How to make a teepee without sewing – a quick and easy diy teepee tutorial!

A teepee that is put together with pillows and blankets inside
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Hello! Welcome from Pinterest, Google, or wherever you stumbled across my little blog. I am so excited to meet you! I hope you enjoy learning how to make a teepee with this easy tutorial and follow along on Instagram or subscribe here for more effortless ideas.

three little girls in a diy teepee tent

Ani’s birthday is just a week after Christmas, which makes gift-giving nearly impossible for her. We are fortunate to have a home full of toys, books, games and clothes. Still, I want her birthday to feel special, regardless of the date.

How to Make a Teepee

I thought about what I loved as a child and remembered a {Popples} tent that was securely placed on my bed for months on end. It was almost magical as a child to read books and play with my dolls in there.

My love for licensed merchandise ended with my youth and I wanted to create something beautiful that she could leave up – a fixture in her room, like Adalyn’s play table.

I decided to make her a teepee tent!

After researching them, I was taken aback by the cost and  couldn’t find the “perfect” kids teepee to fit the color palette and style of her room. That’s how most of my DIY projects begin – with a “need” to fill and no source to fill it.

You guessed it, today I’m sharing how to make a teepee! This simple do-it-yourself project is a true no sew teepee you can create in less than an hour for $60.

A teepee that is put together with pillows and blankets inside

Don’t let the instructions intimidate you…it’s like washing your hair: lather, rinse, repeat.

A teepee that is put together with pillows and blankets inside

How to Get Started

Before starting this project, I was a bit overwhelmed and worried it wouldn’t work. All of the methods I found demonstrated how to create no sew teepees with stitch witchery or by weaving fabric.

We wanted to create a teepee that would stand the test of time and show durability for our three toddlers.

A teepee that is put together with pillows and blankets inside

The teepee tent can easily fold up and be stowed away or be taken outdoors for an evening of fun. It is also the perfect size for a bedroom – 3 girls easily fit in it and have spent hours reading and playing.

I’m so thankful we took the leap and made a teepee for Ani. I hope they share the same fond memories I did as a child.

A teepee that is put together with pillows and blankets inside

Because our girls are little, I decided not to do ties. The heavy canvas folds back beautifully and stays without effort.

The heavy canvas drop cloth is durable, making it a great long-term teepee that’s stable as well. I added battery operated lights through the top of the teepee to make it even more enchanting!

A teepee that is put together with pillows and blankets inside

Supplies

Tools:

  • scissors
  • lighter
  • drill

How to Make a Teepee

Time: 30-45 minutes.

  1. Cut a large length of rope & burn the end.
  2. Drill hole in first pole at 5″.
  3. String rope through the hole & tie a knot where it meets the pole. 
    A teepee being put together A close up of a hand tying a knot
  4. Create a faux teepee with your poles to see how they need to lay to be stable. Using 4 poles, it’s best to have the front wider & the back of the teepee more narrow. See how pole #2 lies to meet pole #1 & drill a hole at that distance.  A teepee being put together
  5. Feed the rope through pole #2, then wrap it around a couple times in various directions to stabilize it. 
  6. Add pole #3, testing where to place it, drill hole, feed rope & wrap.
  7. Repeat for pole #4. Wrap the rope over & under, then around the teepee several times. 

    A teepee being put together
  8. Open your drop cloth horizontally & find the middle. Start draping it from the back of the teepee & secure at the top of your teepee {where the poles meet} with one screw. Drill a hole through the pole first, add a washer to your screw & insert screw through both fabric & pole. 
    A teepee being put together
  9. Continue draping your fabric around the sides as it falls naturally, tucking excess at the floor under, trying to keep it tight & uniform where your poles meet. Adjust your poles slightly if needed, then use a screw on each side {same method} to secure the fabric. A teepee being put togetherOptional: roll or cut the excess fabric in the interior. We chose to roll.

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114 Comments

  1. Hi Julie,

    My husband and I love this and are planning to make it for our girls for Christmas. I’m just wondering how tall it is on the inside at its peak. I know you used 6′ dowles, but with everything completed and the canvas on what is the completed height inside? Our daughters are quite tall for their age and I wonder if they’ll be able to stand in it or not. Thanks for sharing your idea and your time!

    1. I’ve never measured, but they sit and lay in it bs stand in it. It’s currently in Ani’s room. You can always use larger dowels if you’d like.

        1. We just come back from buying all the supplies. A bit more expensive here in Canada ~$100CAD and we got everything we needed at home depo.
          We’re just waiting for our almost 3 year old to go down for his nap and we’ll be putting it together. His birthday is a few days after Christmas and I want to make sure his birthday is special…he is going to freak out when he wakes up and sees a teepee tent in his room!
          I’m knitting a little bear rug to put in the bottom and adding lights too.
          Thanks so much for this awesome idea !

        2. So fun! I hope you have a great time celebrating! A couple years later and our daughter still loves and uses hers daily!

  2. After looking at this again and again, I think I will finally take the plunge and make this for my son’s birthday in December. Unfortunately the materials over here in Germany are quite a bit more expensive, but I really think it’ll be worth it. Could you by any chance tell me what type of screws you have used? Also, how easy is it to actually collapse and stow away?

  3. It looks like there are poles on the bottom of the teepee, that you’ve wrapped the canvas around and serve to stabilize the four upper poles of the teepee, but I don’t see any mention of those extra dowels in the instructions. could you please explain?

    1. No, we just used 4 poles – the canvas rests on the front two poles. Let me know if you have any questions, I’m happy to help!