Antler Hatstands

Vintage Home

Posted by Kyle Books

About

Not the most obvious vintage home project, but I have always wanted a massive pair of antlers on which to hang our hats, or one pair for each family member, hung at just the right height for them. These faux antlers, made of wire bound in fabric, take a little bit of making, but are well worth the effort. You need an impressive-looking mount for your antlers – taxidermy suppliers sell appropriate shields and boards that are very reasonably priced, or you can sand and paint an offcut of wood, a slice of tree trunk, a piece of driftwood or even an old chopping board to make your mount.

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You Will Need (13 things)

  • Wooden Mount
  • Tape Measure
  • Pencil
  • Thick Wire (fine coat hangers a great source)
  • Hand-held Drill and drill bit the same thickness as your wire
  • Paint and paintbrush
  • Picture Hook and fastening
  • Pliers with wire cutters
  • String
  • Woollen or thick Upholstery Fabric
  • Fabric Scissors
  • Glue Gun
  • Needle & Thread

Steps (5 steps, 120 minutes)

  1. 1

    Mark a cross on the mount where each antler will be.
    Choose the number of wires you will be using, allowing
    one wire for every point that you want on your antlers. A
    maximum of five is probably best. For a single point antler
    use double wire to add strength. Check that you have the
    right size drill bit so the wire just fits in the hole and then
    drill the right number of holes around the crosses, only a
    couple of milimetres apart, all the way through to the back,
    making sure that you have a suitable surface behind that
    you can drill into. Finish your mount with paint if required
    and add a strong picture hook to the back for hanging.

  2. 2

    If you are using coat hangers clip off the twisted ends and
    straighten them out. Chop the wire into different lengths
    and line them all up at one end. Use some string to bind
    all of the wires for one antler together at this end, leaving
    about 2cm bare so they can be pushed into the holes in the
    mount.

  3. 3

    Bend the wires into antler shapes, tying the wires together
    by wrapping more string around the bundle just before
    each point forks off. Make the antlers as a mirror of each
    other so they make a matching pair.

  4. 4

    Start to bind the frames with long strips of fabrics, all cut
    into 1–2cm wide strips. Use a glue gun or sew the end of
    the strip to the wires, then wind it around and around the
    antler, moving up towards the points. Sew or glue each
    strip in place and keep winding until all of the wire is
    covered. Leave the mount end of the wires free from fabric
    so they can slot into the holes in the mount.

  5. 5

    When you have a balanced pair of antlers, feed the wires
    into the holes in the mount with plenty of hot glue and
    cover with a little more fabric to hide the glue. Hang on the
    wall as decoration, or use as a hat stand.