Monday, February 6, 2012

A Castle For Two- Card Table Playhouse Tutorial

This year for Christmas I made my twin nephews a card table playhouse. So here is my little tutorial on how make a Card Table Playhouse.
Step 1: Decide your theme and colors. I went with a medieval theme. I designed it out on a piece of paper and estimated how much of each color I would need so I wouldn't buy too much felt. Total I spent about $14 on felt on sale at JoAnn's plus a little bit that I had set aside from something else.
Step 2: Draw it out on paper. Know what you want to do before you start cutting. This is what probably helped me out the most through the process, being able to go back and see what I had started with.
Step 3: Next you do the measurements. KNOW THE SIZE OF YOUR TABLE. Seriously, can't stress it enough. Now if you know your measurements for example say your table is 34Lx34Wx28H, you want the 4 sides to be 35x29. The top should be 35 by 35. Use 1/2 in seam allowances, if you don't trust yourself add an inch to each side and make them 1 in. SA.
Step 4: Cut out the four sides and the top of the table using your measurements.
Step 5: Decide on your decals. Use the drawing you did in step 2 to help you draw them out. You can make them on paper and then trace it onto the felt, I drew mine by hand onto the felt. While drawing on the felt I did everything mirrored and used a Crayola marker on the wrong side of my decal to draw it all out before I cut. That way if I messed up drawing it is okay because I am sewing that side down. Cut your decals out of felt.
Step 6: Lay your decals onto each side of the playhouse where you want it sewed, then pin them down and sew away. I just sewed all the decals on with 1/8" inches from the edge of my decal, you can use a 1/4" if you don't like getting that close to the edge.
Step 7: Decide where you want your door to be. I sewed my door down before I cut the hole out, mostly because I am always worried I am gonna cut something wrong. Then cut out the windows. Some people reinforce the window with felt which is what I should have done. Instead I serged around the edge of the window, but it didn't hold like I thought it would. (Seriously, reinforcing the windows is smart, my nephews like to use the window's as secret doors.)
Step 8: Sew your sides together with that 1/2 in SA I was talking about. Then pin the roof onto the walls and sew one side at a time, right sides together, corners will get tricky but just keep sewing to the edge before you start the next side.
Each boy gets a princess to rescue after they slay the dragon.
Step 9: All Done!
Step 10: Live and Love
Two swords for two boys.
On the inside of my castle behind the swords in the stone, I added a fireplace to keep the boy's warm during those cold winter sieges. If adding something to the inside, be sure that you are putting something on the outside bigger than the inside decal or you will be able to see it on the outside.

1 comment:

  1. You forgot to say that your Twin nephews love it!

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