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Monday, July 18, 2011

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!!!

3 comments:

  1. That's awesome!! I want one over my bed!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great job! Such a fun "fort" for kids! Thanks for linking up. Our link up party at Design Dazzle will be changing to Kids Spaces. Make sure to check back for our start up date to share again : )

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a fantastic idea-Thanks for auditioning for American Crafter!

    ReplyDelete

Hi, this is Casey! Thank you for your interest in Kidspired Creations! Please leave a message below so I know that you stopped by and please, e-mail me at kidspiredcreations@gmail.com if you have any questions about my art.