Whether it’s for a wedding, a bridal shower or a baby shower, personalized wire hangers can make gifts and occasions even more special. Many brides are using them for pre-wedding dress photos, but they make equally charming gifts for new moms. Hangers personalized with names are available for purchase on Etsy, but if you have a few spare hours and want to save some money, try doing it yourself.
Start by buying some 14 gauge wire. If you want to save even more money, grab some coupons to your local craft store. You’ll also need to pick up some needle nose pliers and wire cutters if you don’t already own them. Run by the craft store and search for some pretty ribbon that you’ll tie around the wire hanger’s top.
When you first lay out your wire, leave about 75 inches from where you begin to form the letters. For shorter names, you can get by with less. Don’t forget to leave a significant space straight across the bottom so your letters don’t encroach on your garment’s space.
Set it next to a regular hanger, and begin about a third of the way in. Realizing that you only have about a third of the hanger to form your letters, measure out your remaining space and divide it by the number of letters in the name. While you don’t have to exactly measure each letter’s size, keep the general size in mind when forming them. Some letters will take more space than others, but be consistent in your approach.
If you’re making a hanger for a baby shower, use a small hanger as your guide. If you bought the expectant mother a set of baby clothes, you can also use those as a guide to the size.
Take a minute to write down all the letters of the name or word you’re spelling. It seems obvious how to spell “Katherine” now, but after you’ve spent awhile forming letters you can sometimes forget one.
When forming the words, use a small shot glass or toothpick holder to make perfect circles. You can also use a rolled up wash cloth to make less-than-perfect circles with an adjustable size. Twist the words using your needle nose pliers to get more exact shapes.
Once your word or name has been crafted, bring up the other two-thirds of the wire and make a triangle with it. About halfway up the sides, create a small indent with the wire that’s large enough to catch the garment’s shoulders and hold it in place.
At the tip of the triangle, bring one side of the wire up and wrap the other side around it four times. Clip the end of the twisted piece with your wire cutters.
Bring the remaining wire up and form a question mark shape. Cut it slightly longer than you would want it, and bring the end piece back up to avoid having an exposed sharp edge on your personalized wire hanger.
To add a little more personality, consider adding a bow. If the personalized hanger is for baby clothes, use ribbon that complements the colors in the outfit. If it’s for a wedding or shower present, use the bride’s wedding colors if possible or a cream color.
This surely looks so fun to create.. Love to try it out! flikkit
Lovely, thank you