How to Make a Collapsible Indoor Tent

Tents don’t necessarily have to go outdoors. You can make a fun indoor tent that’s collapsible and will give the kids hours of enjoyment. This tent doesn’t need any stakes but you will have to have plenty of fabric. Consider sheets instead of other material, since they’re inexpensive and easy to work with, for this project.

Five twin sheets will make an excellent tent. You can purchase fabric, though, in smaller yardage than the sheets, if you’d like a shorter or smaller tent. Working with sheets makes it easier, since you don’t have to measure and cut each side of the tent.

Consider how much floor space you can spare for the tent. Remember that the tent is easily collapsible if it needs to be moved in a hurry. Measure out the amount of space you’re willing to give the tent, then cut a sheet or piece of fabric to that size, allowing a couple extra inches on each side for hemming, and making sure to cut the piece in a perfect square. If one end of the sheet is already hemmed, do not add the extra inches for that side.

The square piece, upon being completely hemmed, becomes the top of the tent. Each of the four remaining sheets will become a side of the tent. Stitch the first sheet onto one side of the tent, at the very top edge. Allow the edge of the tent top to barely hang over the top edge of the sheet. Continue this until you have three sides sewn onto the tent. For the fourth side of the tent, cut the sheet in half, lengthways, then hem the cut edges. Sew the sheet onto the tent, making the fourth side, including a doorway. Make tabs and sew one on the top section and one on the bottom section of each sheet edge. These are used to tie the sides shut.

In order to hang the collapsible tent insert four eye hooks into the ceiling. To make the tent collapse out of the way of guests, insert two of the eye hooks next to the top ceiling molding. The four hooks should align with the four corners of the tent top.
String wire through the tent at all four corners. Wad the wire into a ball shape at each end, inside the tent, to keep it from coming out when hung. String the wire up to the eye hooks, making sure to get the tent top level and even. Simply wrap the wire around the eye hook and it’ll hang until ready to collapse.

To collapse the tent just undo the front two wires. To remove the tent completely, just remove all four wires from the eye hooks. The tent is easy to hang again, and the kids will have a blast when they play in it.