How to Make Homemade Teepees

Teepees are well-suited for habitation in summer and winter.

Teepees, also known as "tepees" and "tipis," are cone-shaped tents traditionally associated with the American Indians of the Great Plains. These movable dwellings have many virtues. They stay warm in winter and cool in summer, and they can be deconstructed and reconstructed with relative ease. A teepee that includes smoke flaps for ventilation permits the user to build a small, contained fire inside the teepee.

Things You'll Need

• 8-oz. canvas, 18 feet wide by 30 feet long
• Measuring tape
• Marker
• Scissors
• Natural-fiber rope, 30 feet long minimum
• Large sewing needle
• Heavy-duty cotton thread
• 14 poles, 18 feet long minimum
• Large wooden pins or large safety pins
• 15 tent stakes
• Mallet

Instructions

1. Place an 8-oz. piece of canvas that is 18 feet wide by 30 feet long on a flat surface, right side facing out. Cut a large half-circle that is twice as long as it is wide from the canvas. A half-circle that is 15 feet by 30 feet is the recommended size for a teepee that is 10 feet in diameter at the base. This half-circle is the canvas cover for your teepee. Set the extra canvas aside.

2. Cut a 3-foot long by 1 1/2-foot wide half-circle from the straight edge of the canvas cover. Cut the half-circle from close to the corner. Leave 4 inches between the half-circle you cut and the curved edge of the canvas cover. Repeat the procedure by cutting a second, identical half-circle at the opposite corner of the canvas cover. When the edges of the canvas cover come together, the two half-circles will form a circular door.

3. Mark the center point of the canvas cover's straight edge. Cut a 6-by-6-by-6-inch triangle from one side of the center point. Ensure that one side of the triangle lays flat against the straight edge of the canvas. Repeat the procedure on the other side of the center point. When you remove the two triangles, you should see an M-shape along the straight edge of the canvas cover. The M-shape will create an opening for the top of poles once the teepee is erect.

4. Cut a 3-foot long piece of natural-fiber rope. Fold the rope in half. Sew the middle of the length of rope to the center point of the M shape using a large sewing needle and heavy-duty cotton thread. The rope will secure the canvas cover around poles when the teepee is erect.

5. Cut an 18-by-18-by-28-inch triangle from extra canvas. Fold the triangle in half, and cut along the fold. You should now have two right-angle triangles. These are the teepee's smoke flaps.

6. Sew a small piece of canvas to one of the triangles where the shortest and longest sides meet. Sew only along the edges of the triangle to form a pocket. Repeat the task with the second triangle. These pockets will keep the smoke flaps open when the teepee is erect.

7. Lay the smoke flaps beside the canvas cover on either side of the M shape at the center point of the straight edge. The pockets should point away from the canvas cover. Sew the smoke flaps to the straight edge of the canvas with a straight stitch.

8. Sew rope along the rounded side of the canvas cover using a hemming stitch. This will prevent the canvas from fraying and provide weight for the canvas cover.

9. Create a 1-inch loop with a piece of rope. Sew the loop to the rounded edge of the canvas at one of the corners. Repeat the task at equal intervals of 1 loop every 12 inches along the rounded edge of the canvas cover until you reach the opposite corner. These loops will be used to stake the teepee.

10. Lean three of the strongest of 14 poles against one another, forming a tripod structure. The poles should meet just higher than the width of the canvas. Secure the three poles with rope.

11. Lean all except three of the remaining poles against the tripod structure, placing them at equal intervals. Secure the poles with rope to form the teepee frame.

12. Attach the canvas cover to one of the remaining poles. Use the pole to draw the cover around the teepee frame, ensuring that the half-circles at the corners of the canvas meet to form a circular door and are not obstructed by the poles. Once the cover is in place, secure this pole to the teepee frame.

13. Secure the seam where the edges of the canvas cover meet with large wooden pins. If wooden pins are not available, use large safety pins.

14. Cut a circular piece of canvas, slightly larger than the teepee door, out of remaining material. Sew the circular piece of canvas to the canvas cover so that it covers the door opening.

15. Insert a pole into one of the small pockets in the smoke flap. Adjust the pole so that it stands upright. Repeat the procedure with the other smoke flap. These poles can be adjusted to draw smoke from the teepee when necessary.

16. Insert a tent stake into one of the rope loops at the base of the canvas cover. Pound the stake into the ground with a mallet. Secure 14 more tent stakes through the loops.

Tips & Warnings

• You may place a large, plastic bowl over the top of the teepee to prevent rain from dripping inside the structure.

• You do not need a large fire to warm a teepee. Dig a shallow hole 15 inches in diameter inside the teepee for a fire pit. Surround the fire pit with rocks.

• Never leave a teepee's fire unattended.

References

• "Wildwood Wisdom;" Plains Indian Teepee; Ellsworth Jaeger; 1945, 1992