DIY no sew teepee prop
I will admit, I'm addicted to making my own props. One of my latest is this adorable newborn teepee. Now before I start I must apologize for the pictures. They're taken and uploaded with my phone and I must say that the lighting in my house stinks. That and well just like any parent of a toddler knows, my carpet isn't in the most amazing condition and there are toys everywhere (I've learned not to clean until after the rugrat has gone to bed ;) ). Please take note that the sizes I used for this is for newborns and can be adjusted accordingly to how large and what age you want.
Now here's what you'll need:
- 2 yards of material (I used a knit material)
- 5 wooden poles (Mine were 5/8" by 3' and purchased at Hobby Lobby)
- Drill
- Hot glue gun
- Twine
- Scissors
1. First you'll need to drill small holes on one end in each pole all the way through, 3" down from the top. Use a size drill bit that makes a big enough hole to put the twine through but not too much bigger.
2. Now thread your twine through each hole. I found it easier to add a small amount of scotch tape to the end of the tape like a shoe lace, to prevent fraying while threading it through. After threading the twine through all 5 poles cut the twine with enough room to tie a loose enough bow for the poles to slightly be moved around.
3. Now that all the poles are tied together position them so that they're standing and spaced out where you want them. Leave two with a larger space in-between, this will be your door. If you need to, tighten your bow after positioning the poles where you wish. Once positioned put some hot glue in-between each pole where they're touching each other for some added security.
4. Once the glue has dried (it should dry pretty quickly), glue the end of a new piece of twine near where you tied your bow. Tightly wrap your twine around all the poles securing them into position. Make sure to tuck your bow in while doing this. This next step isn't necessary but I randomly put some more hot glue (idk what I would do without hot glue in my life) in different spots where the twine and poles meet for the additional security.
5. It's time to lay the fabric. Since I used 3' poles and the fabric I bought was 6' X 6' I was able to fold it in half so that you can see the pattern on both the inside and out. With it being folded in half I laid the middle of the fabric (folded side on top) across the back pole and adjusted the sides accordingly. I chose to get additional fabric than needed so that I could fold it over itself a few times for the style I was wanting.
6. Now that the fabric is placed where you want it, hot glue about 1" on the top and bottom of each pole so that the fabric will stay in place. For the front two poles hot glue down the entire pole.
7. If you want the same style I did, take the front curtain and fold it over itself a few times to make the door wide open. Time for some more hot glue! Randomly hot glue different spots to keep the folds attached to each other.
8. THATS IT!!! Your teepee is all done. Do you like how yours turned out? Feel free to add some kind of sign or embellishments to it to add more detail or personalize it to your style. Feel free to send me pics of your finished product :)
