Make a teepee for the kids

Gather your supplies

• Five 1.8m dowels, 25mm diameter
• Drill and bit (to fit rope)
• 1-2m rope or twine
• 3m x 150cm-wide fabric of your choice (see Tip, below)
• Sewing machine and thread
• 2-3m narrow ribbon (optional)
• 1m x 25mm ribbon, for tiebacks

Tip

Choose sheer or printed fabric, or calico. You could also chop up a canvas drop sheet if you wanted a more robust covering. Sewing not your strong suit? For a no-sew version, buy a couple of sheer curtains from Bunnings, thread some ribbon through the casing, draw up tight and finish with a bow, then drape them around the frame.

Here’s how

Step 1 Drill a hole through each dowel, 20cm from top.

Step 2 Thread rope or twine through holes and tie off, not too tightly, then wrap excess around, over and under dowels and secure ends.

Step 3 From fabric, cut 5 triangular panels, each 142cm high, 12cm across top and 72cm across bottom.

Step 4 With right sides together and allowing 1cm seams, sew panels to each other along long edges, one after another, until they are joined into a circle. (If you want, you can catch one or two narrow ribbon ties into the inside of each of these seams, so that the cover can be tied to the frame, if desired.)

Step 5 For the opening, cut straight up the middle of one panel, from bottom to top.

Step 6 With right sides together, stitch a seam down from the top edge about 30cm, reinforcing stitching at bottom of seam. Press under remaining raw edges on each side and stitch in place.

Step 7 Press under and stitch a narrow hem all around top and bottom edges.

Step 8 Arrange teepee frame on floor, spacing dowels evenly apart. Slip teepee cover over the frame, moving the poles so they are positioned along the seams (tying, if you have added ties), and centring the opening between two poles.

Step 9 Cut 25mm ribbon in half. Tie one piece halfway up the pole on each side of the opening and use to tie the flaps back.