Tutorial: Cedar Closet Hangers

Do you know why cedar is such a popular scent for closets?  In additional to being really pretty, the wood has a wonderful, woodsy scent that repels insects.  Really, the fact that cedar repels bugs is the main reason for having it in your closet.  Those repelled bugs includes moths, which love to eat sweaters and coats.  Ask me how I know.

A few years ago, an egg-filled moth got into my closet and set up house.  By the end of the summer I was missing a coat, several sweaters and a warm pair of wool slippers.  Since then I've kept a couple of cedar blocks somewhere inside that closet.  Of course, more often than not I couldn't tell you where the blocks are.  

 When son Adam built a cedar greenhouse for a client, I had a light-bulb moment: gather a few cut-off pieces of waste and add hangers so that I could hang them from the rod.  Then it occurred to me that you might want to make a few of these also.  They certainly are handy and you'll need less spray.

Let's start.  Gather up these things: your cedar block, heavy gauge wire (I used 14 gauge but that was a little too heavy), some small nails, a pair of needle nose pliers, a hammer, and to finish up some pretty ribbon. 

Step 1:  use the pliers to cut about 20 inches of wire and then twist the ends into a tight circle.

Step 2:  place the wire end on the long, thin edge of the wood block.  Hold a nail as shown and hammer the nail in about halfway.

Step 3: bend the nail head down toward the bottom of the block. This will hold the wire onto the block.  It's important to flatten the nail as much as you can.  Please note: I am not nailing on top of my cutting mat.  In fact, I moved to the concrete floor to do all of my nailing so as not to damage my work table.

Step 4: now complete the process with the other side of the block and the other end of the wire.

Step 5: bend the wire over the top of the block until it touches and forms a loop near the center.

Step 6: use the needle nose pliers to begin twisting the wire as tightly as possible.  It's difficult to keep it from over-twisting but try so that it looks neater when completed.

Step 7: when you have a nice straight wire with enough twist to make it stiff, bend the top 1/3 or so to form a loop for hanging.

Step 8: measure the circumference around the block and add an inch and a half.  Wrap the ribbon around the block to cover the wire loops and the nails.  I used hot glue to hold the ribbon by first gluing one end down onto the block.  Fold and glue about 1/2 inch down on itself.  Now tightly wrap the ribbon and glue the finished edge down.  I used a velvet ribbon and found it's weight worked very well.

And so now the truth: This particular block never made it out of the studio. . . it's protecting the stash exactly as it appears right here. I guess I'll just have to make a few more.  It's a good thing I grabbed several blocks from the trash pile!

Sunday Quilt Inspiration: C E D A R

Yes, cedar!  I know, right?  How many ideas can a girl come up with using cedar for inspiration?  Well, it's surprising, actually.  Let's begin with a cedar chest to store the quilts.

Cedar closets to store fabric (and other things) so that moths and other insects aren't a problem.

Apparently guys like cedar for storing their stuff, too.  What about shelves?

And, of course, anything that can be made with wood, can be made in cedar wood.  However, cedar doesn't rot and decay like other woods, so something made of cedar especially for outdoor use will last much longer.  That makes cedar a prized wood that can be much more expensive to buy.  

In addition, it's difficult to cut and hammer because it's especially hard and dry.  Oh, and there's the roughness.  It's really rough and requires lots of sanding and polishing to get that beautiful smooth finish that you see in furniture. 

So you pay extra for cedar wood, but how do you know, for certain, that you're getting cedar?  The smell is your first clue.  It's a different smell from any other wood you'll encounter.  It also is a mixture of red and yellow.  The closer you get to the heart of the tree the deeper the red color and, of course, as you get farther away from the heart, the wood is a light (almost milky) yellow.

Interestingly, the darker the color of the wood, the stronger the scent.  And, even better, a quick roughing up with sandpaper will release the scent all over again, as will heating and wetting the wood.  So, using it for cooking adds a rich tangy flavor to food.  

Okay, last one: love this bench.  The colors are beautiful and it's easy to see the beauty of the wood.  It's finished, so the cedar smell will not be present, but it will last longer and the colors will remain vibrant much longer since sun and water can cause fading.

So why all the interest in cedar?  My son has been busy on a cedar project and, since he's making it in our backyard, I've been keeping an eye on the progress.  I'll tell you more when it's complete.  

But this post is supposed to be some sort of quilty inspiration, so here we go--cedar inspired quilty things.

I just discovered that there are not very many red/yellow quilts out in Pinterest-land.  Red, check.  Yellow, check.  Red and yellow together, not so many!   Apparently not many people have been inspired by the colors of a beautiful piece of cedar.  We should probably fix that!