A good friend of mine was about to have her baby and, instead of buying a pre-made gift, I wanted to make something special.
Iβd seen a few different versions of hanging clothes rail hampers on Pinterest and immediately knew that this was something I just had to try.
This project was entirely based around the basket, found in TK Maxx, so thatβs where I started. I knew I wanted to incorporate dowels, so finding a basket with handles that would work with that concept was important.
This project was worth doing just to see some tiny clothes hanging in my workshop. Like, how adorable?! Letβs dive right in!
What you’ll need…
TOOLS:
MATERIALS:
- 20mm wooden dowels x 2 (for the side rails)
- 12mm wooden dowel x 1 (for the top rail)
- 18mm thick pine board (for the base)
- Basket
- Faux foliage
- Zip tie x 1 (to attach the foliage)
- Wood glue
- Baby clothes hangers
Place the basket on the pine board and work out roughly how big you want the base to be. Once youβve done that, mark it out with a pencil so you have a guide to cut along. Since my basket was oval shaped, I wanted the base to be oval too.
Clamp the pine board down and cut the shape out using the jigsaw. A light sand will get rid of any leftover pencil marks and rough edges (it also helps refine the shape of the oval if youβve not got much of a steady hand!)
Now, itβs time to cut the dowels down to size. This will depend entirely on a few things β the height of your basket and the size of clothes youβll be hanging on the rail.
I figured this out completely by eye, holding the little clothes up above the basket and taking note of roughly how much space I would need, so that they wouldnβt be crumpled too much into the basket when itβs full. Donβt forget to account for the height of the clothes hangers!
When all three dowels are cut to size, the next step is to cut U-shaped notches out of one end of both of the thicker wooden dowels. This will allow the thinner wooden dowel to sit snugly on top, and that will be where the tiny clothes hang from!
To do this, I clamped the dowel and a piece of scrap plywood to my work surface and cut small notches at a time with my jigsaw. The piece of scrap plywood was roughly the same thickness as the dowel, so it allowed me to keep the jigsaw level while also holding the dowel in place as I cut.
My cuts were roughly 6mm deep so that the 12mm top rail would sit halfway in.
When youβve cut all of the notches away, give the U-shapes a sand to get rid of any rough edges. This also makes it look more polished.
Next, decide where you want the side rails to be placed. I did this by dry-fitting them through the basket handles and marking where the dowels met the base.
Use a Forstner or spade bit the same diameter as the thicker dowels and drill about halfway through the board.
Vacuum up any sawdust residue and pop some wood glue into the holes. Place a thick dowel into each of the holes, making sure that the U-shapes are aligned with each other for when you place the rail on top, and let the glue dry completely.
At this time, itβs probably best to protect or stain the piece to your preferred colour, as it might become a bit messy when the basket is added.
I wanted to maintain the light wood Scandi look because I knew it would fit nicely into my friendsβ nursery, so I used my favourite βno finish finishβ, Blanchon Original Wood Environment in Bare Timber.
When the finish has cured, pop the basket handles over the side dowels. Add a dash of wood glue to the U-shapes at the top, fit the thinner top rail into place and secure with some masking tape. This will add some pressure while the glue dries and give you a stronger hold.
Lastly, grab your faux foliage and zip tie it to one of the top corners and you’re done!
The only thing left to do is fill the rail with tiny clothes and put some goodies like socks, muslins and bibs in the basket.
I hope this post inspired you to try making your own hamper! If you do, I’d love to see it β tag me on Instagram!