How to Make an Underwater-Theme Playhouse Around a Full-Size Bed

Let your child imagine he is scuba-diving in the deep sea with an underwater-theme playhouse.

Give your child a sense of wonder when he goes to sleep by making an underwater-theme playhouse around his full-size bed. By using materials found in any home goods or hardware store, create the illusion of an underwater journey. Playing in the underwater-theme playhouse is not limited to nighttime, either. Your child can enjoy your design and have many underwater adventures in his new bed playhouse.

Things You'll Need

• Sheer blue hanging canopy
• Marker
• Multicolored felt pack
• Scissors
• Sewing pins
• Fabric glue
• Flat-back googly eyes
• Sewing needle
• Thread
• Underwater-theme bedding
• Silky pillowcases
• Ceiling hooks
• Green cotton fabric

Instructions

Designing the Canopy

1. Spread a full-size canopy out on a flat surface with the inside facing up. Smooth out wrinkles and folds in a large area. A round hanging canopy is ideal for this project, but a four-poster hanging canopy can also be used.

2. Draw basic fish shapes in various sizes on different-colored pieces of felt. Keep the fish shapes no larger than 3 inches long.

3. Fold each piece of felt in half, with the fish design on the top. Pin the felt together around the edges with sewing pins.

4. Cut out the fish shapes from the folded felt. This will make two equally sized fish shapes. Each fish shape should have a coordinating fish shape facing in the opposite direction.

5. Cut out stripes, polka dots or squiggles to decorate each fish shape and its matching shape. Glue the decorations onto the fish with fabric glue. Reverse the decorations on each fish’s coordinating shape. Glue a flat-back googly eye onto the head of each fish and let the glue dry.

6. Scatter the fish over the canopy work area. Pin the fish to the sheer fabric carefully so as not to tear the canopy.

7. Turn the canopy over and pin each coordinating shape to the opposite sides of the fish shapes on the inside of the canopy. Sew the fish shapes together through the sheer fabric, then remove the pins. Do this to cover the entire canopy with fish shapes.

Finishing

1. Cut several long, thin strips of green cotton fabric in varying lengths. This can be from an old T-shirt or purchased fabric.

2. Turn the canopy over so the inside is facing up and spread out the area near the top of the canopy. Sew the ends of each piece of green fabric around the inside top of the canopy in a 4-inch circle. The pieces will hang down, creating a seaweed mobile.

3. Put the themed fitted sheet and cover sheet over the mattress and encase the pillows in themed pillowcases. Drape an underwater-theme comforter or blanket set over the sheets. Encase a few more pillows in silky, multicolored pillowcases and set them against the headboard.

4. Affix a ceiling hook directly over the center of the bed. Hang the canopy from the hook and spread it over and around the bed.

References

• Hearth Song: Under the Sea Hideaway

Resources

• Kids Theme Bedrooms: Underwater Ocean--Fish