Tutorial Tuesday: Teepee

This Child-Size Teepee Tent is perfect for a rainy day or great for the outdoors! This easy, no sew project found HERE stays together with the addition of grommets! I love this idea and am so excited to get started on mine. Way cheaper than many an outdoor toy for kids to play with!

Materials Needed:

• 6- 6ft bamboo garden post (can be purchased at Home and Garden Centers)
• 3 yards of 60 inch wide white painter’s canvas
• Scissors
• Pen
• Craft paint & brushes
• 3 Strong rubber bands
• 6 plastic 1 ½ inch rings
• Embroidery floss or strong thread
• Sewing needle with large eye
• 12 Large Grommets & grommet setting kit (I used 1/4”)
• Hammer
• Ribbon approximately 3 yards for lacing (additional ribbon for decorating is optional)
• Straight pins

Step 1
Hold all 6 bamboo post in your hands wrapping the 3 rubber bands tightly around the posts leaving about 4 inches at the top. Spread the posts making sure they will sit evenly on the ground.

Step 2 (Steps shown in diagram above)

• Lay fabric out flat folding the piece in half lengthways.
• Fold on the diagonal in to a triangle.
• With a marker draw a half circle on the top and cut away extra fabric.
• At the folded tip of the triangle draw a small half circle and cut away extra fabric.
• Unfold the fabric. You should have a large half circle which will be the sides of your teepee.

Step 3
Drape the cut fabric over the bamboo posts and pin the fabric in place at the top to make sure it will fit properly. After fitting, remove the fabric, lay it flat and use fabric paints & brushes to decorate the fabric anyway you like! The kids had a lot of fun with this step!

Step 4
After paint has dried, drape the fabric back over the post and pin in to place spreading each bamboo post approximately 18-20” apart leaving the front two a little further apart for an entrance. Then measure 8” from the bottom of the fabric at each post using a straight pin as your marker so you will know where to sew the plastic ring into place. Continue to measure every 18-20” at each post where the other 5 rings will go. Take fabric down from post and using strong thread or embroider floss sew the plastic rings into place. These will help hold the fabric in place when the teepee is standing and keep the posts separated evenly.

Step 5
Grommet time! Measuring 1 inch in from the side edge of the fabric and 1 inch down from the edge of the small half circle which is the top of the teepee, mark every 2 inches with a pen. A grommet will be set on each mark for a total of 6 grommets. Once you have marked where the grommets will go, cut the small circles out and then set your grommets.

Step 6
On the opposite side of fabric, measure 1 inch down from the top half circle and 2 inches in on the side of the fabric. Mark with a pen, every two inches for six grommets.

Once you have six grommets set on each side, lay your fabric painted side down and fold the side flaps over until you have both sides of the grommets matching up. Start on the underside, lacing the ribbon back to front through the grommets in the same style you would lace a shoe. Pull the ribbon to the front of the bottom two holes so you can tighten the fabric in place on the bamboo post!

Step 7
Sliding the bamboo post through the laced top part of the fabric, pull the bamboo post down through each ring on the inside of the fabric one at a time until all 6 post are through the rings. Then holding on to the top of the fabric, set the posts up spreading each post evenly, leaving the front two slightly further apart as this will be the entrance. Tighten the ribbon laces so the fabric stays on the post and finish in a knotted bow. Note: This process is easier with two people! I pinned my fabric in place at the top with a straight pin to help hold the fabric in place until the ribbon was tightened then I removed the pin!

Finished Teepee with the side flaps folded back and flaps down.

Step 8
Optional and Additional Views
I added a handful of ribbons around the rubber bands at the top for decoration.

Interior views, top of teepee and plastic rings around post.

Step 9
Have lots of fun!