LLK Tee Pee Sew A Long Day 3: Adding Ruffles, Removing PVC Lettering

For those of you wishing to add ruffles to your Tee Pee, lets go to page 8 of the Tutorial.

Determine how many ruffle layers you wish to make, and of which colors/prints.  (The amount of fabric and what sizes/lengths to cut can be found on the optional ruffle cutting chart on page 3.)  Draw a picture or lay out the panel(s) you will add ruffles to, situate the fabrics in layers until you find what will work best for you.  You don't have to add ruffles at all.  You can fill every panel with ruffles, or you can place ruffles on only one or two panels, spaced along the panel, or filling the panel -- its up to you!

I think I'll only add about 3 ruffles to two panels.  

Let's iron our fabric.  I am pressing the top and bottom layers of the ruffle pieces as directed in the Tutorial, using my iron to create and hold the hem in place until I sew.  

To make ironing this very, very, long ruffle piece, I am folding the fabric as I go -- to give me more room on the ironing board.  It really helps a lot!  

When I get to the sewing machine or serger to start ruffling, I have a tidy pile to bring to the machine.

Let's gather the panels which will have ruffles, a straight ruler/edge, washout cloth pencil/pen.

Using the directions on page 8 of the Tutorial, mark horizontal lines for placement of the ruffles.

Page 9 of the Tutorial gives instructions on how to gather your ruffle pieces.  There are several ways to gather fabric:  sewing machine, serger, ruffler foot, are the ways I am aware of.  

My husband gave me a ruffler foot for Valentine's Day a couple of years ago -- that's what I will be using.

After gathering for what may feel like forever : ), follow the instructions on Page 10 to sew your ruffles to the panel(s).  If you are adding ruffles to the door panels, instructions for that are on Page 11.

I think I like this for my panels . . . . what do you think?

Upload your photos showing your progress here on Facebook:  Sewalong Tent

Don't forget:

We will be giving away not just one prize but three! Yes -Three winners will be chosen at the end of the sew-a-long, a random participation winner, fan favorite and a Little Lizard King choice! 

We will begin assembly of the tent next time we meet!

Gloria

BONUS:  How to remove the lettering on your PVC poles

Its much easier than you think!  100% Acetone Nail Polish Remover!  Enjoy!

LLK Tee Pee Sew Along Day 2 - Cutting out the Tent Pieces

Your fabrics/sheets are washed and dried . . . . have you pressed/ironed them?  It is very important to iron all of your pieces, whether you use your iron to mark cutting lines or just to make sure everything is pressed well to make cutting easier, let's do that first.  I recommend using Fabric Sizing or a spray starch.  It really makes ironing easier!

I'll have these tools with me today:

My kindle which has the Tutorial loaded on it, Magic Sizing for my ironing, a measuring tape, a washout cloth marking pencil, my rotary cutter and rulers, and a chalk line tool.

Page 5 of the tutorial is the beginning of "Cutting the Fabric".  We will cut four panels -- this is what the tutorial refers to as the Large Panel.

I ironed my fabric, and folded the Large Panel in half, then marked the cutting line at the top.  We are not concerned about selvage on this project.  We are concerned about making sure we have fabric pieces that are within the required measurements.  When the Large Panel is folded in half, we need to be sure that we will have enough width at the bottom to mark our diagonal line for cutting out the panel.

I've used my washout cloth marking pencil to mark the points required in the tutorial at the top and at the bottom of the Large Panel.  (remember your panel is folded in half now)

Now I'm going to make a line to meet the two marks.

I like to use a chalk line marker, 

but you can use a long ruler or any other straight edge to help you mark the panel shape.  

You may wish to mark your lines on the wrong side of your fabric.  Its personal preference here!

Cut on the marked line.  Repeat with all Large Panels.  Hold onto your remnant/leftovers.  One section will be used for the front door.

Cut the remnant section into two identical/mirror images for the door panel.  (see Tutorial page 7 for photo)

Iron/press your pole fabric, and cut out 5 pieces following the measurements in the tutorial.

If you are using the optional door ties, you'll need to cut four pieces of ribbon, bias tape, or whatever you'd like to use as ties.

We'll cut and assemble Ruffles tomorrow for those who are adding them!

Gloria

Little Lizard King Tee-Pee Tutorial Sew Along - Day 1

Two little girls that I've "adopted" as my grandchildren have just discovered the fun of playing in large boxes. Perfect timing since we're about to make a tee-pee for them to hide and play in!

LittleLizardKing has a beautifully designed Tee-pee Tutorial.  (Photo courtesy of Little Lizard King) 

And I get to host my very first sew-a-long this week!  

If you haven't bought the Tutorial yet, you can find it here.

First, let's gather our supplies

I went to my local Ace Hardware store to purchase (3) 3/4" PVC poles (each pole was 10' long); and (5) 3/4" stoppers to cover the bottom ends of each pole.  You can cut the poles in half yourself with a hacksaw; or, you can ask the employees in your hardware store to cut them for you like I did!

If the cut ends of your pole are a bit ragged, don't worry.  Those ends we will cover with the stoppers (or crutch covers) and the ends that were not cut will be used at the top of the Tee Pee.  (If you've got tennis balls, they'll work too - but will be a bit bulky when you close the Tee Pee for storage.)

Now, let's buy or re-purpose some fabric!

If you plan to re-purpose sheets or curtains, I found an article here to help you determine how much yardage you have in those items.  If you've changed bedroom themes and you've got extra sheets filling up your linen closet, here's your chance to use them!  Or better yet, you WANT to change your bedroom and the kids really want a Tee Pee . . . . Or, go by Goodwill or a thrift store.  There's always something there you can use and you'll be helping others by donating/buying from a charity.

I always wash and dry my fabrics before sewing.  This reduces the chance of shrinkage after the project is complete.  If you're using sheets, you've already washed them hundreds of times!

I purchased some fabrics from Fabric.com and have some lace, ribbons, and cording that I may use as well.

While your fabric is washing/drying, cut your poles in half if you haven't already had the Helpful Hardware Man help you in the store.  

We'll be cutting out fabric the next time we meet!

Gloria