How to Make a Hanging Purse Holder

Most women have a purse for casual times, a semi-formal purse, a small clutch, and other designs. Before you know it you can have dozens of the bags laying around everywhere. If you have half a dozen or so purses, it’s time to make a purse organizer. They’re very simple to make and cost little.

Measure from your closet floor to the hanger bar then double that measurement. Purchase a piece of plastic that is at least twice as long as your measurement. The width doesn’t have to be wide at all – about the width of a coat hanger or slightly wider. Clear plastic is fine but colored plastic is more attractive. Look for these plastics at home improvement or crafting stores.

Cut the piece of fabric to the size of the measurement you took and the width of a strong coat hanger. Fold the plastic in half and lay it on a table. You will make pockets that go down the length of the plastic, then you’ll flip the plastic over and make pockets that go down the opposite side.

Cut pieces of plastic for pockets. Depending upon your purse assortment, you’ll want to make pockets of different sizes. One way to decide on the size of the pockets is to measure the plastic from the hanger to the floor and remove five inches from that measurement. Divide this final measurement up into three or four pockets. For example, if the measurement from hanger to floor is 25″, and you subtract 6″, you’ll have 20″ left. Cut one 8″ pocket, one 5″ pocket and two 3″ pockets. You could also make one 9″ pocket, a 6″ pocket and one 4″ pocket. Make the pocket sizes according to your own needs.

After cutting the pockets out, use nylon thread to stitch 4″ seam binding tape to three sides of the pocket. You can use narrower seam binding tape for smaller pockets. Now sew the opposite side of the binding tape to the major plastic piece. The best way to make sure the pockets are aligned correctly is to lay them all on the plastic base then draw around each one. This way you can tell if you have them centered. The binding tape serves to make the pocket stretch out and accommodate the purses.

Allow an inch or two of space between each pocket. Start with large pockets towards the bottom of the hanger then, as you go upwards, make pockets smaller. To allow for even more purses hang an “S” hook on each end of the coat hanger. You can wrap a strip of saran wrap around the hook to make sure it stays on the hanger. Hang purses with long straps on the “S” hooks.

You can make the purse hanger look a little more attractive by using half-inch binding tape on the edges of the main plastic piece. You can also decorate the hanger with satin bows and ribbons, lace, and other notions.