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July 20, 2011 by: Melanie

Product Review- Butterick Play TeePee Tent Pattern B4251

I’ve received many great compliments on the play tent in my daughter’s play room, so I thought I would share the pattern that I used and a few pros and cons.

This past December, I finally got in full play room mode. With all of our daughter’s neat things that she got for Christmas, I knew that she needed a special place for her abundance of fun stuff. But I wanted it to be a “common” area- an area that we could transform over the years as she grew older, and an area that could be a fun place for her, her cousins, and her friends.

Luckily, we had such a room upstairs between the two bedrooms. So I worked on transforming the previous “sitting room” into a playful kids’ room. One of the items that I knew I wanted her to have was a play tent or teepee. I wanted something big enough for a few kids and something that would almost be the room centerpiece. While at a sale at Hancock’s Fabrics, I found this pattern on sale for 99 cents! (It wasn’t discontinued, just on a 1 day sale at Hancock’s). It is Butterick Pattern B4251. It looked easy enough to make, so I picked it up.

A month later, and the play tent was finished. Obviously, it was not a quick project. But it turned out great. Here’s a few things I learned from sewing this project that I would like to pass on to anyone else contemplating something similar:

Pros:

  • It was super fun to watch this pattern come together. The pattern has two different options for the design- one for a two-tone design, and one for a one-color design.
  • You can design it to match your playroom color/scheme.
  • It is extremely sturdy. The teepee uses PVC pipe as the braces to hold it up. While sewing, you are making the casings for the pipe to fit in as you piece the material together. This creates a heavy, stable tent that is highly difficult to be toppled over. It is not flimsy like many of the store bought play tents.
  • The size of the tent is huge! Butterick states that it is 82 inches high and 72 inches in diameter. My husband, daughter, and I can all fit in this tent without being too squished. Believe me, if there is ever a disaster near our house we are grabbing this teepee and heading for the hills.
  • The pattern also comes with a template to make a matching play mat. I have not made this yet, but it looks easier to stitch together than the tent and would be a very cute matching set.

Cons:

  • I would not classify this as a “beginner” sewing pattern. I would say that I’m an “intermediate” seamtress, and I had to get the seam ripper out a few times myself. Not that a beginner couldn’t do the project, it would just take some, patience, and maybe learning a few new skills.
  • I’m a Simplicity pattern girl, so using a Butterick pattern was new to me. One would think “a pattern is a pattern”, but not really when it comes to the instructions. There were a few things, such as the instructions on making the casings for the teepee poles, that were a tad confusing (thus the seam ripper), but they came together once I was actually doing the step. But, like I stated, I typically use Simplicity patterns so it may have been that I am just used to their pattern instruction wording.
  • This was not a “cheap” project. If you want a play tent for under $20, don’t do this one (unless you have 13 yards of fabric around the house). The cost of about 13 yards of fabric for the tent itself and several PVC pipes for the poles adds up quickly. By shopping things on sale, we kept the cost around the $40 mark, but it could easily add to alot more if using designer fabric.

Since I have made the teepee/tent, if you have any questions about the construction or the materials, please feel free to leave a comment and I will try to help you out!

According to the Butterick website, here are the specs for the tent:
TEPEE AND MAT: Package includes patterns and instructions to make Tepee A, B: overall, 80″ H × 72″ diameter; inside vertical clearance 55″. B: contrast lower front sections. Measurements are approximate and may vary with individual technique.
NOTIONS: Tepee A, B: Six 1″ Diameter PVC Pipes, Each 84″ Long, Drill with 3/8″ Drill Bit, Twelve 22mm Wooden Beads with Large Holes in Two Colors, Spray Paint, 2 yds. of 1″ Ribbon to Match Pipes, 3 yds. of 1″ Ribbon for Front Ties, 11/4 yds. of 3/8″ Ribbon for Tepee Casing and Fusible Interfacing Remnant, 11/2″ × 11/2″. Also for B: 3/8 yd. of 21/2″ Beaded Fringe and 1/2 yd. of 1/2″ Flexible Braid.

Fabric widths given in inches.
ONE SIZE
TEPEE A
45″* 113/8
45″** 101/2
54″* 103/4
60″* 93/8
60″** 8
TEPEE B
45″* 10
45″** 95/8
54″, 60″* 93/8
60″** 77/8
CONTRAST B (Lower Front)
45″, 54″, 60″*/** 13/8
MAT C
45″*/** 21/8
54″, 60″*/** 13/4

Since I changed from WordPress to Blogspot, the comments from there did not transfer over. But I wanted you to be able to see them because a few of the comments highlighted some valid concerns about the tent pattern.
April Lara on June 27, 2011 at 4:31 amsaid:

That looks promising! :)
Reply ↓

 

Jennifer on July 12, 2011 at 3:39 pmsaid:
I am in the middle of making this teepee. It’s definitely coming together but I’m stuck! I’ve got all the panels sewn together (which has taken me weeks lol) and I’m about to sew the casing on the top of the teepee (where you are supposed to thread the ribbon through) and I can’t figure out how to do it?? It seems like if I follow their instructions, the pole casings are going to be in the way of threading the ribbon through. Do you know what I mean? If I sew it I won’t be able to put the ribbon through the casing. Perhaps I’ve done something wrong? Please help me if you can! If you’re able to guide me a little bit I would REALLY appreciate it!
Reply ↓

 

  • bearrabbitbear on July 12, 2011 at 6:40 pmsaid:
    Hi, I don’t mind helping you however I can from afar.
    I have to admit, I think I blocked this problem from my memory and your email unlocked it for me!! I had this exact same problem, and didn’t realize what I had done until I was too far gone.
    I don’t have the pattern in front me of, but I want to say that if you look on the pattern piece itself, the stitching line ends near the top at the casing. (I’m not 100% sure of this, but I think I remember seeing that somehow). However, this is not explicitly explained on the pattern piece or in the pattern instructions, so I had sewn all the way to the top when making the pole casings, which created the same problem that you have where you cannot thread the ribbon through the casing. Like I stated in the blog, I’m not really a Butterick pattern kind of girl- I think they are too confusing and do not make proper notification of some things on their patterns. This is a prime example.
    I was frustrated but did not want to rip everything out and start again. It took so long to make and I was ready to be finished! Here are a few tidbits if you are in the same boat:
    -The ribbon is basically just used to pull everything more taut at the top. It is not absolutely positively necessary. There are so many other parts that make the tent function that it is still usable without this aspect.
    -I used “gathering” technique to finish it off. Are you familiar with basting? Or basting a garment to create gathers? (like for a skirt or something?) I used a heavy thread coordinating thread color and sewed in and out of the top, making sure I went around the pole casings and that the majority of the thread was on the inside. After pulling the thread to gather the teepee, I tied the ends off in the “button holes”. I then used the ribbon that I was going to use for the casing to tie a bow through the “buttonholes” and hide the thread. This worked as a fast fix to a disappointing problem! The purpose of the ribbon casing was to serve as something additional to pull the fabric taut up top, so this technique served the purpose. I advice doing this once you have the teepee set up in your child’s room or playroom. The teepee poles are so heavy any awkward that it’s best to do this with the teepee set up.
    -Of course, you can always pull out the seam ripper and make the necessary adjustments to the top so that you can make the casing. Not what you wanted to hear, I’m sure, but if you are a perfectionist and want it done per the instructions then the casings will need some tweaking.
    Thanks for reminding me of this problem. I’ll try to add it to the blog review to warn others!
    Reply ↓
  • carol on July 27, 2011 at 9:32 pmsaid:
    Have no fear, you are not nuts on this, as I completed the tent and the final steop of putting the ribbon in thetop required me to have to tear each panel apart and mmake the casing shorter. sp you have enough fabric to tun. I would suggest that at the top instead of riping out the packet for the puoles, to sew a peice of fabric that can be sewn to the top and turned down like a placket!
    Boy is it hard to describe something so simple. The button hole is on the inside of that placket. Additional fabric should be a least 1 inche wide, using a 1/4 inch seam.
    Reply ↓
    • bearrabbitbear on July 27, 2011 at 9:54 pmsaid:
      Thank you for your input. It appears this final step drove more than one of us crazy..I know it certainly did me!
      Thank you for your advice!
  • Jennifer Ledlow on July 13, 2011 at 11:49 amsaid:
    Thank you so much for your help! Unfortunately I’m using heavy canvas for my teepee so this method may not work for me. Though had the fabric been thinner this would be a great solution!
    I think what I’m going to do (on the suggestion of my husband) is make button holes on either side of each pole casing and weave the ribbon out around each pole casing. Can you see this working? I haven’t done anything to it yet. I want to make sure that what I’m doing will work. Ripping the seams isn’t really an option because I tried this with another seam and it ruined the canvas.
    Thanks again for your help!
    Reply ↓
    • bearrabbitbear on July 13, 2011 at 1:48 pmsaid:
      Yes, I do think that would work and would probably add a cute decorative touch to the teepee. This would help with the “gathering” effect, which is the purpose of the ribbon casing anyway.
      Let me know how it goes! If only our kids realized the things we go through to make them cute stuff!! :)

      Linking to these great parties!

Decorating with lanterns- indoors!
Quick Fire Truck Craft

Comments

  1. April Lara says

    August 16, 2011 at 8:29 am

    Such a beautiful pattern. I think I’ll be getting one for the kids. Perfect for their rooms or in the garden. More about teepee tents here: http://www.teepeetents.org

  2. Anonymous says

    November 20, 2011 at 8:30 pm

    I am ready to sew this but do you need to do the markings on the other half of the #1 pieces?

    Angie

  3. Melanie @ bear rabbit bear says

    November 21, 2011 at 2:17 am

    Angie, I am paranoid so I do the markings on both sides. It seems like I always mess up when I try to take shortcuts. lol If you can plan it out so that you are matching a marked side with an unmarked side, then you should be ok. But if you are unsure then I would mark both.

    Melanie

  4. [email protected] says

    December 5, 2011 at 1:25 am

    This is incredible! You are so so talented!!

  5. Amy says

    December 5, 2011 at 10:48 pm

    Wow, that looks awesome! My mom got the same pattern {I think} and is considering making one for little crafter…how big is yours? Looking at the measurements on what she has, I’m afraid we won’t have a good place to put it! Great job on yours…I want to play in it myself!! Thanks for sharing at Shine On Fridays!

  6. leilalou says

    February 8, 2012 at 1:09 pm

    Oh my! I’ve just bought 5 metres of fabric for this as I couldn’t find anywhere on the pack how much to buy. Is 13yrds correct for one tent? Thank you 🙂

    • Melanie @ bear rabbit bear says

      February 8, 2012 at 1:20 pm

      Leilalou- If you are doing Teepee A where the entire thing is 1 color, then you will need 11 3/8 yards. If you are doing Teepee B, where there is a contrast color in the front, then you will need 10 yds of the main color and 1 3/8 yards of the contrast color. Sounds like you have enough fabric for Teepee A already :). Hope this helps.

  7. leilalou says

    February 8, 2012 at 6:31 pm

    Thanks Melanie, I’ll see how i get on with it…I’m sure I’ll be checking back in as this is the first pattern I’ve ever attempted to follow 🙂

    • Melanie @ bear rabbit bear says

      February 8, 2012 at 6:59 pm

      Be sure to read the end of the post above. A few of us, including myself, had problems with the upper casing. The pattern didn’t seem to allow enough room for it, but you don’t realize until you get to the last step.

  8. Ashley says

    May 29, 2012 at 11:54 pm

    I’ve just started putting my panels together and sewing the casings for the poles. And after reading this blog I’m worried I am going to have the same problem with the ribbon. Can you tell me what to look for now before I get it all done to know whether or not I will need to fix it. I’ve followed the instructions (not that there are many) in combination with looking at the pictures they provide.

    • Melanie @ bear rabbit bear says

      May 30, 2012 at 1:46 am

      When you are sewing the casings, be sure to leave room at the top to make a casing around the tent once all the panels are sewn together.

  9. Ashley says

    May 30, 2012 at 10:25 pm

    Oh, I think I get it now. Hmm they really should make it more clear. Thank you, I would have pulled my hair out trying to figure out what went wrong.

    • Melanie @ bear rabbit bear says

      May 30, 2012 at 10:27 pm

      You are welcome. I would love to see a picture of how yours turns out!

  10. Anonymous says

    February 10, 2013 at 9:33 pm

    Hi fellow teepee makers, this pattern is pretty simple however the final step of putting the drawstrings in and making it stand up without getting the droopy drawers effect was quite frustrating ! One definitely needs to use the beads or something with the string in the top of the poles, the drawstring in the upper hem of the tent part is tricky and seems to be ineffective in making the tent stay up. We have drilled another hole in each pole to attach the top of the tent so that the top of each casing is affixed to the pole, anchoring it so that it does not slide down. When it slides down the poles they are unable to fully expand making for a skinny teepee. Four days of patience almost blown over the part that seemed least problematic. We were fortunate enough to gather bamboo for the poles making it esthetically pleasing and inspirational – sort of like a tribe that lives near the water, on an island as we do 😉

  11. Maureen says

    September 5, 2013 at 9:38 pm

    Thanks much to the great advice on teepee making! I too am using McCalls 4251 and am just about done with the 3rd teepee. I cut all 3 in one evening then made the first 2 each in an evening. Had I not run myself out of red thread, the last one would have been done tonight! Having the wrong sides together for the first seam would have messed me had I not read everything on this blog. I didn’t have any problems with that or the upper casing; Had I not heard what your experiences were, I might not have been so careful in re-reading the instructions. Thanks so very much.

    • Melanie says

      September 5, 2013 at 10:00 pm

      You are very welcome! Wow! I can’t believe you’ve made THREE! I was burnt out after one 🙂

      • Maureen says

        September 8, 2013 at 9:04 am

        Everything is easier when you do it three times 🙂 All the sewing is done, yippy! If only I could find the last dozen sets of drill bits I bought… The tee pees do stand without the top but would be far better with the beads.

        My hint on this project is: PVC pips comes in 10 foot, so have Home Depot or Lowes cut them down a third. The pattern calls for 7 foot poles but 6’7″ pipes work just fine. With a 27 cent connector, you can get 3 poles for the cost of 2 by using the scrap. I also used 3/4 inch pipe instead of 1 inch. Doing it this way, I spent $26 for 3 sets of tee pees poles. Had I done it to pattern, it would have been around 60. I was simply too cheep to do that!

  12. Sarah Sargent says

    March 20, 2014 at 8:36 am

    Just about to start this myself
    http://teepeedreams.blogspot.co.uk/
    Fingers crossed it goes well!

  13. Elizabeth Lee says

    May 17, 2014 at 8:22 pm

    Hi! I was wondering if this teepee is something you can take down and put back up easily.

    • Melanie says

      May 17, 2014 at 8:58 pm

      It “folds up” to go in a corner. But it is too tall to fit in a closet.

  14. Frances Kelley says

    August 17, 2014 at 11:47 am

    I made the tent in two days from Cotton duct so it was quite heavy to work with and of course I had that same problem with the top hem but was able to take a wide ribbon and make a false hem and was able to get the ribbon through for the draw string. I made the tent in California and sent it to Arizona to my granddaughter. My daughter and her husband are doing the poles and the beads so it will be interesting to see how it looks once they get it up and snap a picture. I hope the draw string works well to keep the tent in place without slipping after reading one of the reviews about having to drill another hole near the casing. More later.

    • Melanie says

      August 17, 2014 at 9:11 pm

      Thanks for the feedback. Looking forward to hearing how it turned out.

  15. Alexandra Heal says

    August 3, 2015 at 3:41 am

    Hello, so lovely to hear all your teepee tent experiences and tips.
    I would so love to make one for my little son,he has already printed and painted some fabric as we tried making one without a pattern but it didn’t really work.
    I can’t afford the price of the pattern and just wondered if anyone had one to kindly pass on please or if there was a link to a free pattern somewhere??
    Sorry to ask but times are hard, and you never know?
    Thank you so much and enjoy the sunshine.
    Kind Regards,
    Alexandra

    • Melanie says

      August 3, 2015 at 8:48 pm

      Hi, Alexandra,
      The pattern is huge, and I do not have one to offer for free. Here is a link to a free pattern on the web: http://thediymommy.com/sew-a-diy-teepee-play-tent/

  16. Debbs says

    February 26, 2016 at 2:16 pm

    Hi, I have just brought this pattern for my 3 year old granddaughters Christmas present, I have given myself several months to complete it! I am opting for a plain fabric and a contrasting fabric for the door (pattern B) I think!! I have not used a paper pattern before and came across this – this has actually been far more helpful than those paper instructions! I have a feeling that I may be back 🙂

    • Melanie says

      February 26, 2016 at 10:06 pm

      It has been a long time since I did this pattern, but I do remember it being difficult to piece together. Good luck!

  17. Katy Schultz says

    October 11, 2016 at 10:32 pm

    I bought the pattern last year- but I’m now finally ready to tackle it! I figured I had enough 60″ leftover fabric from decorating daughter’s nursery- but sadly it is a bit short. So I’m debating what to do…. I’ve thought about using an alternate fabric for the top foot or so of the panels…maybe lace to allow more light in..but it appears the top is where things get tricky.
    I might have to sacrifice my design plan and use the MILES of thin checkered polyester fabric I inherited from my mother!! Or maybe I’ll wait another year and save up to buy the fabric I really want! Wish me luck!

    • Melanie says

      October 12, 2016 at 8:11 am

      Good luck! The results are worth the labor. 🙂

  18. Ginette Couture says

    November 6, 2016 at 2:34 pm

    Hello ,,Am I nuts ,, on the first action of this teepee, they say stich 2 pieces on one side, wrong sides together??,,,I have been at it for the past 2 hours trying to understand why sew 2 pieces wrong sides together,, is this a mistake and should read ‘sew 2 pieces righ side together ‘ to then sew the tunnel for the tube ..help I am going crazy unsewing this !!
    Thank you from Montreal
    Ginette

    • Melanie says

      November 7, 2016 at 9:05 am

      Hi, It has been so long ago that I made mine, I do not recall. I will dig out the pattern today and see if I can tell.

    • Melanie says

      November 16, 2016 at 12:13 pm

      I have looked high and low for the pattern, and I think that I may have given it away. It’s been so long, I can’t remember what I did! I just remember struggling and being relieved when I finished it.

  19. Melanee Rice says

    October 3, 2017 at 9:15 am

    I have made the tent for my granddaughter. I have lost the directions on how to do the beads on top by poles. Can you help me out?

    • Melanie says

      October 3, 2017 at 11:04 am

      I apologize, but I no longer have the pattern. And it has been so long since making it that I cannot remember. I’m sorry!

  20. Richard Gray says

    December 18, 2018 at 6:47 pm

    How far down the poles do you drill for the beads and tape?

    • Melanie says

      December 19, 2018 at 10:32 am

      Hi, I apologize but I do not remember. I also no longer have the teepee to measure it.

  21. Jo AnnMcMorris says

    December 2, 2019 at 8:15 am

    I am not having any luck finding the 22mm beads for a tee pee tent I am sewing. can you help me as to where I can buy them? About 25 years ago I made 4 tents for four grandchildren and I remember it being a fun project. This one is not./

    • Melanie says

      December 2, 2019 at 9:41 am

      Yes, this is definitely a tedious project. I searched Amazon and they had one bag of 100 22mm beads, but they were $22. I wonder if 20mm or 25mm would work?

   
   
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