Last week, I finished a little project I had started before the Holidays, and it turned out so cute I just have to share it! Actually, I shared it via Instagram and had such positive feedback and some questions, that I thought I'd share here with a little more info.
Welcome to our little playhouse!
Sawyer and Aspen were off in their room gathering things they needed to "move in" and make their little house all cozy, so while they were busy there, I decided Hazel could show you around. She looooves crawling around and around the house, and then heading in (without knocking!) Most of the time she is welcomed with giggles, unless the homeowners are having something like - cookies - for a snack, then they ask me to show her to the door :)
Gotta love a baby bum in bulky cloth diapers! I won't even mention her toes...don't you just want to nibble on them?
Of course she noticed the flowers we planted...she liked them so much she picked one and tried to eat it!
About our Playhouse:
First, I am thrilled to give credit where credit is due - I first spotted a playhouse like this one on Etsy, in the shop CoolSpacesForKids. She didn't have any up for sale at the moment, but I remember thinking - I could do that! It doesn't look too hard to do - and it's sooo cute! I think I had seen it featured on some kids lifestyle blog or something, and had dragged it to my folder of fun ideas (I don't have a Pinterest account). I thought back fondly to building little houses with my twin sister under my Grandmother's table with sheets and blankets, and how they were sometimes heavy and would slip off if we couldn't find something heavy to weigh it all down. Of course, that didn't stop us and we spent hours pretending under Grandma's table. Isn't it funny how some of the things you get excited about for your own children are the things you got excited about as a child, yourself? It happens to me ALL the time! I love that I get to go through childhood again...with my kids (if only I had a cook and maid we'd be set! then I could play with them all day long!)
So, that's where the idea came from. Then, since we had recently moved and were going through stuff (downsized from house to apartment) I found this old muslin backdrop I had hardly ever used...and likely would hardly ever use again. So, suddenly I was thinking...what could I do with all of this fabric? And I remembered the little playhouse! So, I made it a game to figure out how to make a tablecloth playhouse with only materials I had on hand - a scrap here and there that was too small to do much with so I'd either throw it out...or find a way to use it. Essentially, this little house was FREE using all materials I already had on hand. However, if you were to make it, I don't think it would be too expensive to make - if you purchased inexpensive muslin and other supplies - I'm guessing about $35-$50, depending on the size of your table. It does take time, for sure, and a bit of patience to put it together, but it's totally do-able!
I, however, was slightly short on patience (and I am just a lazy sew-er anyway, never pin anything!) and since I hadn't invested any money in the project, I just whipped it together as quickly as I could (I had a couple of kiddos cheering me on!) I didn't even hem around the bottom - the front part looks hemmed because it was the side of the backdrop that the rod went through, thus already hemmed for me. I did do a zigzag stitch (a sloppy one at that) around the doorway and the door, just so it wouldn't unravel, but otherwise, the only stitching I did was the windows. Ironing it was almost impossible - we only have one of those tiny ironing boards so by the time I ironed one size, the other side was already wrinkled (you can't even tell I ironed the whole thing!) The windows - I used felt around the spots I cut out to make it a bit more sturdy. The curtains, I made from this ruffle fabric which - guess what? you don't need to hem! It's great stuff! And then, I decided to make the little window boxes with some "slots" so we could pretend to "plant" flowers - I cut a few out of card stock for now, but we will probably make some out of a heavier duty fabric (pipe cleaners, fabric, felt and hot glue perhaps) that will not be a choking hazard when the neighbor baby comes by and steals the flowers because she's teething and wants to chew on some
So, I'm kinda of long-winded. I wish I were more organized and could give measurements and yardage etc. for others who want to try making a tablecloth playhouse, but here is my take: Tables are all shapes and sizes so you'll have to make one custom for your table anyway. If you have a small table like we do and want to use an old king-sized sheet, I think it would do just fine. Use your imagination or use what you have on hand, or be much more precise and patient for playhouse perfection, if you want to. Anyway around it, I promise that your child(ren) will be thrilled to have a little place to play and pretend and exercise their imagination. Most importantly - have fun!
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