What Do You Do In Bed?

I LOVE to read in bed. Thus, my nightstand is always a stack full of books about to topple over. I like books, magazines, crossword puzzles and more.

Today, I was checking out one of my favorite blogs, LifeHacker, and I saw this great idea. It was originally from Five Whys. http://whywhywhywhywhy.com/2008/06/diy-project-bed-pocket/

I’m hoping to do this with one of the many free tote bags I seem to get at events. My side of the bed isn’t visible to anyone but me, so I’m not even going to sew. I’ll feel crafty and organized at the same time.

Here’s the info direct from 5 Whys…

Here’s a little product I put together in a few minutes this morning. It’s a little pocket for the side of my bed to hold books and such. Had I any sewing skills at all, it would have probably taken all of 5 minutes, but my constant fumbling with a needle and thread made it take about 45 minutes. I hope you’ll do better.

Ok, here’s how:

1. Take a cloth grocery bag (you all have tons of these, right?). I used an old one that was ripped on one side and we we weren’t using anyways.

2. Cut horizontally across one side. The bottom of the bag is going to form the pocket, so be sure to cut this at the depth you want the final pocket to be.

3. Stitch the edge of the bag as shown in the photo below, to help keep it in place and stop it from fraying. Ideally this edge should be on the inside of the finished pocket. I haven’t done any sewing since grade 7 home economics class, and my skills are pretty poor. A sewing machine would take care of this in about two seconds, and do a much better job.

4. Mount the pocket on the bed by placing the top portion of the bag underneath the mattress. I also folded the top half of the bag over to keep it out of the way. In my case the weight of the mattress is enough to keep a couple of books and my reading light in place and secure.

That’s it! It’s a very simple project that doesn’t take very long. It’s also a good use for older cloth bags which are ripped or at the end of their lives.

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