Betchalikeit

Make This Functional Kitchen Apron Hanger

If you can never remember in which drawer you stored your aprons or pot holders, or the nail you pounded in the wall to hold your apron keeps pulling out, then build this functional as well as decorative kitchen apron hanger. This woodcaft apron hanger is an easy and fun project to make, and takes little time to complete. And when it's done, you can spend a few minutes admiring your crafting skills, then put the apron hanger to work.

The Apron Hanger Parts List

At left you see the simple collection of parts needed to make this woodcraft apron hanger. You will need: A 1 inch thick, 1 foot square pine plank. Two picture wall hangers. Four 1 inch long wooden mug pegs. Two 2 inch long wooden mug pegs, or Two small coat hooks. For tools and construction accessories, you'll need: A hand drill or electric drill. A sabre saw or scroll saw. Wood glue. Screwdriver.

You can purchase the wood plank from your local do it yourself store where they have shelving materials. If you wish, you can use a piece of 1/2 inch or thicker plywood instead of the pine plank. You need the 1/2 inch or better thickness so you can attach the picture hangers, long mug pegs or coat hooks, and short mug pegs. I choose the pine plank because it made finishing the edges easier.

Make A Pattern On The Wood Plank

Sketch your desired pattern on the wood plank. As you can see in the illustration at left, I drew a silhouette of a woman's head and shoulders. This silhouette has medium length hair, curling up just above the shoulders. It might be hard to imagine by the drawing, but when painted the design will become obvious. Note that the lines of the drawing were enhanced for this illustration. The actual lines drawn on the wood base were light enough to be covered by the painting stage of construction. If it works better for you, try first drawing your design on paper where you can easily make adjustments and corrections. Then cut out the paper silhouette, place on the board, and trace round it. If you happen to have an opaque projector, you can project an image onto the board and trace that.

Cut Out Your Pattern With Sabre Saw Or Scroll Saw

Once you are satisfied with your sketch and have transferred it to your wooden base, you can cut it out with a sabre saw or scroll saw. At left you see my cutout of the apron hanger silhouette.

Sketch In Your Pattern's Face And Features

After cutting out my pattern, I sketched in a simple face on my woodcraft apron hanger cutout. You can see the lines of the eyes, nose, and mouth. The hair line is simple curves across the top of the face. Now you can probably see how the points at the base of the head are part of the hairstyle. I also sketched in simple neck line, shoulder apron straps, and the top of an apron. The next step is to grab the paint brushes and bring the silhouette to life.Again, if you have an opaque projector, you could project your image onto your cutout and trace the essential elements of your design.

Paint The Pattern On Your Apron Hanger Cutout

On the leftmost image above, you can see the face and lips painted, and the nose and eyes outlined. Now the apron hanger craft has taken clear shape. You can see how the face and hair come together. You can also see the dress and neck line, and the apron straps and apron. Simply decide on your colors for the hair, dress, and apron, and finish painting your project.

As mentioned previously, the drawing lines on the illustrations have been enhanced for clarity. The actual drawings on the wood base were done light enough that they wouldn't show after painting.

The rightmost illustration is a picture of the completed woodcraft project. Notice the long yellow mug pegs mounted on each shoulder, and the 4 short blue cup pegs mounted across the top of the painted apron. These pegs were glued solidly into pre-drilled holes that allowed a tight fit of the mug pegs. You can hang aprons, pot holders, or whatever you wish on the multiple pegs.

The two picture hangers are mounted on the back side of the apron hanger, one at each shoulder. With two picture hangers, the apron hanger will always stay straight with whatever items are hanging on it.

Some Alternate Apron Hanger Designs

Above you see a couple of alternate woodcraft apron hanger designs. The one of the left uses a pair of coat hooks on the shoulders instead of the long mug pegs. You may find these type hangers to be more suitable for your needs. Again, having at least a 1/2 inch thick base for your design will give enough wood for the coat hook screws to seat firmly.

The apron hanger on the right displays a short hairstyle with gray hair. The rightmost illustration is at the completion of the painting stage, but does not yet have the pegs on the front or the picture hangers on the back.

Now Put Your Apron Hanger Craft To Work

The image at left demonstrates that this handy woodcraft apron hanger isn't just for decoration. It's a useful kitchen utility. Here's mine neatly holding a couple of my aprons. I'm sure you'll get a lot of use out of your apron hanger craft project as well.