Padded Hangers — Handmade Gifts

Have someone on your list that is hard to buy for? has everything?

Are padded hangers just too pricey? Do they take up too much unnecessary room in your closet?

Do you like to make gifts for people? quick ones at that!

Well here you go!


You'll need a sturdy metal hanger and some leftover yarn. You can buy some new yarn if you want, but leftover works just fine. You can also use the metal dry cleaner hangers if you have some and they aren't the flimsy ones, but we have some inexpensive metal hangers we purchased at Wal-Mart in a package of 10 or 12 that are sturdy. You just don't want them to be the flimsy kind. You want them to have some substance, kind of like the difference between delicate china and sturdy stoneware.

I only had to use one of these leftover balls, and I still didn't have to use all of it.


Tie a knot at the top to start, and then tie a second knot. When you are tying the second knot, wrap the yarn through twice instead of just once before you tighten it. That makes the knot stronger. I'll be showing you pictures at the end when I finish off the hanger what I mean.


Start with the yarn over the hanger forming a loop above it.


Take your ball of yarn under the hanger and bring it through your loop.

Gently pull your yarn and tighten it around the hanger.

Pull your yarn until it's tight and the knot is at the top of the hanger. Don't pull too tightly, especially if you have a woven yarn like I was using, or you'll break it.

Now you're ready to do it again. Make your loop above the hanger and put your ball in the middle.

Bring the ball under and through.

Tighten.

This is after 10 knots.

Here's where I broke my yarn from pulling too tight.

I tied the yarn on and started back up.

You'll need to push it together every so often as you go along, otherwise it will be too loose and you'll have gaps when you finish. The big old knot you see is where I tied the yarn pieces together, but I kind of rolled it under and made it disappear when I was finished.

Here is the end. I cut the yarn so I could tie it to my original piece I left from the original knot.

Then I tied two knots, and I'm going to show you how to tie it once, but just know I did it again.

Get ready to tie it like you begin to tie a shoelace.

Tie the longer one over and through the shorter one, but don't tighten it yet.

Now wrap it through (or around if you will) one more time.

Now tighten it.

Do it one more time for good measure, cut off your excess string, and you're done.

Think of all the pretty colors you could make, or all the festive hangers, or you could even color-coordinate with your clothes.

Just don't ask me what I do.

This post is linked to I Am Blissfully Domestic.