DIY Children's Fabric Bookshelf

We love books at our house. We have a million children's books (give or take), and they have been overflowing their shelves as of late. I have really been wanting a bookcase that displays the books outwardly so that you can see the cover. That way the kids won't pull every book off the shelf looking for the one they want. I found one that I really liked at Walmart and Target for anywhere from $45-54. I thought it would be perfect, but when I looked at the dimensions, it was only 28" x 24". That is one small bookcase. I was worried that it wouldn't hold many books, and wouldn't really grow with the kids. Here is the Walmart example that started me on this crazy hunt to find the perfect bookshelf:

I didn't really want to spend that much money on something so small. So, I took to the internet and looked for something that I could make instead. I found two great ideas. First, rain gutter bookshelves. It sounds crazy, but it actually looks really neat and seems super easy. These are saved in my "Projects to Try" folder for another time. Here is an example:

Second, I found these awesome fabric shelves.  I instantly fell in love with them. They are functional, easy, and make a great statement in the room. Jonathon liked these best too, so this is the option we went with. Here is an example of this type of bookshelf.

super cute, right?

So, I set to work making some for our playroom. It took me about 4 hours total (remember, I am not a seamstress, so it would probably be a lot faster for someone else). I found some cute fabric at Hancocks on sale for only $2/ yard. You know I LOVE a good deal! I then doubled it to make it sturdy and sewed little pockets for the dowels to slide through. The 3/4" dowels came from Home Depot, and we bought the double curtain rods they hang on from Amazon.com. If you are intereted, the full instructions can be found here.

Here is the shelf before assembly. The sewing was super easy, even for a novice like me.

This is showing the double curtain rod attached to the wall. The dowels just slide right in and are really secure. There are lots of types of double curtain rods on Amazon, but we couldn't find any at our local stores (?)

 Here are the shelves fully assembled. 

A view of the room with the new shelves. It adds so much color and texture to the room.

 Lastly, My cute little bug enjoying some books that seem new because they have been hidden for so long. Already, my boys are more interested in our books because they can see exactly what they are. Perfect! 

It still cost some money (about $36 total), but they are unique, functional, and a great addition to the room. I LOVE how they turned out and am super excited for the boys to get to use them for many years to come.