Kids Tipi

We have had a busy weekend here. Yesterday we went down to the river near town and cut some bamboo for the poles for the kids tipi.

P cut the bamboo while I started striping off the branches.

The kids all helped too.

I couldn't wait until xmas so I gave the kids the tipi today and we all helped set it up. (Oh, and in this pic I'm wearing the new pants I sewed yesterday)

I love how it turned out. The finished tipi looks great!

They loved it and played inside all afternoon.

Yesterday when we were in town Rain found this cute dress for Tui at the local thrift shop. It is perfect outfit for picking strawberries in the garden.

Tipi update

I have finally finished sewing the kids tipi cover. It took awhile but I was doing it in between playing with kids and so on.

I am pleased to have the main bit finished but there is still a bit to do. Find and cut some bamboo tipi poles and sand them smooth, sew the funky sheets I found at the op shop into a tipi liner to make it nice and colourful inside, sew the door cover and sew on some peg loops around the bottom.

I am hoping to have it finished by next week. And hopefully my next pair of purple, crochet womens pants will be finished by then too.

While we were at the Rainbow Gathering recently I fell in love with Tipis. Well, I have actually had Tipi lust for years. There is something so simple yet so beautiful about these structures.

After talking to one guy who had made his own Tipi I was inspired to try making one.

My first attempt is to make a kids play Tipi, based on full-sized Tipi plans, so I can see if I think I'd be able to make a large one.

So I have started making one for the kids as a Christmas present.

The first run is the most difficult, actually has all the real work in; the smoke flaps, lifting straps, the button holes for the lacing pins.

I have done most the sewing now but got a bit stuck on how to do button holes. I haven't hand sewed button holes since my Nanna taught me how to do them when I was 15! I thought I might be able to do them on the sewing machine but this proved too tricky. So back to hand sewing them...

I started on the flap that goes underneath so you won't be able to see  my first couple of attempts. I started to get a bit neater after the sixth one!!! Only 24 more to go!

I finally finished this little skirt that has been sitting down the bottom of my crochet bag for about a month, and have started another pair of women's crocheted pants in purple.

So it looks like I will be busy for awhile...and then I've got a whole list of Christmas pressies to make!