Homemade Teepee for a Doll

Render a miniature version to house a doll.

A doll-sized teepee is a fundamental element in many historical Native American playsets or dioramas, but it may also serve simply as a rustic shelter for your doll during a camping trip. A teepee craft is also an effective way to learn the skills involved in building conical structures on a small scale while enjoying a history lesson. Create the basic structure of your teepee, then paint it to honor your favorite native decorating tradition.

Things You'll Need

• Bamboo skewers
• Pruning shears
• Craft wire
• Needle-nosed pliers
• Wire snips
• Tacky craft glue
• Soft leather scraps
• Scissors
• Acrylic paint

Instructions

1. Snip the pointed tips off each of the bamboo skewers using pruning shears. Cut just the points so that the skewers don't lose much length.

2. Bundle the skewers together. Wrap the bundle together by wrapping a piece of craft wire around it two inches from the end of the bundle (this end will become the top of the teepee). Wrap the wire two or three times around the bundle, pulling it as tight as you can.

3. Spread out the skewers into a cone shape. Pull the long ends of the skewers (those on the bottom side of the wire) out from the center of the bundle. Wrap more wire beneath the first wire joint, weaving it inside the bundle and around the outstretched sticks. Refine the position of the sticks and wire as you go so that the bottom ends of the skewers are placed an even distance apart, making a cone "skeleton" with a round base about five inches across.

4. Tip the cone skeleton upside-down and squeeze craft glue into the area where the skewers are bundled together. Let the glue dry. This will secure the top of the frame.

5. Secure the bottom of the cone shape with wire. Wrap a single piece of craft wire around the bottom of the cone skeleton, wrapping the wire once around the bottom of each bamboo skewer. Pull the wire just taut enough to encircle the outside of the base, but not tight enough to put pressure on the structure or pull the skewer bottoms in toward the center.

6. Wrap the teepee with the leather strip. Trim, glue and wrap the leather as needed to cover the cone skeleton, as if you were wrapping it in tape. It will have a rough look as a result, which will make it look more rustic.

7. Make a door flap. Choose a spot at the base of the teepee (preferably one space evenly between two bamboo skewers) and trim a straight line up from the bottom with scissors. Make this slit four or five inches high.

8. Decorate the outside of the teepee with acrylic paint, if desired.