DIY bag hanger
After storing my precious handbags in a big plastic box and getting them wrinkled up all the time, I thought to myself: "There must be a better way to store my bags". Online, I found the jokari purse rack, which allows you to hang all your bags up against a door. It is quite difficult to buy this from where I live. That's why, I figured out a way to make one myself. It was easier than I thought and this was the result of one afternoon.
Note: I got some questions about how to determine whether a ribbon is sturdy enough. Mine is just a normal cotton ribbon, but ribbons that are similar to the adjustable ribbons on backpacks are better. If you cannot find those, just make sure that the surface of the cotton ribbon has many weaved patterns, so do not look for ribbons with a smooth surface (especially not the satin ones!).
The total length of the ribbon depends on how high your (closet) door is, on which you decide to hang your bags. In my case, I used a roll of 6 meters of ribbon with cute purple and white stripes.
- 2 large hooks that can be hung over the door.
- 12 smaller s-shaped hooks. I bought them at the Xenos, a Dutch store.
- 2 small rings. I used two key chain rings that I did not need anymore.
- 12 larger round rings. Because I looked around the house to find the materials for this impromptu project, I used curtain rings from IKEA that is not going to be used anymore.
- needle and thread. I choose a dark purple thread to go with the colors of my ribbon, but you could also choose to take contrasting colors.
2. Pull on one side to make sure that it sticks out a little bit more than the other end, about 6-7 cm. This longer end provides the extra fabric necessary to make 6 loops to hold the rings, which will be explained later.
3. The longer side is going to be the front side of the bag hanger, so keep this in mind. Use one hand to hold the fold in the ribbon.
4. Take one small ring (the key chain ring in my case) with your other hand and pull it though the ribbon until it hits the fold. Use needle and thread to sew it up so that the ring cannot move anymore. (This is the first sew line in the picture, counted from the top)
5. Sew the two ends of the ribbon together again, 2 cm underneath the first sew line made in step 4. This represents the second horizontal sew line in the picture.
6. Now take one of the 12 larger round rings (curtain rings in my case) and take it through the ribbon end that is lying on top (the longer end). The ring will hit the second sew line, making it unable to move further.
7. Sew the ring tight, right under the loop that is created by the ring (which takes up about 1 cm of ribbon). This represents the third sew line in the picture. Then you make a cross stitch and end with another sew line (the last and the fourth horizontal line in the picture). Remember that this should be done in a way that the two loose ends of the ribbon are attached to each other and practically become one ribbon.
8. Take 6 cm distance between the loops and continue sewing the rings in, in the same way as in step 5, 6, and 7 until you have made 6 loops in total. Each hanger can then hold six purses. The distance can be changed according to your preferences. For instance, have a shorter distance for hanging up smaller bags or hats at the top and a longer distance to hang the larger bags at the lower end of the hanger.
9. At the end of the hanger, there might be some extra fabric. This can be cut off to make both ends even and you can sew the ends together to make it neater.
10. Now take the large door hook and put it over the door. Hang the hanger you just made on it by putting the key chain ring on the door hook.
11. Take 6 of the smaller s-shaped hooks and hang them on the 6 round rings sewn on the ribbon.
12. Repeat the previous steps to make another hanger.
13. After everything is done, you can finally hang your bags on the two hangers.
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The things you need:
- A long ribbon with a width of at least 2 cm and it has to be sturdy enough in order to hold the weight of multiple bags.Note: I got some questions about how to determine whether a ribbon is sturdy enough. Mine is just a normal cotton ribbon, but ribbons that are similar to the adjustable ribbons on backpacks are better. If you cannot find those, just make sure that the surface of the cotton ribbon has many weaved patterns, so do not look for ribbons with a smooth surface (especially not the satin ones!).
The total length of the ribbon depends on how high your (closet) door is, on which you decide to hang your bags. In my case, I used a roll of 6 meters of ribbon with cute purple and white stripes.
- 2 large hooks that can be hung over the door.
- 12 smaller s-shaped hooks. I bought them at the Xenos, a Dutch store.
 |
| S-shaped hooks |
- 12 larger round rings. Because I looked around the house to find the materials for this impromptu project, I used curtain rings from IKEA that is not going to be used anymore.
- needle and thread. I choose a dark purple thread to go with the colors of my ribbon, but you could also choose to take contrasting colors.
The steps to make two bag hangers:
1. Cut the 6 m. of ribbon in two to get two separate ribbons of 3 m. long. Each piece of ribbon will be turned into one hanger. You can leave one piece of ribbon aside for now: it will be used to make the second hanger later, which will be done in the same way as the first. So for now, take one piece of ribbon and fold it in half.2. Pull on one side to make sure that it sticks out a little bit more than the other end, about 6-7 cm. This longer end provides the extra fabric necessary to make 6 loops to hold the rings, which will be explained later.
3. The longer side is going to be the front side of the bag hanger, so keep this in mind. Use one hand to hold the fold in the ribbon.
4. Take one small ring (the key chain ring in my case) with your other hand and pull it though the ribbon until it hits the fold. Use needle and thread to sew it up so that the ring cannot move anymore. (This is the first sew line in the picture, counted from the top)
6. Now take one of the 12 larger round rings (curtain rings in my case) and take it through the ribbon end that is lying on top (the longer end). The ring will hit the second sew line, making it unable to move further.
7. Sew the ring tight, right under the loop that is created by the ring (which takes up about 1 cm of ribbon). This represents the third sew line in the picture. Then you make a cross stitch and end with another sew line (the last and the fourth horizontal line in the picture). Remember that this should be done in a way that the two loose ends of the ribbon are attached to each other and practically become one ribbon.
8. Take 6 cm distance between the loops and continue sewing the rings in, in the same way as in step 5, 6, and 7 until you have made 6 loops in total. Each hanger can then hold six purses. The distance can be changed according to your preferences. For instance, have a shorter distance for hanging up smaller bags or hats at the top and a longer distance to hang the larger bags at the lower end of the hanger.
9. At the end of the hanger, there might be some extra fabric. This can be cut off to make both ends even and you can sew the ends together to make it neater.
10. Now take the large door hook and put it over the door. Hang the hanger you just made on it by putting the key chain ring on the door hook.
11. Take 6 of the smaller s-shaped hooks and hang them on the 6 round rings sewn on the ribbon.
12. Repeat the previous steps to make another hanger.
13. After everything is done, you can finally hang your bags on the two hangers.
Have fun making it!
