Multiple monitors on desks are all the rage in the last few years. According to studies, the more monitors you have, the better your productivity. I worked with two monitors for years, but lately, I found I wasn't really using the second one.

I was using my MacBook Pro as my work machine, along with a second 23-inch monitor. I eventually realized I just didn't use the MacBook Pro's monitor itself much, if ever (except to do something moderately distracting like keeping a Twitter application open and in view). My desk is also in front of a window, so I decided it might behoove me to stop blocking my view of the outdoors and see some nature once in a while. OK, my desk window looks out onto a parking lot. But it is south-facing. Occasionally there's a squirrel.

I wanted my laptop off my desk. I still wanted it within reach to use as my primary computer and able to power the external monitor, keyboard, and mouse. Unfortunately, my desk is not very big. An extra shelf for the computer seemed like an inelegant solution. My desk is basically a table, so I decided I could hang the notebook off one end in something. And one afternoon, I devised this laptop hammock.

It's been working out very well as a desk arrangement solution: the computer is still near and the ports are accessible even while it's in the hammock. The computer is fairly easy to get in and out if I want to move and work somewhere else. Despite that it's not rigidly secure, it has never slid off the end and crashed to the floor (to my mild surprise and relief).

I've since refined the design into what you see at the top of this post. Now I'll show you how to make one, on an incredible budget of one dollar.

There are two ways to go about the laptop hammock: the respectable way, and the Dirty Hipster way. For the respectable way, you go out and buy fabric then use needle and thread to do some sewing. For the Dirty Hipster way, you do no sewing at all and use a t-shirt. It's true: you can make a laptop hammock without sewing a stitch. Ideally, you'll have most of the stuff below lying around—extra shoelaces, scissors, and sewing stuff. If so, use your one dollar to buy the wooden dowel. I assume most people are not dowel enthusiasts and won't have those lying around.

These instructions are very basic. There are endless refinements you can make to the design (for instance, cutting holes in the sides of the hammock for better ventilation), and then some more to the hanging method. We're just going to show you the basic, bare-bones version that will have your laptop kicking back on the side of your desk with minimal effort and time spent.

Notebook hammock materials

For either type of hammock, you will need:

Scissors

Some kind of saw, or a serrated knife

A 3-foot long, 1/4-inch thick wooden dowel (less than a dollar at craft stores)

Two shoe or bootlaces (each lace needs to be long enough to wrap around the end of the desk you'll hang the hammock from, going for the 72-inch kind is safest)

THEN:

A length of fabric: half a yard, if you're getting it from a craft store, enough to fold in half and wrap around both sides of the computer. You can pick whatever feels nice, but it shouldn't be too stretchy or thin. Cheap felt is nice because the edges won't fray and don't need to be hemmed, though it might be a little cozy for your computer. Cotton will fray if you don't hem it, but ventilates better.

OR:

A t-shirt or tank top. If you're using the right size t-shirt, you may only have to cut it to a certain size and not do any sewing at all; such a t-shirt will be on the smaller side (the one I use in the video above is a women's medium tank top), though it depends on how big your laptop is.

If you don't have a shirt of the appropriate size (read on to find out if you do), you will also need

Sewing needles, some thread, and pins (if you don't have some kind of sewing kit, collecting this stuff will run you less than $10)









Step 1: Lay out fabric and measure how much you need

Lay your fabric or a t-shirt out on a flat surface. If using fabric, it should be folded in half. Put your laptop on top and align it with the closed edge. You want the fabric to fall a couple of inches short of the computer on both one short and one long side. On the opposite short side, mark the fabric a couple of inches short of where the computer ends.

Fold the fabric up around the computer. You want this edge to be a couple inches short of the edge of the computer, just like the other side; This way, the computer sticks out and can ventilate itself a little. If fabric is too long, you'll have to cut it and sew this side closed later. In this case, mark the fabric with a line where you want to cut it a couple inches short of the edge of the computer again.







If you're using a t-shirt, which has two closed edges, and it falls short enough, you won't have to cut this side or sew anything. If you hate sewing, we recommend you strive to find a good-sized t-shirt. Cheap ones are fine, and in some cases may be less expensive than buying fabric.

Step 2: Cut the fabric to size

Extend your markings out into straight lines, and then cut along them. If you're using an appropriate sized t-shirt, you should only be making one cut; otherwise, you're making two.

Step 3: Sew the hammock closed (skip if making the Dirty Hipster t-shirt version)

Decide which side of the fabric you want facing out—depending on what you're using, there's a right side and a wrong side. Turn the fabric so the side you don't ultimately want visible is facing out. If you want to hem the fabric, now is the time to do it, but it's not necessary (and overly time-consuming if you don't have a sewing machine). Align the short edges and pin them together.

Now, do a simple in-out-in-out stitch along where you pinned. Get fancy if you are some kind of a good seamster. Use a sewing machine if you have one, but you don't need it. You should now have a loop of fabric, just as the Dirty Hipster with his t-shirt had all this time.

Step 4: Put together the dowel and the shoelaces

First, hold your dowel up to the width of your fabric circle—you want it to be an inch or two longer on both ends. This is not science. Cut it so you have two pieces of that length.

The companionship of the dowel and shoelaces, however, is science: if you were to thread your shoelaces through your fabric loop right now, it would bow. It would look sad. The laces would stretch the ends. If done right, the dowel and laces will work together to keep the edges rigid and supportive.











Take the shoelace and align its middle with the middle of a dowel piece. Extend the shoelace along the length of the dowel. About two inches from the end, tie the shoelace in a single knot around the dowel. Do the same on the other end.

Step 5: Put it together and hang it up

Stick both dowels through the fabric circle, and then tie the ends of each shoelace together. Loop the shoelaces around the end of your desk. Here, we recommend you test the hammock first with a heavy book—the whole thing will sag a little with the weight, so you may want to adjust the shoelace loops to a smaller size so it hangs a bit higher. If it hangs where you want it, slide your computer in, plug in your peripherals, and return to single-monitor glory.

We note that as long as your desk doesn't have a closed back, you can hang it on the inside of the leg area, too, if you can avoid knocking against it with your knees. This way there's no danger of the hammock sliding off the end of the desk.

Disclaimer: We implore you to value your computer's safety above all else. We acknowledge this is not the most secure situation to put your laptop in. We take no responsibility for any computer that suffers drops, falls, or bumps while making or using your hammock. I've had good luck with mine, but be careful. If this is too precarious for your desk setup, don't do it! Laptops are precious and delicate, we'd hate to see any harm come to yours.