Extremely Inexpensive Laundry Sorter, Inspired by Fellow Hometalker

by KathrynElizabeth Etier

$4.85

45 Minutes

Easy

I was so inspired by @Thrify & Chic 's (Sandy, UT) DIY laundry room organization (http://www.hometalk.com/diy/laundry-room/organization/diy-laundry-room-organization-3355660), I wanted one of my own and was going to order the hanging laundry bags from Amazon when I thought, "I wonder if I can do this a whole lot cheaper." The idea hit me to use two shirts on hangers as the laundry bags and hang them from hooks on the wall.

extremely inexpensive laundry sorter inspired by fellow hometalker, cleaning tips, crafts, storage ideas

The cost breakdown was: shirt, 50-cents; Hawaiian shirt, 35-cents; two wooden hangers, 50-cents each; two birch drawer fronts, 25-cents each; and two knobs for $3. Lucky for me, a fave thrift shop was getting rid of a rack of clothes at 3/$1.00 and another fave had wooden hangers for 50-cents each; I picked up the second shirt at a church yard sale. The birch drawer fronts came from our Habitat ReStore which had just gotten a ton of them in, and that's where I got the knobs, too. The knobs are essential because ordinary hooks cannot support the bags when they are full.

Here is how I did it. I

1. sewed both shirts closed at the bottom. I sewed the sleeves closed close to the top, having realized that when I put my hand in to grab the clothing, I was sometimes putting it through the sleeve and grabbing air.

2. made the green fern Hawaiian shirt/bag first, and sewed partway up the placket; I realized the buttons would be secure enough closures so I did not sew the front of the blue print shirt and removed some of the placket stitching on the green shirt (which has a nice big pocket where I can also put little things like delicates bags).

3. measured off a one-inch border on the drawer fronts and drilled pilot holes so I could screw them to the wall when the project was complete.

4. measured the spots where I would be attaching the knobs and drilled more pilot holes, then attached knobs.

5. used graphite tracing paper to trace words I printed out on my inkjet printer ("Light", "Dark") then painted them with a Sharpie Oil Paint Pen.

6. Hung it on the wall.

Here's what I would have done if my old hamper hadn't given up the ghost and rushed the job:

· painted the drawer front and used separate fronts for each bag

· painted the hangers.

These things are now on my to-do list!

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2 comments

Amy Ellis @ StowandTellU on May 09, 2014
This is so cute and fun. I love the beachy feel I'm getting from your choice of upcycled shirts!

Like Reply
- KathrynElizabeth Etier on May 09, 2014
  @Amy Ellis @ StowandTellU Thanks, Amy. It was a lot of fun to do, and it took no time at all.
  
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