Fabric Wrapped Clothes Hangers

This is part 3 of 3 in a series of covering various things in my life in fabric for various reasons. Click here for part 1 (my journal) and here for part 2 (an old sewing box)!

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I love these hangers - they check a lot of boxes for me! They are:

• sustainable
• affordable
• effective
• customizable

Here's how I make them!

The Why

Way way back, about 11 years ago, I was finally the proud owner of a closet for the first time as an adult. None of my college apartment bedrooms had closets, and I was very excited to have a place to hang my dresses and things.

I was just out of college and working at a coffee shop, so I found myself rich in creativity but not in coin. So I went to the dry cleaners on the corner and asked if they had hangers to spare. The nice woman behind the counter handed me a giant stack of hangers, and I proudly took home my bounty.

Before starting to use said wire hangers, I didn't understand why people would buy hangers when free ones are seemingly multiplying - like the opposite of socks disappearing - everywhere you go. But once I started using them, I quickly realized why wire hangers suck. They obviously aren't super strong, but that wasn't the primary issue for me. The main problem was that they were so slippery and my clothes were constantly and consistently falling off.

So I decided to do what I could with what I had. I ripped thin strips of fabric and carefully wrapped each hanger, strategically securing the fabric with Elmer's craft glue. I even wound the fabric thicker at one point on either side of each hanger to create even more grip and allow items with thin straps to have something to cling to.

These worked SO well. I was shocked and proud at how effective and adorable they turned out! Just recently a few of them started to unravel, but I think after a decade that isn't too bad!

I now have a much bigger closet and frankly, way too many clothing items, and I have outgrown the initial batch of hangers. Over the years, I have accumulated an armful of plastic hangers and I decided it was time to bring them up to speed and make them cute like the first batch. (Honestly, where did these all come from?! I literally have never purchased a hanger in my life!)

The Supplies

This supply list is so very brief! You don't need much.

Plastic or wire hangers

They don't need to match, not even a little. Whatever you have or can find for free (aka, saved from a landfill!) will work beautifully.

Glue

I used hot glue this round, but I'm fairly certain that I used Elmer's craft glue on the 2013 batch.

Fabric Scissors

I LOVE my Ginghers, but these are a fabulous affordable option.

Fabric

I recommend non-slippery fabrics such as cotton or linen. Second-hand is best, even if that means cutting up an old shirt!

The How

Cut or tear (depending on the type) your fabric into approximately 1/2" strips. Glue the end of the strip anywhere on the hanger at a slight angle and start wrapping.

I recommend strips that are about 10"-12" long. That way, you can wrap without dealing with a long tail of fabric that will get tangled and annoy you. I like to overlap the fabric as little as possible when wrapping to minimize the amount of fabric needed, and I make sure to add glue to any curved sections and to both ends of each strip.

How much length you need total per hanger depends on many factors. I had a huge range while doing this batch - the hanger that took the least needed 73" of fabric and the one that needed the most was 109". Because of this huge variation, I would suggest making a bunch of strips to start, and making more as needed rather than measuring out ahead of time.

Let them dry, cut off any stray threads, and you're good to go!

To Sum Up

I love that they are clearly a set but not completely identical. I love that my clothes aren't likely to slide off anytime soon. I like that this project cost me $0.00 (because I already had all the supplies, including the hangers!), and I love that they have personality, which feels special to bring to something as mundane as a hanger. Hopefully, this batch will last another decade!

I hope you have a beautiful rest of your day and thank you so much for being here! If you haven't yet, please check out part 1 (my journal!) here, and part 2 (a sewing box!).

💖, Katrina

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