, let me tell you a little about the why, because understanding what makes this piece work will help you make better choices as you go.

The combination of crochet and natural materials is the heart of the boho aesthetic. A birch branch is not just a hanger — it is a design element. Its white bark and subtle dark markings bring a wild, foraged quality to the finished piece that you simply cannot replicate with a dowel rod from a craft store. If you can find one in your backyard or on a walk through the woods, even better. That provenance becomes part of the story of the piece.

The leaves and acorns themselves are worked in classic autumn tones — burnt oranges, deep reds, mustard yellows, warm browns, and touches of cream. You are essentially bringing the outside in, but in a way that is soft and tactile and cozy rather than muddy or scraggly. Yarn adds warmth to a color palette that can sometimes read as cold in other mediums.

The length and layering of the design give it movement. When a gentle draft catches it, the leaves sway almost as if they are still on the tree. That quality of life and movement is what elevates a wall hanging from flat decoration to something that genuinely changes the energy of a room.

Materials You Will Need

Gathering your supplies before you sit down to crochet makes the whole experience more enjoyable. Here is what you will need for this project.

For yarn, choose worsted weight in a selection of autumn colors. I like to use at least five colors: a burnt orange, a deep rust or brick red, a golden mustard, a warm brown, and a natural cream or off-white. You do not need large quantities of any of these — a single skein of each will give you far more than enough. Some of my favorite yarns for this kind of project are Lion Brand Pound of Love in the neutral tones, Paintbox Simply DK for the brighter shades, and any rustic or slightly textured yarn you love the feel of. The texture of your yarn will show up beautifully in the finished leaves and acorns.

For your hook, a size 5mm (H/8) hook works well with worsted weight yarn. If you tend to crochet tightly, go up half a size.

You will also need a birch branch approximately 18 to 24 inches long. It should be dry — either foraged and dried for a few weeks, or purchased from a craft store or florist. The branch does not need to be perfectly straight. A slight curve or fork gives it character. Aim for a diameter of about half an inch to an inch so it has enough visual weight to anchor the design.

Additional supplies include a tapestry needle for weaving in ends, scissors, a length of sturdy twine or jute cord for hanging the finished piece, and a few pins or clips if you want to block your leaves flat before assembly. Stitch markers are optional but helpful if you are new to crocheting in the round.

The Crochet Stitches You Need to Know

If you can chain, single crochet, double crochet, slip stitch, and do a basic increase, you have every stitch this project requires. Here is a quick refresher on each.

A chain stitch is your foundation. You draw yarn through a loop on your hook. Easy.

A single crochet is the tightest and most compact stitch. You insert your hook, pull up a loop, then pull yarn through both loops on the hook.

A double crochet is taller. Yarn over before inserting the hook, pull up a loop, yarn through two loops, yarn through the remaining two loops.

A slip stitch is used to join rounds or move your hook without adding height. Insert the hook, pull yarn through the stitch and through the loop on your hook in one motion.

An increase simply means working two stitches into the same stitch to add width.

All the leaves and acorns in this project use these basics. Nothing more advanced is required.

Crocheting the Autumn Leaves

The leaves are the stars of this wall hanging. You will want to make a variety of sizes — some small, some medium, and a few larger ones — to give the finished piece a natural, layered feel. Plan on making somewhere between fifteen and twenty-five leaves total depending on how full you want your hanging to be.

Small Leaf Pattern

Chain 10. Starting in the second chain from the hook: single crochet 1, half double crochet 1, double crochet 3, half double crochet 1, single crochet 1, then work 3 single crochets into the last chain to curve around the tip. Now work back down the other side of the chain in mirror: single crochet 1, half double crochet 1, double crochet 3, half double crochet 1, single crochet 1. Join with a slip stitch to the first stitch. Fasten off and leave a long tail for attaching.

This gives you a simple, pointed oval leaf about 2.5 to 3 inches long. Work these in your lighter or brighter colors — golden yellow, bright orange, or cream.

Medium Leaf Pattern

Chain 14. Starting in the second chain from the hook: single crochet 1, half double crochet 2, double crochet 4, half double crochet 2, single crochet 2, then 3 single crochets into the tip. Mirror back: single crochet 2, half double crochet 2, double crochet 4, half double crochet 2, single crochet 1. Slip stitch to join, fasten off.

This leaf runs about 4 inches and has a slightly fuller shape. Use your mid-tones here — burnt orange, medium rust, warm brown.

Large Leaf with Veining Detail

Chain 16. Work the same structure as the medium leaf but extended by the additional chains. After fastening off and before weaving in your end, use the tail to embroider a simple center vein down the middle of the leaf using a straight stitch with your tapestry needle. You can add two or three small branch veins coming off the center for extra detail. This is optional but adds beautiful texture to the larger leaves. Use your deep rust or brick red for these.

A Note on Variation

Nature does not make uniform leaves, and neither should you. Feel free to go off-pattern slightly — add an extra double crochet here, skip a half double crochet there. Slightly irregular leaves look more organic and intentional in a finished wall hanging than perfectly identical ones. Embrace the variation.

If you want to give your leaves extra structure and a flatter, more pressed appearance, lightly block them before assembly. Pin them to a foam mat or blocking board, mist with water, and leave to dry. The difference in shape is noticeable and worth the extra time if you have it.

Crocheting the Acorns

The acorns are worked in two separate pieces — the cup and the nut — and then joined together. These are worked in the round and are the most three-dimensional part of the project.

Acorn Cup

Using brown yarn, make a magic ring and chain 1. Work 6 single crochets into the ring. Pull the ring closed. This is round 1.

Round 2: Work 2 single crochets into each stitch around — 12 stitches total.

Round 3: Work 1 single crochet into each stitch around — 12 stitches, no increase.

Round 4: Work a back-loop-only single crochet into each stitch. This creates a little ridge that mimics the textured cap of a real acorn. Slip stitch to join and fasten off. Leave a long tail.

For an extra textured cup, try working the entire cup in a moss stitch or seed stitch variation if you enjoy that look.

Acorn Nut

Using a contrasting color — cream, tan, or golden yellow — make a magic ring and chain 1. Work 6 single crochets into the ring. Pull closed.

Round 2: Increase in each stitch — 12 stitches.

Round 3: Work 1 single crochet, 1 increase, repeat around — 18 stitches.

Rounds 4 and 5: Work 1 single crochet into each stitch around — 18 stitches.

Round 6: Work 1 single crochet, 1 decrease, repeat around — 12 stitches. At this point, stuff the acorn lightly with a small amount of polyfill or a scrap of yarn to give it a round, plump shape.

Round 7: Work decreases around until you have 6 stitches. Slip stitch and fasten off, leaving a long tail.

Joining Cup to Nut

Hold the cup on top of the nut with the ridge facing out. Use your tapestry needle to sew the two pieces together by whip stitching through the edge of the cup and into the top round of the nut, working all the way around. Pull snugly so they sit together naturally.

Finally, for the stem: cut a length of brown yarn about 3 inches long, fold it in half, and use your hook to pull the folded loop through the top of the cup. Thread the ends through the loop and pull to secure, creating a little knotted stem. Trim to about half an inch. Alternatively, chain 4 or 5 in brown and fasten off to create a longer, dangling stem.

Make four to eight acorns in varying color combinations for the cup and nut.

Assembling the Wall Hanging

Now comes the part that feels like playing — arranging all your finished pieces and watching the wall hanging come together.

Lay your birch branch flat on a table. Cut lengths of yarn or jute cord in varying lengths — from about 6 inches to 20 inches. These will become the hanging strands from which you attach your leaves and acorns.

Fold each cord length in half and use a lark’s head knot to attach it to the branch. To make a lark’s head knot, fold the cord in half, lay the loop over the branch, then pull both ends up through the loop and tighten. Repeat with as many strands as you need — typically eight to fourteen strands across a 20-inch branch gives a pleasingly full result.

Now arrange your leaves and acorns along the strands. There is no wrong way to do this. A general principle that works well is to put larger, darker leaves toward the bottom of the longer strands and smaller, lighter or brighter leaves higher up and on shorter strands. This mimics the natural distribution of light and shadow in a real autumn tree. Scatter acorns throughout, particularly at the ends of shorter strands where they can hang and sway freely.

Use your tapestry needle to sew each leaf and acorn onto its strand securely. Weave the attachment tail through the strand a couple of times in addition to through the crochet piece itself to ensure nothing slides down over time.

Once everything is attached, step back and assess the composition. Does it feel balanced? You do not want perfect symmetry — a slightly asymmetrical arrangement looks more natural and interesting. But you also do not want everything clustered on one side. Move things around if needed, adding or removing strands and elements until it feels right to you.

For the hanging cord, cut a length of jute or twine about 24 inches long and tie each end to the outermost points of the branch, adjusting until the branch hangs level. You can add a second loop at the center for extra support if your branch is particularly heavy.

Styling Your Wall Hanging in Your Home

Where you hang this piece matters almost as much as how you make it. It shines in entryways, where it greets everyone who walks through the door with immediate warmth. It looks beautiful above a mantle, especially if you pair it with candles, dried orange slices, or a few pinecones on the shelf below. A bedroom wall, particularly above a headboard or in a reading nook, is another natural home for it — the organic textures are calming and cozy in a sleeping space.

Consider what is behind it. A white or cream wall lets the autumn colors sing. A dark accent wall — a deep teal, forest green, or charcoal — makes the warm oranges and yellows glow against the contrast. Natural wood walls or shiplap also look stunning with this kind of organic, handcrafted piece.

If you are styling for a social media photo, lean into the seasonality. A cup of tea or cider in the foreground, a folded plaid blanket nearby, natural light coming in from a window to one side — these details create the kind of atmospheric shot that feels genuinely inviting rather than staged.

Caring for Your Crochet Wall Hanging

Because this piece is decorative rather than functional, it does not need frequent washing. A gentle shake outside every few weeks keeps dust from accumulating. If it does need washing, hand wash gently in cool water with a small amount of wool wash or gentle dish soap, press out excess water in a towel without wringing, and reshape while damp. Lay flat to dry rather than hanging, which can stretch the pieces unevenly.

Store it loosely folded in a fabric bag or pillowcase between seasons rather than compressed in a plastic bin. Natural fibers breathe better than plastic allows, and the loose fold prevents permanent creasing.

Make It Your Own

One of the great pleasures of a project like this is how much room there is for personalization. You might add a few strands of fringe between the leafy strands using a neutral cream or tan yarn — this adds texture and length without competing with the leaves. Small dried flowers, seed pods, or even lightweight feathers can be woven into the piece before hanging. If you are comfortable with more advanced stitches, try making a small maple leaf using a free-form technique, or experiment with a bobble stitch textured leaf for contrast.

Color is where you can really express your aesthetic. A more muted, moody palette — dusty rose, sage, deep plum alongside the traditional rust and gold — leans more modern boho. A brighter palette reads more festive and traditional. Neither is wrong. Follow the colors that make your home feel most like itself.

You could also scale the project up significantly and make a very large, dramatic wall hanging for a statement wall — increase the branch length, multiply the number of leaves and acorns, and vary the strand lengths even more dramatically for a sweeping, almost curtain-like effect that would be genuinely breathtaking in a larger space.

There is something deeply satisfying about the combination of foraging a branch from the woods, sitting quietly with yarn and hook, and ending up with something beautiful hanging in your home. This wall hanging is that kind of project — slow, meditative, connected to the season, and entirely made by your own hands. Whether you are making it for yourself or as a gift for someone who loves autumn as much as you do, it carries that quality of care that only handmade things have.

I hope this tutorial gives you everything you need to get started. Get your yarn out, find yourself a lovely birch branch, and enjoy every stitch of it.