Coat Hanger Christmas Tree
Learn how to make a wire hanger Christmas tree with this beautiful tutorial!
From the Designer: "If you’re anything like me, then you probably have a few wire hangers lying around from the dry cleaners and have absolutely no idea what to do with them. Some dry cleaners will take them back to reuse them but I’ve come up with a fun and festive craft that also allows you to reuse those pesky wire hangers without having to make a trip back to the dry cleaners. The end result will leave you with a space effective Christmas tree that’s especially great for those of us in small apartments."
Time to CompleteIn an evening
Main MaterialRecycled Materials
Primary TechniqueGreen Crafting
SeasonWinter
HolidayChristmas
Project TypeMake a Project
Materials List
- 3 wire hangers
- Hot glue gun
- Christmas string lights (at least 15 feet long or longer depending on the distance between where you’ll be hanging your tree and the nearest outlet)
- 24 gauge floral wire (either white or green depending on what color your string lights are)
- Plier
- Wire cutter
- Sharpie
- Green and brown paint
- Paint brushes
- Ornaments
Instructions
Note: Click any image for larger version.
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Use your pliers to untwist the hanging portion of two of your hangers.
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Using your wire cutters, find the correct gauge and cut off both sides of the hanging portions you untwisted in Step 1, leaving about ½”.
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Using your hot glue gun, glue the top ends of the hangers you cut closed in Step 2.
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Twist floral wire around the ends you glued closed in Step 3, making sure they are secured tightly by pressing them with your pliers. Cover any sharp ends with hot glue.
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Find the center at the bottom of each of your hangers and make a small mark using a sharpie. With your fully intact hanger at the top, glue the top end of one of your cut hangers to the center bottom mark you made. Then glue the top end of your last hanger to the center bottom mark of the middle hanger.
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Use your floral wire to wrap around each side of the joins you glued together in Step 5. Cover any sharp ends with hot glue.
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Take one of the hanging portions of the hangers you cut. Trim the ends so that they are even. Hot glue it to the bottom of your last hanger, making sure it is evenly spaced on each side of your center bottom mark. (This is something I unfortunately neglected to do while I was making mine and I wound up about 1” off.)
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Take your floral wire and wrap it around the joins you glued in Step 7, going diagonally in either direction.
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Lay down your craft paper and place your tree on top to paint. I needed about two coats of paint to cover my tree evenly. Let your tree dry in between coats.
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Starting on the right side of your tree stump, begin attaching your lights by cutting 2-3” long pieces of floral wire and wrapping it around the cord. Press down lightly with pliers to make sure pointy edges are not sticking out. Continue going all the way around your tree, securing your lights with wire every 2-3 bulbs or as needed. I did not have one continuous strand of lights that was long enough, so I had to connect two strands together and sort of finagle it to hide the point at which they were attached towards one of my center hanger joins. This will later be concealed by an ornament.
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For my tree, I decided to hang pom pom ornaments I made out of yarn last year from each hanger join for an added touch. Another option would be to hot glue clothes-pins to each join so that you can hang cards from them. Plug in your lights and enjoy!
BONUS! Check out this twist on the idea of a Christmas Tree from Coat Hangers by Vina
I have made several of these trees. I take the six wire hangers and intertwine two at a time, fitting with the hook inside. I tie them with the twist ties from bread or trash bags at the point of where the hanger meets. After all are tied together, I then wrap a strand of twinkle lights, (this is usually 23 or 35 light strand), leaving the plug end at the bottom. I then wrap garland around the exterior of it, starting at the top and it can be anchored with thin wire if needed. This exposes the lights and they will be covered, you can use any color lights or garland to suit your taste. I hope this isn't confusing. Hope it turns out like you want it!