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DIY Magazine Rack

DIY Magazine Rack

So, how are those New Years resolutions holding up?

If you’re like me, the resolutions brought some magazine subscriptions along with them, to keep me encouraged and engaged in my many interests!

To help overcome the out-of-sight, out-of-mind dilemma, I want to keep my magazines accessible and organized. Here’s a simple project which is quick, fun, and is easily customizable to fit your style!

Supplies for creating a DIY Magazine Rack

What you’ll need:

  • 91” x 3/4” thick wooden dowels (marked with grey ends) - two of them is enough if you measure correctly!
  • 8 Copper elbows
  • Fabric that represents your style (at least 13” x 30” to leave room to hem the edges)
  • Scissors
  • Tape Measure
  • Miter Saw
  • Hem Tape
  • Iron
  • Needle/Thread
  • Gorilla Glue
Two dowels cut sitting on a wooden countertop with a tape measure in the background

1. MEASURE TWICE and cut once! Mark the rods so that when you cut you’ll end up with:

  • (2) 15”
  • (4) 11.5”
  • (2) 7.5”
Wooden dowel legs for DIY Magazine Rack

2. Take the two 7.5" dowels and and insert both ends into the copper elbows with a healthy coating of Gorilla Glue. Twist these so they all face upwards. Wipe away the excess glue before it dries!

Cutting and taping fabric

3. Into each of these insert the 11.5" dowels and attach copper pipes onto each of these. Apply glue as needed, and lean them up against the wall to dry.

4. While the glue is drying measure and cut your fabric (13" x 30”)

Ironing Fabric

5. So that the edges are clean, apply the hem tape along the edges, and iron to adhere.

Sliding a dowel through fabric to create a DIY Magazine Rack

6. This is where things get a bit tricky: take your remaining (15”) dowel and use your eye to see how much fabric it will take make the hole for the dowel to slide through.

7. Apply another strip of hem tape and iron to adhere. This takes a lot of patience to get it hot enough to stick!

8. I found that the thickness of my fabric was too thick for the hem tape alone (several magazines are pretty heavy!) So I just used simple thread and needle to reinforce the hem tape.

9. Finally, slide the (15") dowels through the slots you made with the fabric, and insert the ends in to opposite copper pipes!

DIY Magazine Rack in a living room

10: Fill it up with your magazines and brag to all your friends about your recent DIY project!