magic playhouse

You might suppose that I'm mighty pleased with myself over this one.
And you'd be right.
No matter that the stitching is atrocious (around here, we call that Charm) and it won't get me into Architectural Digest.
It's okay by me.


It's a pvc pipe playhouse.

I wanted a playhouse for Maddie for her birthday -at any park or playground the playhouse is her favorite- and I looked online at a few different houses.
Most were for 1-3 year olds, and I knew I couldn’t do that.
I wanted a beautiful wood one, of course… but I can’t spend $1,000, and don’t have saws, and the tools alone would have cost me a few hundred bucks.
What to do?
Make one up.
Heh.

I went to Home Depot and worked out with the joints in front of me (available) how I could create such a thing.

I chose 3/4 inch pvc pipe. I figured 1/2 inch might be too scrawny, and 1 inch might be too bendy. I used seven 10 foot pieces of pipe.
The fittings are: 10 converter pieces – 3/4 to 1/2, four t’s, 4 45degree elbows, and 10 3-way connectors (one end goes to 1/2 inch, which is why we have 10 converter pieces).

I bought a pvc pipe cutter, as I knew that using a hacksaw (my usual way) to cut them would irritate me. Best $13 I’ve ever spent.Ah. Frame’s up.

I wanted pink. It’s Maddie’s favorite color.
And it should look like a girl’s playhouse.

sidenote: When Trev asked me the-day-before-yesterday what on earth we were going to do for Maddie’s birthday present, I told him I was thinking of making a playhouse.
“Great idea!” said he, “She’ll love it! Mom…. will Maddie’s playhouse be big enough for me, too?”
“Oh, yes.” said his Mama. “Definitely.”
And so it is.

It’s 6 feet deep by 4 feet wide and a little over 6 feet tall. Big enough.
I was worried that it might be too big, might not seem like a cozy place for a Little Gril… but it seems that it’s just fine for her. She nixed the “make it smaller” idea.

For the linens?
Sheets, of course. Where else are you going to find relatively inexpensive material that is 80 something inches wide?

I started with the sides, and sewed two full-size flat sheets together.

I pinned then sewed ribbons to the underside of the sheet, so that I could tie the material to the top of the frame.

Then I pinned another sheet to the two sewn together for the back of the house.
I left a split on one side for an emergency exit out the back door.You never know.
Brothers.
A giant bumblebee.
A wicked trick played.
A secret escape route is always a good idea.

After that was sewn together… …I tackled the front, and made tie backs for holding the front doors open.

I also made ties to connect the fabric to the frame.

Then I cut out the window, and made curtains… I asked Madeleine if she wanted the curtains on the inside or the outside, and she chose in.

views from inside

The whole project (including the $13 bucks for My New Favorite Tool) cost about $100– including about $55 for three sets of full-size sheets. You could certainly do it for less with fabrics on-hand, and skipping the tool. It took me only half a day to make from start to finish.
I also get four pillow cases out of the deal, and two fitted sheets for a full-sized bed.
You know. Should she ever decide to sleep by herself.

From the frame on the inside can be hung things… light pictures or pieces of art.

The pillow cases will be used for cozies in her house, of course.

I’ll probably sew a pocket under the window on the outside… a place for her to stick silk flowers if she chooses.

And it’s possible that another small window or two will live on this side of the house.Not today, however… it’s raining and sogging and very, very wet.
Except in the Magic Playhouse, of course.
All is well there.