DIY Doll Tent with #Singer

This post is brought to you by Singer. All opinions are 100% my own. 

I recently got a new 9960 Quantum Stylist Singer Sewing Machine and I wanted to really test it out, so I decided to make  a Doll Tent. As crazy as that sounds, it actually wasn’t to hard, and I LOVED all of the features of the machine that I got to experience! It came with many different accessories, extras, and documentation that made the experience of using the machine the first time fun and exciting. I have had a sewing machine of my own since I left home (over 15 years ago), but this is the best one by far. The features make it fun, but the quality is what really sells me on this Singer Sewing Machine.

The Singer Quantum Stylist 9960 is well made. It was not overly heavy, but each piece is quality. From the foot pedal to the bobbin winder, each part is well made. I love how user friendly the machine is. I wanted to make sure I didn’t miss anything so I took the book out and went front to back learning everything I could about the machine. It  has so many features and hidden gems. It was so fun to just go through everything and learn all of it. There are so many different kinds of stitches and presser feet that you really can make just about everything with this machine. If you are thinking about getting a new sewing machine, Singer Sewing Machines have a great variety and styles for every stage of learning.

After I played around with all of the features, I decided to jump right in and make something fun, so I choose to make a Doll Tent for my kids for Christmas. (I plan on making three more…this really was a fun project). I choose some scrap fabric that I had on hand for the first one. I think my daughter will love how it turned out. I was able to add a window, and a door with a curtain that rolls up and ties. There are “tent” poles to hold it up and a tie at the top to keep it from falling. During the process I had to change the presser foot for different stitches, and re-thread a couple times but overall the 9960 Quantum Stylist Singer Sewing Machine worked perfectly and I loved every minute of it.

The size of tent I made is perfect for a Barbie Doll. If you want to make a tent for an 18″ doll, you will want to use the 20″ x 19″ dimensions. I took and measured the material from top to bottom and across the bottom and one across the middle, made dots, and freehand drew a line around connecting them. There are a few different patterns for doll tents you can use – but I just sewed the edges together to hide the extra material and make up for any discrepancies. (Another great tutorial here)

Cut strips of fabric about 4″ by 4″ and sew them for the “pole” holders. I sewed across the bottom on the four corners to keep the poles from coming out of the bottom. For the middle top ones I just made them look finished on the top and bottom so the pole could go through nicely. Do this by folding the edges of the top and bottom over about 1/4″ and sewing it. Then you will take the edges and fold them over about 1/4″ each, and then put the edges together and sew along that edge. You can see in the picture – the long edge is what I am talking about here. To measure how big you need the opening to be, I put it over the 1/4″ Pex Tubing (I found at Lowes for about $1.98). Then you can adjust how much you fold over.

For the window, I used a rotary cutter and cut a square out of the material. I was going to do two windows but ran out of time on this one, so I will be doing two on the next ones I make. They were pretty easy to add in. After you have cut the square out, cut a piece of tulle out that is about 1 in bigger all the way around. Take some tacky glue and put it around the edge, then you will cut out a square of fabric to use and the window “border”. I only did this on the outside, but you can do it on the inside as well.

Once I had the border glued down, I took and did a single straight stitch around the middle of the window frame (the black material on my tent). This secures it and the tulle to the fabric. Then you can trim any excess tulle. You can measure, cut and sew on a covering like the one we make the door later on as well. They are really cute and fun for the kids to roll up and down when their dolls are awake or sleeping.

The opening for the door was tricky. I could have done a zipper, but I didn’t have one and didn’t want to go to the store again, so I dug around and found some bias tape. I decided that it would look nice, so I cut and opening, and used the AWESOME Bias Tape Presser Foot and used it to attach the bias tape to the inside edge of the door opening. this will keep it from fraying, and it looked really great!. The presser foot was easy to switch and setup to use with the tape and the material.

I love how it looked when it was finished. I decided to use a zigzag stitch just to make sure we didn’t have any loose edges.

Once I have finished the window, and the door opening, I cut the fabric to go over the door. I folded the corners so that they weren’t pointy. Then I used a butterfly/flower stitch to attach it to the top of the tent door opening, and I sewed two pieces of ribbon at the top, one on each corner, so that we could tie the tent door open when wanted. Then I pinned all of the edges together, with the tent inside out, making sure to place the “tent pole” holders in about the same places all the way around. I would sew one side most of the way up and check everything before sewing anything else. I did have to make adjustments once, so I am glad I did this. For the very top I gathered it and sewed a piece of ribbon in it to tie it to the top of the poles. I kind of wish I had done this  a little differently, so I will make adjustments on the next one I make.

Overall, I am really happy with how the tent turned out. I pinned the tent to the material (for the base, I put a 1/4″ piece of wood that was cut to 12″ x 12″ inside two pieces of material and sewed it closed. This made the base strong and it doesn’t bend like it would have with cardboard or without any support at all.

This is how the tent door looks when it is rolled up and tied closed. It turned out so GOOD!

This is the side of the tent with the window. The edges of the material didn’t get cut perfect, so I will have to watch that better next time, but the window itself turned out really good! I love the tulle mesh screen. It adds a lot of “personality” to the tent. I will also add a cover to the window like I did with the door on the next one I make.

I LOVE My new Singer Quatum Sewing Machine! All of the features make it “sew” fun to work with and I was able to do what I needed without any issues. One bobbin did the whole tent. I am glad that they hold a lot of thread. It was easy to wind before I got started. This is the perfect gift for the crafy mama in your life. I can’t wait to start working on projects with my kids. They have been wanting to learn how to sew for a while. For Christmas I am also going to be making blankets and pajamas and using the embroidering features of this Singer Sewing Machine to embroider their names on them. I will post those projects soon. You can learn more about singer here:

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This post is brought to you by Singer. All opinions are 100% my own. We only recommend products and services that we believe will be beneficial to our readers.