Adventures in creating

I've seen similar holders on the net and thought they were a great idea. Here is one that I made for our new baby boy. This version requires some sewing but is super simple. Having said that if anyone doesn't sew I'm always up for custom orders of these. They are so fun to make and you can do so many different embellisments, just email me at jennifer@papayastudio.ca for more info.

Depending on your fabric and bracket choice this should cost you no more than about $20. If you’re looking for great fabric you can also try your local FabricLand but there are also great resources online. One of my favourite new shops is Pink Panda http://www.pinkpandafabrics.com/ the bonus is that they are a Canadian site and they offer FREE shipping within Canada.

Tools you will need:
Scissors
Iron and ironing board
Measuring tape
Double rod bracket (Lowes, Sears or other hardward stores)
Wood dowel, one ½” one ¼ “ ( Lowes, HomeDepot or another hardware store. * note, that double bracket you choose may call for a different size of dowel so purchase your bracket first)
1 metre or less of a fabric of your choice

The holder I made here is fairly small it only holds one layer of books and only two at that. You can however make this longer and wider to hold more depending on your bracket choices. Once you have your brackets and dowels use some pins to figure out just how big you want it to be and test out with a light book or two.

For this holder I cut two peices of fabric 25" x 18". With right sides together I sewed together with a 1/4" seam allowance and left a 1" opening to turn it inside out. Trim seams and clip corners then turn and iron. I topstiched all around which also closed in my 1" opening for the turning.

Using two peices ensures there is only nice fabric showing even on the inside. If you don't care about the inside of the holder you could just sew a hem all around one peice of fabric to hide your edges.

Next you need to make the loop for the dowel. I would insert your dowel first to ensure it will fit then a simple straight stitch to finish it off.

That's it! This hold is so functional and cute I can't beleive it. Adding great embelishments is fun too with appliques of animals or letters and ribbons or other items such as buttons.