How to Sew a Hanging Organizer

Organize your accessories in a hanging organizer.

Sew a small, hanging pocket-organizer for your jewelry. Clear plastic pockets make it easy to locate exactly the earrings you want. Use pre-quilted cotton and packaged seam binding to make a hanging organizer in less than an hour. When you have learned to made a small organizer, you can use the same process to make a larger one for hanging your shoes in your closet, a medium-sized one for hair ornaments in your bathroom, and a long narrow one for mittens in the coat closet.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure
• Quilted cotton
• Scissors
• Heavy clear plastic sheeting
• Double-fold bias tape
• Pins
• Sewing machine
• Matching thread

Instructions

1. Cut a 15 by 18-inch square of quilted cotton. Cut two strips of clear plastic15 inches long and 4 inches wide and three strips of plastic 15 inches long and 2 inches wide.

2. Place the quilted fabric on a table with the short sides at the top and bottom. Pin one of the 2-inch strips of plastic 4 inches down from the top. Pin it only along the sides so you do not make holes in the plastic. Sew along the bottom and the sides, 1/4 inch from the edge. This is the first row of pockets.

3. Sew the other 2-inch strips on in the same way, aligning the top edges with the bottom edge of the pocket above. Make a seam across all three plastic strips, 3 inches in from each side of the organizer, parallel to the long sides of the fabric. Sew two more seams 3 inches in from these seams. This will divide the plastic strips into five small pockets.

4. Sew on the 4-inch strips in the same way. Sew seams 5 inches in from the sides to divide them each into three pockets.

5. Round the corners of the rectangle with scissors. You will be cutting off the corners of the seams on the last pocket, but that doesn't matter. Pin the double-fold bias tape around the edges of the fabric rectangle, enclosing the raw edges of the fabric and plastic. Turn under 1/2 inch on the end of the tape to make a finished edge. Sew near the edge of the tape. Be careful to catch both edges of the tape on the front and back.

6. Fold the top of the organizer over the bottom of the hanger and sew along the seam in the bias tape to hold it on the hanger.

Tips & Warnings

• Instead of sewing the organizer to the hanger, use sew-on velcro to hold the fabric together. Then you may remove the organizer and roll it up for traveling. Tie it up with ribbons on each end.