tepee tutorial

Few years ago I put few bamboo sticks together to make a tepee for my daughter. I used old sheets and then I procrastinated to find the final solution... until last week! 
While making it ( with one of my favourite inexpensive fabric) I took few pictures of it so to make a tutorial for you.
It's very easy to make, if you don't have a sewing machine or aren't confident in sewing, just find a wider fabric (old bedlinen sheets are great) and simply garter the fabric at the top and tie it up around the poles.

This tepee was tested in the garden and indoors too, if you don't have a garden it doesn't really matter as it looks great in any home and it is easy to store away.

Material : 
You will need a sewing machine, scissors, pins, safety pin, iron, ironing board or table.

5 bamboo poles or other wood (180cm long, 1cm diameter).
8.5 metres of white cotton muslin (or gauze) 90cm wide
white thread
2 metres string, cotton ribbon or rope.

Total cost £20. Time, less than 3 hours.

Cut the fabric to make 5 panels 170cm long each.
Sew them together on the selvedges with a simple line stitch, then with a zig zag stitch to re-inforce it (by folding on one side then sewn with a wide zig zag stitch). 

Fold* the fabric roughly 1cm all along the top side, iron, then fold a second time (1cm) then leaving 5cm fabric aprox  fold one more time at the end.
Place the pins to secure the fabric then sew two lines leaving enough space for the safety pin and string to pass through.

*to make it as neat as possible I use the iron and press all along the fold.

Place a safety pin at the tip of your ribbon/string/rope and pass it over inside the folded upper side, garter, pull and leave roughly 20cm at each end of the string.

 
Bundle up the bamboo sticks, tie them up with rope, stand them up and spread the sticks in order to stand alone on the ground, making one opening wider ( the entrance). Push them down a bit securely in the ground.
If used inside you might want to use those anti-slippery round felts or rubber.
Place the fabric around the the top of the sticks and then tie it up securely on one or two of the sticks.

Decorate!