Do your kids need a play tent too? Let’s make one!
- 5 yards of fabric. (I picked up a Queen sheet set for $1 at a thrift store and had more than enough fabric for my tent.)
- Four 1″ x 2″ boards that are 4 feet long (They sell these in 8 foot boards at the hardware store so you can buy 2 of them and have them cut in half at the store.)
- 14 yards of ribbon (or bias tape) cut into 16 pieces, that are 30 inches long each.
- Three 4 foot long wooden dowels that are 1/2″ in diameter.
- A drill with a 1/2″ drill bit.
- Sewing machine and basic sewing supplies
Thanks for checking out my Collapsible Fabric Play Tent…for kids! post. Check out my full collection of DIY Sewing articles. Find even more sewing projects, patterns, and tips for beginners and advanced sewists by Liz Call, Mariah Leeson, Randi Dukes and Tauni Everett.
So cute! My kids are tween to teens, so I will be saving this idea for future grand children * gasp! * ;-)
Thanks Sharlyn! I am sure your future grandchildren will love a tent :)
Love this! I’ve been wanting to make something like this for a while now but haven’t been able to find clear instructions anywhere. This is great. Thanks so much.
Thanks Sarah! I am glad I could help, the tent really comes together easy once you get through the cutting of 5 yards of fabric!
I have a photography prop Etsy shop. Can I make these and add them to my shop??
I am so glad you love the tent Cherish! If you do want to make and sell them, I would prefer if your put your own spin on it somehow.
Not a problem!! I will put my own creative touch to it! Thank You!!
You could use velco strapping and put a window in by using clear plastic “fabric” and/or zipper openings.
This is so cute. My grandson is only 10 months and will love it. Going to make it soon!
Thank you for the instructions!
Oh, a 10 month old would have a ball with this! Thanks Patricia!
This is a great tent! The directions are amazingly easy to follow. Thank you so much. My 2 yr class will love it.
I am sure the tent will be a hit in your 2 year old class!
Thanks for the great idea and instructions! It seems quite affordable to make, and easy to manage and store I’m thinking it would be a little more weather resistant if made with nylon fabric or lighter weight tarp material.
It is really affordable, especially if you go the thrifted sheet set route. All my supplies cost under $15! The nylon is a great idea too!
Awesome!! I’ve got a Craft Gossip post that links to your tutorial here:
https://sewing.craftgossip.com/tutorial-collapsible-play-tent/2014/07/15/
–Anne
Thanks Anne! I love it when you link my projects :)
Cool tent!
I’m not a super sew-er but I think I could even follow these awesome directions. Does the fabric itself stop the whole thing from collapsing flat down on the heads of the kids? I don’t see anything to the wood construction that would stop the bottoms spreading out if they got pushed from the inside.
Thanks LauraRose! Yes, the fabric keeps the tent from collapsing, since it is sewn above the door, it can’t open any wider. You could add 2 more 1 X 2’s across the bottom in the front and back if you wanted it to be a bit sturdier, but this way holds up well with my 2 kiddos!
I love it! I have been eyeing these play tents but hadn’t had time to search for a tutorial. I love this one. Thank you so much for doing this.
Awesome! I have a card table tent for the grandsons (I have them 12 hrs a day lol) in the house. But I bet they would like something like this outside! Of course..no “girly” material allowed rofl..
Hello, I made one but the wood keeps coming apart from the dowel?? It was hard to get the dowel through the holes… But once I have it up it moves away from the dowel… And then came off while I’m trying to screw the two bottom dowel…?
My husband was thinking of using a cotter (sp?) pin on the end of the dowel to keep the wood from moving too far out of place.
I had so much fun making this tent! Thank you for the tutorial. After a little brain storming session, we came up with the idea of using a 3/4 in PVC pipe, cutting it into 1/2 in pieces, drilling a hole through the side and sliding them over the 5/8 in dowels in front of the wood then securing them using a small screw. This takes care of the issue and is very low cost. Hope this helps.
I’m in the process of making this, but I can’t get the doors right. One side shows the right side of the fabric and the other side shows the wrong side. In looking at the cutting directions, all 4 triangles are exactly the same instead of having mirror images. It seems that the instructions don’t work for fabric with a pattern on it. :(. Any suggestions?
I am having the same problem!! I’m stumped, will be trying to fix it this afternoon. I’ll post back if I have any suggestions.
I figured it out. You need to cut the second set of triangles in the opposite direction. Then they will be mirror images. It would be helpful if this were explained in the directions. Unfortunately I have no more fabric, so I can’t cut a new one. :(
I am so sorry about that! The rectangles need to be cut opposite for the mirror image triangles. I am going to update the instructions, so so sorry!!
I’m very new to the sewing machine and am in the process of making this for my niece…although I’m struggling lol. Have you thought of doing a video tutorial. I currently have all the cut pieces but I do believe I messed up on the triangle pieces as well :(
I just made this for my 2 yr old daughter.
I used a light pink duck cloth so it was nice and strudy. This pattern was so easy to follow and gave clear instuction.
I’m an intermediate sewer and it took me several hours to complete. But, it was worth it! I adore it and so will my daughter!
Thank you for the tutorial!
Hi, I am in progress with making an A frame tent for my son, and a friend for Christmas. The problem we are running into is the dowel slips right out of the top part causing a collapse. We used the 3/4’s dowels and a 3/4s bit. However snug the fit it relaxes just enough to slip off if the kids bump it just right (we were testing out the stability). Have you had this issue and what solution did you come up with?
Thanks!!!
-Olivia
I have made two so far and they turned out really well! Thank you for the clear and accurate directions :-) I also tried a more “simple” version from someone else and it was a disaster, haha.
Thanks for the great instructions. In the big panel, I used one fabric for 72 inches of it and 12 inches on either end to add a different color. I also added about 1 inch to all the measurements so I could put a clean hem along all the lines. My nephews will love this!
The flap instructions need to be modified. If you cut them as shown you have 2 sets of right hand side flaps. Fortunately, I was able to turn the miss cut material into a pillow. Twill tape works better than double-fold bias tape.
I made this for my two boys, ages almost 5 and 2 years old, and they love it. The tutorial was well-done and easy to follow. They love having the flaps for doors and being able to tie them open or leave them closed. Thanks for a wonderful tutorial and idea!!!
Made this for my two kiddos ages 3 and almost 2. Instructions were easy to follow even for a rank beginner seamstress like myself. Toughest part was wrangling such a large piece of fabric. Thanks for a great tutorial!
i made a tent for my grandson following your pattern. I can not get the triangular flaps to hang straight. They hang at an angle with the tips, inner sides that meet in the middle of the opening, dragging several inches on the floor. Have any idea what I did wrong? I am an experienced sewer and baffled why this is not closing with the triangular pieces even and straight with the sides.
Thanks, Peggy
Peggy, It sounds like you did what I did wrong…you sewed the wrong side of the triangle panel on. You need to switch the panels (from right to left and left to right side) and sew the opposite side of the triangle (the other straight side).
I’m planning on making a tent for my daughter to use indoors. Love your instructions but not sure I can follow the sewing directions. They are great, but I’m a bit dull when it comes to sewing. I too would love a video should you ever make one. Thanks for such a cute tutorial.
do you make these and sell them?
This is extremely wobbly. It needs some sort of a brace or it will fall over. Pinterest fail :(
I love this idea but I’m not able to print from this webpage. Can you add a print button?
Hi, I’m making this tent currently and directions are pretty easy. I opted to serge the seams where it made sense which made it go by much faster! The most time-consuming task, I found, was making the 16 ties, no joke.
Make two long ties then cut them the length you need instead of making 16 individual ties.
I made about a hundred tepees years ago this tent idea is awesome to make a different type for the boys versus girls ideas. thanks!
Worried about it opening too far apart and flattening the kids LOL. I picture adding 4 corner ties to an old blanket to make a floor to the tent, with the 4 legs tied to the rug, so the legs can’t spread out any further than the blanket.
Regarding the legs falling off the top dowel, I imagine some of those super spring clips from the hardware store would hold it, or something else really easy to rig.
The worst that could happen here is a bonk on the head, don’t you think? This is not architecture. If you don’t like it, make it your way. Very adorable project.
1. Regarding the tent opening apart too far, you can drill holes near the top and tie some clothesline or similar cord across to max opening width.
2. I used 1 x 3 inch boards a little wider and a 1 1/4″ dowel for the top. It added more cost (due to the dowel)
3. I extended the “tops” of the wood V so that that I had room to cut a decorative head stock like a viking tent. I then wood burned some nice designs.
Thanks for the great idea and instructions! It seems quite affordable to make, and easy to manage and store I’m thinking it would be a little more weather resistant if made with nylon fabric or lighter <a href="https://bagcottage.com/best-backpacks-for-kids/">weight tarp material</a>.