DIY fort kit!

Since the first time I seen a DIY fort kit floating around pinterest, I knew I wanted to make one. I didn't just pin it to my board along with the millions of other pins that I knew I probably would never get around to actually doing, this one stuck in my head! Thats why when my boys were invited to their friends 5th birthday, I knew I had to attempt my first one! I googled and looked at a ton of DIY fort kits on the internet to get an idea of what I was going to create, and this is what I came up with!




This is what you'll need;
(Prices & Place Purchased!)

- 2 sheets {one double sheet at mennonite thrift, $1.80. one single at Value Village, $4.99}
- 1 bag/case {found mine at Dollar Giant, $1.25}
- Rope {also from Dollar Giant, $1.25}
- Clamps {Dollar Giant, $1.25}
- Wooden clips {Dollarama, $1}
- Lantern {Dollarama, $2}
- Batteries for Lantern {Dollarama, $2}
- Lightning McQueen fabric {had in my stash}
- Felt {had in my stash}
- Glue gun and sticks {had on hand}
- Tags {construction paper and printer paper, all on hand}
I made sure that everything was colour coordinated, for mine that was red, browns and beiges!




Okay, so I started with the sheets. I took 7 thicker strips of my coordinating fabric, folded them in half right sides together, and sewed them together. Then I turned them inside right, and sewed each of the strips to a corner/side of my sheet, both ends together to create a loop, and one smack in the middle! Like this;



The second sheet, I decided to make ties instead of loops. Mostly because I was running out of fabric, but also because I didn't want to take as much time the second round! So I sewed up 7 thin strips of fabric and sewed them in the exact same spots as the loops. This time instead of sewing each end onto the sheet, I sewed them right in the middle so they could be tied onto something!

Then I created the tags in photoshop! I had seen other tutorials who had sent them into a photo lab and printed them that way. It is a great, cheaper alternative if you do not have a color printer or ink! I choose to just print them off on my printer, then glue them to a piece of construction paper to make them hold up better. Turned out better than I anticipated!
If you would like to use the same tags, you can download them here;



For the lightning bolt, I free handed it using some red felt I had sitting in my stash, and used a hot glue gun to attach it to the bag.

After I finished cutting and glueing the tags together, I attached them to everything! I used little metal rings for the lantern and rope only because I couldn't find anything else to attach them with! Twine or ribbon would have worked well.



Then I stuffed everything inside the bag and it was ready to go! Best part about this gift, it is unique and I am positive he will never receive another one ever again. That and the hours of fun, cause what little boy or girl doesn't love building forts?! :)
So I ended up spending more than I had wanted, just shy of $16. And if I did my research properly, most DIY fort tutorials come in around $10. BUT, taking into consideration I am in Canada and things typically cost more here, AND the fact that I know I would have spent at the very least, that much or more for some dumb toy he would play with once or twice and then throw to the curb or break. So was it worth it? YES! It was also very easy to complete and didn't take long!

Now go make one for every little boy and girl you know!!!