Tutorial: How to make a padded hanger

Do you know about those delicate and unbelieveable stylish padded hangers they have in some lingerie boutiques? They look so much better than the ordinary wooden or wired ones, not to mention they keep the shape of your favourite blouses and dresses without creases or bumps. I have always wanted to make my own and I tought this would be a good opportunity for a new tutorial.

You will need:

• Wooden rounded coat hangers
• Batting
• Fabric of your choice (I used cotton, but you could go with satin or canvas too)
• Ribbon, bias tape or lace
• Scissors
• Needle and thread
• Sewing machine (optional)
• Fabric marker
• Pins

The first step is to unscrew the hook from the wooden part. Then, cut a long strip of batting 5-6 cm wide and wrap it snugly and evenly around the wooden hanger. You might want to glue or stitch the batting in place. Depending on how thick your batting is and how padded you want your hanger to be, you can repeat this step until you get the deisre padded-ness. Remeber to mark the place where the hole for the hook is, or you will spend ages later on trying to figure it out

After completing this step, you have to determine how much fabric you need for sewing your “cover”. This will also depend on how much batting you have used and how thick your hanger is now. I figured out that the best way to do this is to fold your fabric in two (right sides together), lay your hanger on top and loosely trace the outline on the wrong side of the fabric. I used my magic dissapearing marker for this but you could also use sewing chalk or a pencil. Just remember you also need some seam allowance, so please don’t trace too close to the outline.

When you are sure that the outline is correct, cut it out. Keep in mind: measure twice, cut once. Afterwards, pin the two cutouts together and try it on your padded hanger. It should fit snugly on the batting covered hanger.

Now it’s the time to sew your fabric cover together, right sides in. You can do this by hand or you could use a sewing machine. Remember you marked the spot where the hook goes in? Leave a 1-2 cm (less if you trust your marking to be absolutely accurate) opening in your sewing in that precise spot, so that late you can fit the hook through (see picture below). You will also need to leave one end open to insert the hanger.

In the end, all you’ll have to do is close the opening on one end using a slip stitch. If you wish, you can wrap in the end a piece of ribbon or lace to mask that little hole the hook goes through.

And ta-daaah! You now have your own padded coat hanger. Use them to showcase a particulary cute dress, do lots of coordinated ones for your whole wardrobe or make some as gift for your BFFs. Have fun!

Source: www.scottsofstow.co.uk