Simple (Not-So-Simple) DIY Kids’ Tent

Sewing gets really fun when you start making more than just clothes.

I hope you’ve seen the darling totes, purses, hats, chairs, curtains and even jewelry (what?) that our talented community has made with our fabrics. 

Do you have a sewing project that you’re just taking your time on? Me too. Some projects I get done in an hour, and some (like this one) take about… a year. (That’s a nice way of saying it was more work than I thought it would be). 

I wanted to make a simple, fabric tent for the kids. A place for them to play, read and just generally hang out. They like to pretend they have their own house (in our house) and it’s fun for me to watch them in their own little world. That is, when they're not in their own little world fighting.

I looked up how to make a basic kids tent and found an idea that looked reasonable. (I can’t remember now which one I went with, but the internet is full of great ideas if you want to make your own). 

I had enough of my white Lei Ki fabric in cotton poplin to make this tent and matching polyester canvas for a more durable “floor”. I got 3 wooden dowels and 6 pieces of wood to make the frame and had my talented brother drill holes in them for me, then I painted them white. That’s about as fancy as the craftsmanship goes. I had to finagle the fabric over the wooden frame…but I did it. 

You may have already realized just how much I enjoy the challenge of figuring out how to create something I have in mind. I pieced the triangles and rectangles together (hello, 9th grade geometry) and (as always) learned a lot in the process.

My kids really enjoy this tent (look at that happy face). They don’t notice the imperfections. Like so many of their “toys” they play with it off and on. We’ll get it out and they’ll do everything in it for a week at a time, and then I’ll put it away in the closet for a month or so and then we’ll get it out and it’s all new and fun again. I think they’ll be able to fit in it for another year or two, then we’ll have to figure out what to do with it. Making this tent for them was totally worth the time it took to figure it out. 

But really, you guys… I want you to know that if I can somehow figure it out, I ‘m sure you can too. You all are so talented, you can probably make it even better… and in a way that makes sense.