How to Make a Homemade Hanging Shoe Organizer

Hanging shoe organizers are a useful tool for managing many things around the house, ranging from shoes to small toys to toiletries. Unfortunately, many of the hanging pocket organizers available are cheaply made and unattractive. Making your own hanging shoe organizers is not only easy, but it also allows you to coordinate with your home decor or just add a fun splash of color to your closet. You can customize them to meet your storage and organization needs.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Tape Measure Heavy duty decorator or upholstery fabric Interfacing, medium to heavy weight Muslin or lightweight fabric for backing Wide twill tape or sturdy ribbon for hanging loops Scissors Sewing machine and coordinating thread Pins

How to Make a Homemade Hanging Shoe Organizer

1. Measure the space available for your hanging organizer. One of the benefits to making your own organizer is the ability to make it any size you need. Add one inch to both the height and width to determine the size to cut heavy duty decorator or upholstery fabric for the back panel of your hanging shoe organizer.

2. Determine how many pockets you want on your hanging pocket organizer or how many will fit in the available space. For each row of pockets, cut strips of fabric approximately 7 inches by one-and-a-half the width of your hanging shoe organizer. Press the top and bottom edges of your pocket organizer pockets under by half an inch. Sew the top hem on each pocket piece.

3. Apply fusible interfacing to your decorator fabric backing according to the manufacturer's instructions.

4. Pin the pocket pieces for your hanging shoe organizer into place on the interfaced back panel. Baste the sides of each long pocket piece. Use pins to mark each seam separating the larger pocket into smaller ones, dividing the extra width evenly among the individual pockets. Pleat the excess fullness into the bottom seam, pinning as you go. Create a single pleat in each pocket to create space for items. Stitch the bottom seam into place on each row of pockets.

5. Cut ribbon or twill tape into lengths suitable for hanging your shoe organizer, typically five to six inches. Pin these into place along the top edge of your hanging organizer with the loops pointing down.

6. Place the fabric backing with its right side against your constructed hanging shoe organizer. Stitch around with a half-inch seam allowance. Leave an opening for turning at the bottom of the organizer. Turn the organizer right side out. Press and topstitch around all edges, securing the opening in the bottom. Hang your organizer on hooks, over a closet rod or anywhere else you might need one.

Tips & Warnings

• Try making the pockets out of clear vinyl. Add strong hook and loop to the loops to allow for easy hanging from any rod.

Resources

• BurdaStyle