letta-I use leather lacing,copper wire,jute.They all seem to hold up pretty well but of course wire is best.I drill holes in the top of the gourd and run the material through that.Just tie the jute or leather in a knot and leave a 2-3 in length.I pull the leather or jute through the hole then so the knot is at the hole then dab on a little bit of wood glue to hold it.Sometimes I string beads on the ends of the material.When I use wire for hanging I drill holes in each side of the gourd about 1 inch or so from the top.Cut a 1/4 in. dowel rod so there will be about 1 inch of rod sticking out from each side of the gourd when it is slipped through the holes.Glue the dowel in the holes with wood glue so it doesn't slip out.You can paint the dowel the color of the gourd or a contrasting color or stain it.When the glue is dry cut your wire to the desired length adding about 6 inches to allow for twisting the wire around the dowel.Twist the wire tightly around each side of the dowel.I sometimes leave a length of wire on each end and twist it around a pencil and add beads for decoration.You can also use the leather strings or jute for the hanger with the dowel too.Just add a little glue to assure it doesn't slip off.I use the dowel on my larger gourds and the apple gourds.Hope this has given you some ideas....................Lillie

Thank you, Lillie.

Sometimes I use plastic coated clothesline...it lasts forever. I found a bunch of old copper pipe (3/4 inch or less) that I've been bending into an "s" shape to hang over high tree branches. I hang the houses from the lower curve.

No one has commented on the gourd itself I understand one has to clean and let gourd dry out for a year is this true.

If you are making a birdhouse, you don't have to clean the inside too much. Just shake out the bigger chunks of seed and "innerds", leave some stuck inside for the birds to eat later. They will also use the dried bits inside for nesting material as well.

Outside, yeah, you have to clean it unless you don't mind something really dirty looking. Gourds are amazingly beautiful, but they do have to be cleaned to bring the beauty out. I've tried all sorts of ways but my favorite is when they're completely dry (they are dry when they have almost *no* weight and the seeds rattle when you shake the gourd) - wet the gourd, then simply grab a bottle of Greased Lightning or 409 and give them a good spray, put them in a garbage bag and twist it shut. Let them sit for about an hour. Then you can take a copper or steel scrubber and the old skin and everything comes right off. This is when you are really rewarded for growing it. The beautiful mold patterns show up, you see the potential the gourd has.

Cleaning is the best part... every gourd is a surprise!