{diy} scrappy hangers

If you have a hubby like mine who works in the finance world, then you know a thing or two about dry cleaning and all that comes with it.  The wire hangers are out of control!  They’re great to bring his crisp clothes home, but once they get there, they just end up in a big box and forgotten.

The sad part is that you can’t recycle wire hangers and you shouldn’t throw them away, because they don’t break down and they pose a threat to local wildlife.  So, there are two things you can do with them… either use them at home, or return them to your dry cleaners for them to reuse.  My problem is that I don’t like uncoated wire hangers, because they can leave rust marks on your clothes, and I never remember to take them back to the dry cleaners.  Sheesh!

Well, the other day I realized that we didn’t have enough hangers in the house!  How could this be?!  We actually haven’t been shopping in a while.  I saw the box of dreadful, uncoated, hangers and thought, “I sure wish I knew how to crochet around the hangers like grandma used to.”  Then the light bulb… why don’t I use all of those fabric scraps and wrap them?!?!  To my amazement, they came out scrappy and lovely, so I thought I’d share just how easy it was with just a few supplies. 

• Wire hangers
• Fabric scraps (cut about 1 in wide and however long you want)
• Scissors
• Hot Glue gun and glue sticks

Once you have all of your supplies, simply cut your scraps into roughly 1 inch thick strips.  You can use your rotor blade and cut mat to cut them evenly, but I cut mine by hand.  I didn’t see a need for them to be perfectly straight and it adds character.

Then place a strip of hot glue along the tip of the hook and attach the end of your first strip of fabric.

Then you begin to wrap the fabric around the hanger, applying glue every 5-7 inches.  Keep the fabric tight, but not too tight.


Secure the tail end with some glue and you’re done!

Some of my scraps were shorter than others, so I just added then on where the last one left off and so on.  Then, if I didn’t have enough of one pattern to complete a full hanger, I just mixed and matched!  I found that the smaller your print or pattern, the better they look.

Bonus: The fabric is great for your little strappy dresses and tanks that never stay on the smooth hangers (the ones without the hooks, anyway).  So, not only are you reusing and saving the environment, you get to pretty up your closet with very functional style!

I hope you get a chance to try this, and if you do, let me know how it all turns out! ♥rl