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One of my favorite projects from Madeline’s room makeover was the fun little book sling, which is an awesome alternative to bookshelves.
My inspiration (and the directions!) can be found here.
I really love this idea because it will be so easy for Madeline to “re-shelf” her books. She still has a little bit of trouble trying to get the books to stand up straight on the bookshelf so this will hopefully solve a lot of her frustration.
Plus it’s just really cool! ;)
Supply List
1 1/3 yard of fabric
2 Double Curtain Rod Brackets (found these at Lowes)
2 Dowel Rods to fit the brackets, each 4 foot long (also found at Lowes)
Drill, Sewing Machine, Level, etc
I actually ended up making closer to a three foot long sling, which of course meant my measurements were different, because the wall I wanted to put it on was not quite four feet in length.
To try to avoid confusion I’ll just stick with the measurements found on the original tutorial (again, found here).
- First, cut your fabric to 47″ x 42″.
- Fold lengthwise with right sides together. You should now have a 47″ x 21″ piece of fabric. (I also added a piece of heavyweight interfacing between the layers of fabric for added stability, but this is optional).
- Sew, using a 1/2″ seam allowance down one short side, the long side, and halfway down the other short side.
- Turn right side out through the opening.
- Turn the raw edges toward each other and top stitch over the opening, closing up the unfinished edge. Press with an iron so it lays nice and flat.
- To make the dowel casings, fold over two inches on each long side, pin, and then stitch all the way down each side.
Hang the double brackets on the wall.
- Make sure to locate studs to screw into or use wall anchors, so the sling will be able to support the weight of books.
- Insert the dowels into the fabric (I painted my rods white first), then slide them into the brackets and tighten down. I also glued little knobs onto the end of the dowel rods to make it look a little more finished.
Ta-da!
I hope she loves it.
Yes, she still hasn’t seen her new room. This past week has been insane, but I really hope to finish it up in the next day or so.
But don’t worry.
She and Susannah have been having a blast sharing a room.
Like…singing till all hours of the night.
Seriously.
Featured on these lovely sites:
Parties I link to: Craft-O-Maniac, Lines Across My Face, Sew Can Do, Sew Chatty, C.R.A.F.T., Making the World Cuter, Skip to My Lou, Creating My Way to Success, Moms Crazy Cooking, The Girl Creative, The Southern Institute, Chef In Training, Confessions of a Stay at Home Mom, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Sweet Little Gals, Vintage Wanna Bee, Sugar Bee Crafts, Funky Polkadot Giraffe, The Kurtz Corner, Todays Creative Blog, Tip Junkie, Reasons to Skip the Housework , Mandy’s Recipe Box,Rook No. 17, the Sasse Life, Trendy Treehouse, My Girlish Whims, Handy Man, Crafty Woman, Sew Much Ado, Polka Dots on Parade, Night Owl Crafting, Ginger Snap Crafts, Southern Lovely, Seven-thirty-three, House of Hepworths, The Crafty Blog Stalker, Somewhat Simple, Something Swanky, A Glimpse Inside, Crafty Scrappy Happy, Fireflies and Jellybeans, 5 Minutes Just for Me, Delicate Construction, Simply Sweet Home, Tidy Mom, Fingerprints on the Fridge, Fun to Craft, Creation Corner, Kojo Designs, Simply Designing, Thirty Handmade Days, Sassy Sites, Tatertots and Jello, Bacon Time, Flamingo Toes, Six Sisters Stuff, Sweet as Sugar Cookies, Naptime Creations, Crazy for Crust, A Little Nosh, Lolly Jane Boutique, Head2Head Showdown Saturday, Between U & Me, My Favorite Finds
María said:
great idea!!!!
http://lacasitadmaria.blogspot.com/
María from Spain
http://www.etsy.com/shop/lacasitadmaria?ref=seller_info
Amber Stevens said:
Great job! love it. Wish I could sew.
Maria Kitching said:
This would be perfect for my little boys room for his picture books. I’m visiting from Lines across my face and I’m your newest follower.
Jill said:
I’ve seen these around and they are SUCH a great idea! Love the fabric you used for yours!
Thanks for linking to a Round Tuit!
Hope you have a fabulous week!
Jill @ Creating my way to Success
http://www.jembellish.blogspot.com/
Tewauna said:
I love love LOVE this! I’m definitely going to try it.
Heather @ Raising Memories Blog said:
This is totally fabulous! I love it & I love the fabric! If you’re interested, I’d love it if you’d come & share this post with my readers at my Sharing Time Linky here: http://www.raisingmemories.com/search/label/sharing%20time
Hope to see you there!
~Heather
Sarah said:
Sweet! Thanks – I pinned it!
Mandy @ Sugar Bee Crafts said:
Thanks for linking to Take-A-Look Tuesday – you were featured today!
Mandy, http://www.SugarBeeCrafts.com
Sarah @ Crafting and Creativity said:
I featured this on my blog today:
http://craftingandcreativity.blogspot.com/2012/03/things-i-like-thursday-26.html
Sarah
Sarah said:
That’s awesome!! That would be great for my top bunk kiddo, he can keep some books at hand and not have to crawl up and down the ladder!
Katie@The Crafty Blog Stalker said:
This is such a great idea! Thanks so much for sharing with the Crafty Blog Stalker!
http://thecraftyblogstalker.blogspot.com/
Jenn Erickson (@rookno17) said:
Rebekah,
Thank you so much for sharing your talent and creativity on “A Little Birdie Told Me…” Tuesday this past week! It means a lot to have you be one of our birds of a feather! I hope the party has brought some good things your way.
Jenn/Rook No. 17
wisechoicebuxtonbaby said:
We are stoked to share our Aussie version of this tutorial with you :) http://buxtonbaby.com.au/news/2013/05/bookshelves-diy-sling-book-display-ideas-tutorial/