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Wire hangers can indent your clothes over time, and we all know they don’t look particularly attractive. So why not use a rainy afternoon to make fabric-covered padded hangers for your wardrobe? It’s the perfect use for those gorgeous scraps of fabric that are too small to do much with, but just too good to throw away. And while padded hangers are traditionally associated with the blue-rinse set, they look remarkably fresh and modern when covered in funky fabric. Give a hanger as a gift, or use one to display a particularly special item of clothing on a wall.

You will need
Fabric, foam or wadding, timber clothes hanger, cotton thread, needle, scissors and ribbon (all available from craft supply stores).

1. Wrap a rectangular piece of wadding (or foam) around the wooden part
   of your hanger, tucking in the ends neatly. Use needle and thread to secure the wadding in place. Cut fabric into a 16 x 33cm rectangle... read on below advertisment
   
   
   
   with the template below. Fold right sides of fabric together lengthways and cut a scallop shape from each end. 


2. Keeping fabric right sides together, stitch at both ends, allowing a 1cm seam, and leaving the long side open – this is where the hanger is inserted. Turn fabric right-side out and fold and iron a 1cm seam along the longest side. Place hanger in fabric and sew with a decorative stitch to enclose. Tie a ribbon at the top to finish.
   
   Coat hanger template (pdf)

Production and styling: Angela Haughton. Photography: Sam McAdam.