I love books, so I keep them stacked around my apartment: in the kitchen, lining the hall floor and even under the desk.

Still, I manage to trip over them all the time.

However, tripping aside, my biggest problem is intermingling library books and my own, which makes getting my library books back on time harder than it should be.

Solution? Create a space devoted to library property only.

Since I borrow so many titles on a whim, I needed a place that was both accessible and at eye level. This way, by the time that pesky due date sneaks up, I would actually remember to have read a few — even if only partially.

Hence the hanging fabric book shelf tucked neatly behind the couch. I found the idea somewhere on the Internet, no doubt well laid out, but here’s my take:

You need:

• double curtain rod brackets (sometimes hard to find but I think mine were from a chain hardware store) and the screws to attach them to the wall
• screwdriver
• two lengths of dowling or broom handle (mine are four feet long each) - check ArtsJunktion or a local thrift shop
• fabric - check ArtsJunktion or a local thrift shop

Instructions:

It’s probably advisable to screw the double curtain rod brackets directly into a stud in the wall, though I didn’t and they’ve been fine, so do what you can. 

1. To start, cut a fabric rectangle 20”  x the length of your dowel +4” (4 feet +4”in my case). You can zig-zag stitch around all the edges to keep the seams from fraying, but if you don’t, it’s fine. Fold and pin both side seams in 1/2”towards the wrong side of the fabric. Sew along folded edge approximately 1/4” away from edge.

2. On the top and bottom edges, fold, iron and pin seams in 2” towards the wrong side of the fabric (also towards the wrong side of the fabric). Sew along the folded edges 1.5” away from the edge. This will create the channel that you will feed the dowel through.

3. Then fasten your double curtain rod brackets to the wall. Mine are two feet apart.

The next step may be the trickiest one. You can use the button-hole presser foot on your sewing machine, or an exacto knife, to create slits into the fabric where you would like it to hang from the brackets. The slits should be about an inch long and go right under the seam beneath the dowel so that you can gently slip the rods into place onto the brackets.

For more samples, and a slightly different technique, visit: http://pennycarnival.typepad.com/penny_carnival/2009/02/tutorial-hanging-book-display.html

Published in Volume 67, Number 3 of The Uniter (September 19, 2012)