Tags
Acorn Toys, child teepee, diy play teepee, diy play tent, diy teepee, Ikea fabric, indoor play camping, Sew Mama Sew
I made this teepee for Ada when she was little, (although I think technically Santa gets the credit). She and Josie have been using it to play at camping in their room together lately. Our teepee is based loosely off of this pattern by Sew Mama Sew. Ikea has lots of inexpensive upholstery fabric in bold patterns and the stiffness of the fabric is perfect for keeping tent sides straight. To make a tent similar to ours, you will need:
*3 Yards of Stiff Fabric. (We used this Ikea version)
*5 Wooden Broom Handles
*5 Rubber Chair Stoppers
*Leather Lacing or Strong Twine
*7-9 Large Wooden Beads (Ours are 3/4″)
*Scissors
*Drill
*2 Large Buttons Optional (We used these at the top of our tent to button fabric around poles)
*Sewing Machine Optional (We hemmed our edges, but the above pattern is all done with grommets)
1. Follow pattern and cut as shown here at Sew Mama Sew. Adjust length – longer if you plan to hem fabric as we did, or shorter for shorter poles.
2. I added two button holes and ties at the top of our teepee to tie around the poles. (Sew Mama Sew uses smaller bamboo poles and plastic rings to attach fabric to poles). Ties made from our fabric scraps are stitched inside our tent secure the fabric to poles. We can adjust our ties to have the tent stay open or closed. I like having ties rather than fixing fabric permanently to the poles for ease of washing.
3. Drill 1/4″ holes 4″ down from the top through each broom handle. Attach rubber stoppers to the bottom of each pole.
4. Thread lacing through bead, pole, bead, pole until all poles are used. There should be one bead between each pole as shown. These will help keep poles in place when the tent is set up. Pull the the lacing to pick up slack and tie knot. We added beads at the bottom of each tie for decoration.
5. Spread the tent poles out, fanning out with even space between each one.
6. Drape fabric over poles, secure ties and buttons if you have them.
7. Break out the s’mores!
*Acorn Toys in Brooklyn has a beautiful version here if you prefer buy to DIY*
