Foolproof Fort
Ethan and I did a little project last week.
It’s been windy and cold outside and we’ve been running out of indoor activities. We made Valentine decor, heart-shaped food, colored, met friends at museums and toddler-rock’n-roll-playing coffee joints, played trains and kitchen and dinosaurs, read a hundred books.
One super fun source of indoor entertainment we’ve never successfully completed is building a fort.
When I was young, I was the fort-making queen. My parents had this incredible 80′s-style glass-and-metal table with huge leather and wood chairs (it was insane), each piece weighing what seemed like a million pounds—PERFECT fort building materials. Blankets, pillows, books, and toys made a wonderland of imagination for me and my friends. I remember supporting corners of blankets with this heavy old clay jug and other skull-crushing items that could have crashed down at any wrong movement. How we make it through childhood is beyond me.
I guess our furniture selection is just not fort-worthy. At least, not in the sense that doesn’t pose the risk of a chair toppling on him, undoubtedly leading to suffocation and/or a concussion.
So a few minutes spent reading Ana White’s website, a little trip to the hardware store (where a visit to the “big saw” was requested only to end in wimpers of “no saw, I’m scared!”), about $25, and a little sweat later, we had a perfect little “fort” with no chance of injury, one that doesn’t need to be disassembled…ever.
We had everything cut down at the hardware store. Paint was leftover from Ethan’s train board, side panels made from Target tab-top curtains I’ve had since college. Really.
It was Ethan’s first construction project so I started him off right—with sanding.
When everything was nice and smooth, we had lunch and the Peanut hit the hay while I took out the “big mama bit collection” and started drilling. As usual, Ana’s plans were very well illustrated and straightforward…we used her oven door plan for Ethan’s kitchen and it worked perfectly.
By the time Little Man woke, we were ready for paint. I wondered if painting with a toddler was the smartest idea…but we just went for it.
He did GREAT. Thank you Ikea for the $2 smock.
As I’d feared, the (almost) finished product was about four feet too tall. It was massive in our living room!
So a few days later the Hubs helped me cut it down with our chop saw (took each support to 46″). So much for making things easy by having all the wood pre-cut. I guess Ana’s house is much bigger than ours.
My next task was hemming, narrowing, and velcro-izing the panels. With a much shorter tent, my trusty old curtains were way too long. Plus, I wasn’t so sure about Ana’s suggestion to staple curtain to tent…it seemed much too permanent What if we want to add a stamped pattern? Or a window? Or change up the fabric? Velcro seemed safer.
Sure, it’s not the fastest way, but I think it was worth the time. And my $20 craigslist sewing machine handled it like a champ.
We’ve already done some good lazin’ around in the new fort. Or nook. Or tent. Whatever, Ethan seems to think it is pretty cool.
It’s also pretty popular with our furry friends.
I think I could spend a rainy day in this nook too. Pretty darn cozy.
Have you made anything by Ana?
Good on you.
Your posting brought back the memories of your Dining Room Table Forts.
Great job on the Tent. It will work outside too.
Totally! Now we just need a yard with grass to place it….
Looks GREAT!!! Nice job. Ethan is too stinkin’ cute all snuggled in there. You and Stu too of course.
Thank you! And you are the reason I found out about Ana in the first place!
Love it! I had pinned something like this and would love to give it a try. Great little escape for the wee ones…
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Well this is a super easy project…if you make it the right size to begin with (unlike me). :)
That’s funny. I had tab top curtains in my graduate school apartment too. My grandmother made them for me – copied them out of the Pottery Barn Catalog. I passed them onto friends of ours when we bought a house with giant ceilings, but that’s certainly a great way to reuse them.
A mail slot would be fun too – nothing overdone, because I like the simplicity of the whole thing. But I know my girls always manage to make some type of portal in all of their forts and pass letters to one another.
Mail slot is a GREAT idea. One of Ethan’s favorite things is walking down the street to mail letters.
I used to love making forts when I was little too! Under the dining table was the best (and my folks had crazy 70′s/80′s furniture too).
You’ve inspired me to make one of these for my little man for his first birthday. I think he might be a little young but the other kids coming to his party will get a kick out if it too!
wonderful! Please link back with the final result! 80′s furniture rocks.
The tent is just right. So comforting to curl up in a small cozy place. My cousin, Susie, and I used to make tents and forts under the family ping pong table. We hung towels and blankets to make rooms. We’d play in there for hours. Your uncles were big fort builders as well.
Ok that is just awesome! I like his little friends lined up in there! Zoo animals need a home too!
Thanks!
Pretty cute if you ask me.
I’m way too lazy to make something like that! we still enjoy the sheet and blanket type forts with big dictionaries holding down the corners. with a chemist hubs we have a ton of heavy books to choose from. but your fort is way cuter :)
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Love it! You’ve inspired me to make one for my kid ASAP! I really love that blue color too! :)
Great job!! We’re planning on making one for our little man’s first birthday and are between the tent and the teepee. I love that you got your son involved too! Always fun having projects that they can do too. :)
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