Carla Sacca - October 6, 2020

How to Make a Teepee Tent

Kids' teepee tents are a super cute and stylish addition to their bedroom or play area. Not only are they cozy and exciting, but they provide a space that your kids can use in several beneficial ways.

A kids teepee can also offer your kid a special place to read, create art, or retreat from the world. They also inspire independence and imagination, as your child will likely use it to play “house” by themselves, with siblings and friends.

Store-bought teepee tents are nice, but they’re costly. You also may not find one that suits your child’s room or the colors they like. So why not make your own? Don’t worry; it’s easy! Keep reading to learn how to make a kids teepee tent that your child will love.

The Supply List:

The first thing you need to do is round up all the materials to build your teepee tent. Starting with the frame, you’ll need the following:

Five wooden round poles, with an approximate height of six feet
Quality rope—about one yard and 0.635 cm in diameter
A drill
Sandpaper (for any rough patches caused by drilling)

For the rest of the teepee tent materials, you’ll need:

150 cm of quality fabric (that’s about 57-60 inches)
150 cm of bias tape
366 cm of trim (optional)
Measuring tape
Measuring tape
Measuring tape
Pins
Fabric chalk
A sewing machine
Thread (preferably matching to the fabric)
Fabric scissors
Any decorative pieces you’d like to add

It’ll likely take you roughly 5 to 6 hours to complete the kid’s teepee tent project. If you don’t have a sewing machine, you can get away with following the steps to make the teepee tent frame and simply draping the fabric around it.

How to Make a Teepee Tent:

Here are the steps to making the teepee tent frame, draping, and how to string it all together:

Step 1: Drill the Holes

First, you need to drill the rope holes in your round poles. You’ll want to choose a drill bit that’s equal to or slightly larger than the circumference of your rope. (That would be a 0.635 cm drill bit).

Step 2: Thread Your Rope

Lay your round poles flat and side by side. Thread your rope through them, tying a secure knot at the end. Now, stand your threaded round poles up and arrange them into a “teepee shape.”

Wrap the rest of the rope around the round poles. First, wrap a loop around each round pole individually and then around them all at once. Secure your wrapping with a knot and cut off any excess rope.

Step 3: Take Measurements and Create Your Pattern

Now that you’ve created a frame for the teepee tent, you can take measurements for your pattern.

First, measure from the top (where the fabric will start) to the bottom alongside the angled round poles
Next, measure the distance between the top of the round poles where the fabric will rest
Lastly, measure the distance between the bottom of the round poles at their widest point

Take your measurements and begin outlining your pattern into the fabric using your fabric chalk. Be sure to add seam allowances, so you have enough material to sew together.

You can find the seam allowances using this formula:

Width measurement + 2[(round pole width x 2) +3.048 cm]

You’ll need to make as many panels as you have round poles, which is 5. Keep in mind that your door panel will be larger than the others, and you’ll be cutting a slit in it later.

Step 4: Sew Your Panels Together

Pin your panels together, right side out, along your width allowance line. (It should be a 1.27 cm seam).

Once you’ve sewn all the panels together, they should form a circle. The seams will be sticking out after you’ve sewn the panels, but that will be taken care of in the next few steps.

Step 5: Hem the Edges

Now, using a 1.27 cm seam width, you can hem the top and bottom of your covering. The hem should be folded back on the opposite side of your fabric. The opposite side is the white or lighter side of your fabric.

Step 6: Create Round Poles' Slits

Now you need to sew five slits for each round pole. The circumference of your round poles was 1.905 cm, but you’ll need to double that. Then, sew each slit approximately 3.81 cm from the seam. This is to ensure that the round poles can slide in and out of the fabric with ease.

Ensure that when you sew your round poles slits, you have the fabric facing the correct side out. The correct side would be the side with the fabric you want to be exposed. This will also take care of those exposed seams we mentioned earlier.

Step 7: Decorate with Your Trim (Optional)

Now it’s time to cut the slit to create the opening of your teepee tent. From there, you can choose to decorate the entrance with a fun trim, bias tape, or simply hem each side of the opening.

You can also add some closure loops or buttons to pull back and secure some of the door fabric.

Step 8: Assemble Your Teepee Tent!

To assemble your teepee tent, turn your frame of round poleson their side. They’ll collapse together, much like an umbrella—don’t worry, that’s supposed to happen!

From there, thread the round poles through the round poles' slits. Then stand your teepee upright to space out the round poles in a teepee-shape. Voila! Your kid now has a custom-made teepee tent for their room!

The best thing about making your own teepee tent from scratch is that you get to customize it to your child’s liking. It’s a good idea to get them involved in the project by letting them pick the fabric they like as well as how they’d like to decorate the inside. Including them will give them an even greater appreciation for their new space as well as a sense of accomplishment.

However if you want to just purchase a really good quality teepee that has the safety balls so that it doesn't fall down. We have a really good quality one here. Highton Teepee