playtime: indoor tent

Baby, has it been cold outside here in New York! It all started last Friday with temperatures in the single digits and six inches of snow, leading to one of our infrequent snow days. Over the weekend, it remained cold. Then on Sunday it warmed up a bit but the the freezing drizzle started.  This morning it’s almost hot outside but raining hard. And then tonight the temperature will drop by 50 degrees again, putting us back in the single digits. There’s only one word for this weather: Yuck!

Winter in this part of the country means more time indoors and less time at the playground. Which means we need to come up with activities to combat winter boredom. So I thought it might be fun to blog about fun sewing projects for indoor playtime. We’ll feature a few ideas to get you inspired. If you have additional ideas, please chime in by leaving a comment! We can all use a little sewing inspiration this time of year. (Those of you in the southern hemisphere, please do your best to not rub it in right now, OK? You can keep busy sewing Bucket Hats for days at the beach this month while we’re doing our best to stay warm.)

To kick the series off (and to start what we’re calling “unofficial fabric week”), I thought I would start with these tents that we have been making as gifts for S’s friends. Everyone loves them! The idea and instructions for this project comes from Cakies. You can find the the full tutorial by following the link.

 

play-tent-1

 

This tent is really easy to make and requires only a few supplies. It’s also a great way to highlight a large piece of fabric featuring a fun print. (Or maybe to just use up a big piece of fabric in your stash that you haven’t been able to find anything else to do with!) And best of all, the tent comes apart for storage, so we even have room for it in our apartment.

 

play-tent-above

 

S and I used some of the Lisette chevron twill from my newest collection for Spotlight to make our tent. I was planning to make myself a dress with this fabric, but I fear that I’ve used it all up now. We added a felt bunting for a little extra color and fun. (To make it, I simply cut a bunch of felt triangles and machine stitched them to a length of baker’s twine with a small zigzag stitch.)

 

play-tent-inside

 

Bear gave S a big stack of books for Christmas, so now she has a cozy spot to read them all. Bear has been joining her in the tent since he is learning to read now. And he’s still wearing his green underpants. He’s been wearing underpants for so long now that he looks naked without them when we take them off to do laundry!

Stay tuned in coming weeks for more fun indoor playtime projects.



 

10 Comments

  1. We just made one of these for our kids, it’s easy to make and provides hours of entertainment!

  2. christina

    I made one of these tents too though it doesn’t see much action around here. I think because we live in the country and have a big garden, it’s a little too small for play — often I’ll find something placed in there but my daughter swinging in the hammock or sprawled on the porch to read. I can see, however, how it might be much more fun in a city apartment. To carve out a little personal private space there would be a treat.

  3. Sharon

    Oh this is so cute! I have been wanting to make two of these for my kids, I’ll have to try!

  4. My eldest Hugo has to make one of these for Tildy! (My youngest)

  5. This is fantastic Liesl! Such a great idea. I’d love to make one for the beach 🙂

  6. sorry…I didn’t read that sentence about not gloating over my Australian summer…my humblest apologies 🙂

  7. Heidi

    Liesl, when it’s 45ºC (115ºF) outside and doesn’t cool off until the sun goes down, a few indoor activites are a sanity saver! 🙂

  8. Sarvi

    Santa brought a nifty set of tools this year. This will be a perfect first woodworking project to make with grandpa, and a great way for me to use some of that dec weight that was too adorable to pass up but not that easy to use for garments.

    I’ve been meaning for ages to make a variation on this theme — sort of a giant, whatsit? the fabric you tie around a chair that’s sort of sewn like a loose cushion cover? — but a table cloth, so the whole dining table can be a little log cabin.

  9. Hi,
    I’d like to use a pic of this post on my blog for a feature. is this ok? obviously this will be with a link to this post! if you give me an email adress, I can also send you a preview!

    cheers Annika

    1. Annika, that’s perfectly fine. Go ahead and do that.

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