Tag Archives | Tutorial

The hanging bookcase is not an idea that originated with me. Too bad, because it’s really quite brilliant!! If you do a web search you’ll find a few different ways to do it if you don’t care for how I went about it.

I knew I would have little girls pulling on this, so I made sure that it would be very sturdy from the start. To achieve this, I used some upholstery I had on hand from previous project to make the baskets. I knew I would need to screw the double curtain rod brackets directly into a stud in the wall and that I couldn’t trust wall anchors with my little girls. I found the studs in the basic location I would be hanging it and measured how far apart they were, center to center.

In newer houses, building codes specify that studs be spaced 16 inches apart from center to center. In older houses, I’ve discovered that pretty much anything goes. To find studs, you can use a stud finder, available at your local hardware store, or if you live in an older house like ours, it may be painfully obvious! Just look for the bowing in the sheet-rock and the nails popping out!! (OK, it’s not that bad, but I can still tell where they are if I look closely.) Either way, I would use the 16″ rule as an estimate, but double check by actually finding the studs.

This measurement tells me where I am going to put my hardware. The distance between—inside edge of one bracket, to inside edge of the other—gave me the width I needed to make my fabric basket.

To start, cut a rectangle 20″ high x 24.25″wide.

Serge, or zig-zag around all the edges to keep the seams from fraying.

Fold, iron & pin both side seams in 1/2″ towards the wrong side of the fabric.

Sew along folded edge approximately 1/4″ away from edge. For aesthetic purposes, I did 2 rows of stitching.

On the top & bottom edges, fold, iron & pin seams in 2″ towards the wrong side of the fabric (same direction as the side seams).

Sew along the folded edges 1.5″ away from the edge. Again, for aesthetic purposes and a little extra strength, I sewed 2 rows of stitches. This will create the channel that you will feed the 1/2″ dowel through.

I wanted to tie in the bunting that I had made to hang over the girls’ beds in these book shelves, so I added it to the fronts.

Use the same 1/4″ bias tape that you used for your bunting.
Unfold it and pin in place, so that the folded edge is closest to the top of your hanging basket. For a guide, I lined the fold of my bias tape up with the top row of stitching on the basket. Stitch in place, leaving the top half of the tape free.

Arrange the triangles as you would like them, matching the top edge of the triangle to the inside fold of the bias tape, sandwiching it between the top and bottom of the bias tape. Pin in place.

Sew 1/8″ inch from the open edge of the bias tape.

Now all you have to do is insert your 1/2″ wooden dowels and your basket is ready to hang and fill with books!

xoxo Lori Danelle

The last couple of weeks have been quite insane for me!
Good insane, but insane.
A huge jump on realizing dreams of working for myself,
But still busy, crazy, stressful, exciting, and very little sleep.

I’m just sorry it happened in the middle of such a fun time here on my blog!
I believe I owe you a few tutorials, yes?

Let’s get started!!

Today I’m going to go over how I made the bunting I used over the girls’ beds.

If you’ve hung around here long, you know I don’t like things too perfect, so I made mine with a raw edge. Plus, it makes is super easy to sew up! However, I’ll give notes on what to do if you’d prefer a finished edge.

Cut your chosen fabric into 4.5 inch strips, then fold into 5.5 inch sections.

I made a pattern out of cardboard so that I could easily cut out my fabric. To make the pattern, I cut out a rectangle that was also 4.5″ x 5.5″. I marked 2.75″ in on the bottom of one of the 5.5″ sides and then drew lines from the top left & top right corners to the bottom center.

I then laid the cardboard pattern on my folded fabric, and marked where the middle point would be with my disappearing ink pen. 

Using my rotary cutter (LOVE that thing!) and a straight edge, I lined the straight edge up to the top corners and the lines I marked for the bottom point and made my two cuts.

This will give you a stack of triangles in the middle, and if you unfold the left & right side, you’ll have two more sets. There will be some smaller pieces folded up in there from the edges of your fabric. Follow these steps with as many different fabrics as you’d like until you have enough pairs of triangles to extend your desired distance.

If you want to go with unfinished edges like I did, place two triangles WRONG sides together, pin & sew 1/8th inch from the raw edge on the left & right sides. If you would like, I you can sew the top as well, but there really is no need.

(If you want  finished edges, place two triangles RIGHT sides together, pin & sew 1/8th inch from the edge on the left & right sides—leave the top open. Use a pointy object, such as a pencil or scissors, to turn the triangles right-side-out and push the point out. )

To go the really easy route, use purchased biased tape in the width of your choice. The tape I used was 1/4″ wide. If you prefer you can make your own. Sandi Henderson has a good tutorial on her blog on the right side for making it yourself if you want to give it a shot.

With your fingers, open up the biased tape and lay your triangles in the middle, lining the top edge of your triangle up with the center crease of the bias tape. Fold the tape back down and pin at the two edges and in the center of the triangle. Do this along the length of your bias tape until you get it as long as you’d like.

Moving to your sewing machine, sew as close as you can to the open edge of the bias tape, thus securing the triangles and sewing the tape closed.

Ta-Da!!!
Hang it up and you’re done!!!

Too cute and much too easy!
Nice little way to add some color & a personalized touch to a room. . .or even a party!!!

Now go make stuff!!

xoxo Lori Danelle