Wastenot Wall Hangers

 Waste Not, Want Not Hangers

So, you cannot bear to throw out your wool scraps and selvedges?
Join the club.

All those baskets of selvedges will not go to waste.  To make primitive-style hangers which you won't be ashamed to hang on your peg racks, just follow these simple instructions.

1.  Use plain wooden hangers such as those shown above.
2.  Cut two pieces of your selvedge wool, each about 3" long, for the ends of each hanger.  Using a heavy-duty stapler, staple them over each end to cover.  I found that not all hangers are the same density of wood; some are harder than others, but I was able to staple into all of them adequately.
3.  After "dressing" the two ends of the hanger, start wrapping, elastic bandage style, across the hanger.  When you come to the end of a strip, simply overlap with another strip and keep going.  Pull strips tightly.  You will need about 120" of strips, more or less.
4.  When you get to the other end, cut the final strip and turn under about 1/4" and overcast with thread of your choice.  I used both pearl cotton and overdyed wool thread, doubled.
5.  If, by some miracle, you do not have any saved selvedges, you can tear strips of felted wool about 3/4" wide and use the same way.  Of course, this is not so "Yankee."

You will have to exercise good judgement about colors of wool to use.  Some are more colorfast than others.  Reds are notoriously troublesome for bleeding. 

Can you use cottons or other fabrics to do this?  Sure, but the wool works so well because not only is it stretchable but also pads the hangers at the same time.  Plus, it's "free" if you use what would have been tossed out, anyway. 

These make great little gifts for your "prim" friends.    Have fun.