Build a Fort

This handmade gift didn't make the parade 'cause we hadn't caught wind of it yet...but Trina dazzles with creativity and frugality in this Build-a-Fort Kit tutorial. All you mothers of boys (and adventuresome girls), listen up!

It's a pleasure to be posting at Bloom! Thanks so much for the invite! I'm Trina, a.k.a. Mrs. B. I'm the mother of four (ages 4-13), wife of one (going on 15 years), and resident of beautiful Southern Oregon.

Every year I tell my kids they're getting homemade gifts from us for Christmas, and this year I finally pulled it off! I was stumped on what to make for my 11-year-old, Jaci, until my mom showed me this:

A build-a-fort kit! (As seen here.)

Jaci builds blanket forts almost daily, for herself, for friends, for her siblings . . . pretty much for anyone who walks in the door and shows any interest. (I've even had to lay down a rule about sleeping in blanket forts on school nights!) I knew right away this would be a two-fold mission: to give a just-right Christmas gift, and to spare my quilts the daily abuse (albeit for a good purpose) that they were receiving.

Oh, and maybe to give the "would-you-PLEASE-fold-those-blankets-already!" nagging a rest.

This is Jaci's finished Fort Kit . . .

. . . which resulted in a request for another kit for my nephew. Lucky for me, it coincided with this tutorial for Bloom!

To make the most important part of the kit, I used flat bed sheets, since they're inexpensive, light-weight and several of them can be stuffed into a tote bag. I used four, but choose however many you'd like!

I used 8 feet of 1" double-folded bias tape per sheet (so 32 feet in total), which I made using this tutorial. It's easier than it looks! It's terribly tedious though, if you ask me, and if you make much of your own, I highly recommend getting your hands on this little bias tape maker:

The good news is 2 yards of fabric will make 81+ feet of 1" double-folded bias tape, which saves a lot of money over buying it packaged.

However you acquire it, the bias tape needs to be sewn shut with a narrow seam allowance . . .

. . . and then cut into 16" lengths. I didn't bother finishing the ends (it's cut on the bias, so it won't fray) or backstitching the ends of the seams (I might regret that someday, but such is the life lived on the edge.)

Each 16" tie is then folded in half, and the fold is sewn to each corner of each bed sheet. I stiched back & forth twice, for a total of 4 passes over each tie. I also stitched a tie to the middle of each long side, making 6 ties per sheet.

Like so:

To finish it off, I added some rope, clamps, and clothespins:

Glowsticks! I forgot the glowsticks!

The store-bought version also came with suction-cup hooks, which would have been a great addition. Or maybe it can just be an evolving Fort Kit. In fact, I would really love to hear what additions or changes Bloom's readers would make! By all means, please leave suggestions in the comments.

Finish it off with your tote bag of choice, and then be prepared to explain what it is to the bewildered kid that unwraps it. Jaci went from confused to giddy in about 3 seconds!



The resident teenager feigned nonchalance, but you can see how she ever-so-casually slipped in to read her book. I knew she couldn't resist.

For the record, both missions were accomplished! Jaci loves her kit (even takes it on sleepovers), and my quilts have been returned to their regular duties (warming us up during movies!). Looks like it was a Merry Christmas for both of us!