Thursday, 6 December 2012

How to Make an Ornament Display Hanger

I have a soft spot for vintage Christmas ornaments, but we don’t always put up a tree, so I try to come up with interesting ways to display them. Here is a wall hanging I made, using branches and twine.

It can be hung on the wall as I have done, or in a window or suspended from the ceiling. You could even make one for baby’s room, and hang it over the crib.

While I have shown it with my collection of delicate vintage red and gold ornaments, you can hang any collection of ornaments on it.

It is an easy way to bring a little festive decoration into any room in your home.

To Make an Ornament Display Hanger :

Supplies: Branches or dowels. Twine, yarn or thin ribbon. Crochet Hook (Optional). A bit of sticky tape.

Make a chain with the twine, by crocheting it if you have a hook. The stitches will come out more evenly using one however you can also do it by hand (as shown in the accompanying illustration). Then make a shorter chain, from which you will hang some of the ornaments. Leave ends of about 8 inches at either end of your chains, to use to tie them to the branches.

Mine are 150 stitches long (about 56 inches), and 60 stitches (about 22 inches). But the lengths will depend on the size you want yours, and the pieces of branch you will be using. Measure while you work. Note that if you make your chain too long, it can easily be made shorter by pulling on the end. Once you are happy with the lengths, bind off by passing the end through the last loop of the chain.

Tie the long chain to either end of the branch you will be using as your bottom piece. Then attach the second branch to the chain, tying it on with two 8 inch pieces of twine. Make sure to thread your twine right through one of the loops in the chain, so it doesn’t slip down. It might be easier to make it straight by hanging it on the wall while you measure where the second branch should go.

Then tie your shorter piece of chain at the same spots that you attached that second branch. To hide your ends, gather them together and tape together (like the end of a shoelace), and clip any ends dangling beyond the tape.

Hang it on a hook, and pull and stretch the chains so that the branches are straight.

Hide your hook with a ribbon bow, if desired.

To hang your ornaments, use wire hangers and slip the hook right into the chain, so they don’t slide around. Secure by pinching the wires shut, if your hanging will be placed in a spot where ornaments could otherwise fall off if jostled.

Hang some ornaments on the branches too, by bending wire ornament hangers to fit.