Fabric Pup Tent

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canvas outdoor tent
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ReadyMade

Posted by ReadyMade  
by Elka Karl; Photos by Greg Scheidemann

Elka Karl, an editor at CasaSugar, has been looking for ways to turn her backyard into a Swiss Family Robinson-meets-Sunset outdoor living compound--a place to enjoy a book and feel the warmth of the sun without the wrath of the burn. Her solution? A pup tent made with leftover fabric, some wood, an electric screwdriver, and the help of a friend. 

Skill Level

Moderate

Active Time

Half a day

Cost

$$

    Materials

  • 3 yds of upholstery-weight cotton fabric or painter’s canvas, raw edges hemmed
  • Twenty ½-inch finishing screws
  • Four 2- to 3-inch wood screws
  • Four 6-foot-long boards, between 4 and 6 inches wide
  • Two 1x3s, about 5 feet long
  • One 1×1×5-foot-long wooden board

    Tools

  • Power drill
  • A friend (to help hold the tent)
  • Pencil
 
1

Using 3 yards of fabric, each wall of your tent will be 54 inches high and about 56 inches wide (you can make it wider or narrower; most fabric is 56 inches wide).

2

Mark your 1×1×5 board so it will overlap the legs of the structure on each end by about 2 inches with enough room in between for the width of your fabric. This will be the top of the tent.

3

Measure each of your 6-foot-long boards and mark them at 52 inches, or half of the length of the fabric minus 2 inches on either end.

4

With the long screws, screw two boards together so they form an X. Repeat on remaining two long boards to make the legs of your structure.

5

Have your friend hold one end of the two boards while you hold the other. Place the 1×1×5 board above the X in your boards.

6

Move the 1×1×5 so the marks you made overlap the X. Screw this board into the notch of the X with the last two long screws. Add one 1×3×5 to each side of the structure, about halfway down, to add stability.

7

With a friend’s help, evenly drape the fabric over the pup tent structure and hold the fabric very taut. Drill five short finishing screws, from top to bottom, into each edge of the fabric along the sides of the boards.

8

Variations:

To make the fabric removable and washable, hem and mark where it will hit the top, center, and bottom of each support. Sew the center of an 18-inch piece of jute to each mark, and use jute to tie the fabric to the structure.

Make it weatherproof with oilcloth.

Use an old sheet or tablecloth instead of buying new fabric.