This DIY tablecloth playhouse put our expensive fort-building kit to shame

There’s nothing my kids enjoy more than dissecting the sofa, cushion by cushion, to create imaginary army barracks, animal caves, and space shuttles. While I wholeheartedly support the creativity and engineering taking place, the part of me that just wants to have nice things cringes at the sight of our throw pillows, sofa blankets, and linen cushions scattered across the floor. 

Aside from turning the living room into a den of chaos, it also puts the sofa out of commission for actual sitting. My kids love taking it apart, but overseeing the task of putting it all back together is its own misery.

After trying out a spendy fort-building kit that was so flimsy it collapsed the instant human contact was made, I knew I had to find an alternative. I spotted Ferm Living’s Settle Table Cloth House ($149) and loved the concept of using a tablecloth with cut-out windows and a door as a playhouse. The only thing that kept me from checking out was the price. 

_{Photo source: Ferm Living}

That’s when DIY tablecloth playhouses began popping up in my For You Page on Instagram. I realized that you could get the same effect with an affordable canvas drop cloth.

My husband and I decided to give it a try and drove to the hardware store to pick up the supplies. 

Supplies needed

• Canvas drop cloth
• Painter’s tape
• Scissors
• Box cutter
• Four zip ties

How to create your tablecloth playhouse

• To get the right drop cloth dimensions, measure the length and width of your table and add two times the height of the table to each of those measurements.
• Throw your drop cloth over the table and get it to a position where it hangs evenly.
• With your painter’s tape, create a square for the windows with a cross in the middle for window panes. 
• Use your box cutter to poke a hole in one of the window panes, then cut the window out with scissors, leaving the window panes intact. 

_{Photo source: Motherly Photography / Angela Elias}

• For the door, cut two parallel lines from the bottom to the top of the table cloth without cutting off the top. This flap-style door will allow the door to be flipped open or closed.
• If you want to give the playhouse a more tailored structure, you can zip-tie the corners that touch the floor. This method helps the drop cloth to fit like a customized cover over your table.

_{Photo source: Motherly Photography / Angela Elias}

Making the playhouse your own

There are countless ways to customize these playhouses, whether you want to paint window panes or sew curtains. You can pin wreaths and string lights during the holidays, paint stenciled letters for clubhouse signage . . . the possibilities are endless. It took me and my husband less than 45 minutes to pull it off since we stuck to a super minimal approach that resembled Ferm Living’s version. 

_{Photo source: Motherly Photography / Angela Elias}

It’s been two years since we DIYed this playhouse, and it can still save a rainy weekend or carry a play date. It fits in a compact storage bin—hence, all the wrinkles—so we manage to forget about it just enough to keep it novel. When my kids are craving some calm, they’ll drag their sleeping bags under the table, place battery-operated pillar candles around, and listen to audiobooks. When they’re in play mode, they’ll wear bicycle helmets and sling nerf guns as they dart in and out of their shelter. Other times, board games and a deck of Uno cards are enough to keep them happily occupied in the house.

_{Photo source: Motherly Photography / Angela Elias}

I love the impermanence and open-ended play it offers. When it’s set up, it doesn’t take up more space than the table that’s already there. Plus, the mess is hidden under the table, so everything looks less cluttered and they can take their time putting stuff away.

For something that costs next to nothing and doesn’t require much skill or time to pull it off, it’s 100 percent worth trying.

source https://www.mother.ly/child/child-learn-play/diy-tablecloth-playhouse/