The Hanger Games

Are you constantly doing battle for space with odds and ends of fabric and holey hosiery that you’re keeping “just in case”? Are your jackets and tops getting all stretched out of shape around the shoulders from their fight to survive on horrible wire hangers? Sounds like it’s time you joined in the Hanger Games…

Recently my next door neighbour moved to a much smaller property and had to get rid of a lot of her stuff*, these vintage travel coat hangers included.

This sudden influx of hangers reminded me of this post which I saved in Pinterest ages ago, but rather than wanting to make my wardrobe look pretty (which is going to take a lot more than just some muslin wrapped around wire coat hangers!), the point of the project in today’s post was to 1) use up some fabric scraps and 2) create some padding and grip so that my clothes don’t slip off the hangers and aren’t pulled out of shape either.

I experimented with some scraps of printed cotton from which I recently made a dress…

They turned out OK but I found that old stockings, socks or long scraps of knit fabric are actually the best thing to use as they are stretchy and soft and don’t fray.

First of all, cut the stocking legs apart so you are using one leg for each side of the hanger. Then poke the toe through one end, fold the fabric over to cover the end and start wrapping.

Pull the stocking quite firmly as you go so that the hanger is wrapped securely. When you get halfway up the frame, double back towards the end to cover the initial layer.

When you’re at the end of the hanger again, simply pull the stocking taut so it’s jammed between the wrapped bendy section and the lower part of the frame.  It won’t unravel unless you pull it out again.

Super easy! If you prefer to use woven fabric, you can use a long strip and wrap the hanger in the same way as above, but to keep it from unravelling, knot the end of the fabric and pull it so it jams into the bendy section. 

If you prefer, you can spread glue on the hanger before you wrap so the fabric stays in place even more securely, but if you wind the fabric firmly there’s probably no need.

Here are the hangers I wrapped in my stashbusting quest, sitting quite peacefully side by side in my wardrobe for now…

It goes without saying that if you want to join the Hanger Games**, you have my sworn support. May the odds (and ends!) be ever in your favour!

 

*Apart from the free hangers, I bought quite a few things from my neighbour’s garage sale. Check them out here, here, here and here.

**If you liked this pun, you might like this hyper-local one too.