DIY: No-Sew Bunk Bed Bungalow!

Tomorrow is my son, James' 4th birthday!  My, how time flies!  For his special day, we bought him bunk beds a few weeks ago.  He did so well in them the first week, and then for the second week, he all of a sudden didn't want to sleep in the top bunk anymore (which means he was kicking his baby brother - 21 months - out of the bottom bunk).  This didn't really work since this was Leyson's first time sleeping out of the crib... ever.  So today (the day before his birthday) I came up with a brilliant idea that would make him LOVE sleeping on the top bunk... a secret hideout TENT!

My idea was to go buy a simple shower curtain, stick some hooks into the wall, and drape the curtain over the top railing.  Well, after a quick looksie at Bed, Bath and Beyond, I decided that none of the shower curtains were quite what I was looking for (i.e. there weren't any fun boy prints that would coordinate with their bedroom OU/LSU or sports theme).  Lucky for me, Hancock Fabrics was next door!

Even luckier for me, I found some super awesome red and white striped football fabric on clearance for $1/yard!!!

Now, I may be good with a paint brush, but I do NOT sew... so this is a fabulous no-sew project that I invented on a whim.  Of course, if you're super awesome and want to sew it, by all means, go ahead :-)

Here's how it was done:

Materials:
Fabric (I used a little over a yard, but all spaces are a little different)
Fabri-Tac (permanent fabric adhesive)
7 - Tieback Hooks
7 - Round Cafe Clips
Velcro (heat-activated adhesive)
Velcro (sticky back)
2 - 10" Embroidery hoops
Nightlight or lantern

STEP 1:  Cut Fabric

Cut fabric to size, leaving 1" extra border.

STEP 2:  Seams

Use Fabri-Tac to make 1/2" seams.  (I zig zagged for extra coverage)

  

STEP 3:  Velcro on Fabric

Use heat-activated, Velcro (fuzzy side), across inside bottom of fabric.

 STEP 4:  Velcro on Bed

Use sticky back Velcro (scratchy side) on the under side of railing.

STEP 5:  Hooks

Measure and screw in 7 Tieback hooks on the wall in a horizontal line.

STEP 6:  Cafe Clips  

Hang fabric from hooks using the 7 cafe clips.

 STEP 6:  See how it Fits

Mark spots for port holes and remove fabric from the hooks.

 STEP 7:  Embroidery Hoops

Pattern side down, place the inner hoop under the fabric, and the outer hoop on top.  Tighten.

 STEP 8:  Cut Port Holes

Cut out the center of the circles, about 1" smaller than the hoop.

 

STEP 8.5:  Make Port Holes Pretty

Cut slits every few inches all the way to the hoop in the remaining 1" and, using your Fabri-Tac, glue that fabric around the hoop to cover the green.

Cover the outer hoop with your remaining 1" of the circle.

 STEP 9:  Finishing Up!

Now, go back and hook your top, Velcro your bottom, and you're good to go!

STEP 10:  Accessorize!

Add a lantern and all the scaries go away!

The Reveal:

 

(The crib won't be in there too much longer... so there may be another reveal coming up soon!)

UPDATE:  With the crib gone, we added some much-needed storage!!!