Lately, the girls' imaginations have been running wild and they are more and more into role-play type games. So, I thought it would be nice for them to have a puppet theater for their upcoming 3rd Birthday. However, I did not want to add another bulky piece of equipment that takes up a lot of space. And let's face it, some toys get old very quickly and just end up laying around collecting dust.
So, herewith, I present to you my doorway puppet theater! Easy to roll up and hide in a closet.
It's about 36" wide x 50" high and fits with a tension rod into any regular doorway. I used part of an old flannel sheet, some leftover vintage sheet for the curtains, lots of felt and
chalk cloth for the clock and frameboard.
Originally, I was planning to put a tutorial together, but then totally forgot to take pictures of the process. Sorry. But, to get you started, here are the main measurments:
1. Theater pannel: cut a 55" x 38" rectangle, finish the lower edges and side edges. Create a "tunnel" up top that will fit a regular sized shower curtain rod. Our doors are 32" wide on the inside. So, if yours are wider you will have to add to the width of your pannel accordingly.
2. The window opening is about 24 inches from the ground and measures 18" wide x 16" high. On the inside at the bottom of the window I sewed a pocket to insert a dowel stick. This way the window will not be floppy when you hang the theater in the doorway.
The accessories I basically cut and sewed as I went along. Also, on the backside I added three pockets to hold various puppets. Puppets, that I still have to make (or buy...). The numbers on the clock and the writing on the board are applied freehand with fabric paint. Overall I am pretty happy with how it turned out. I may add a few more embellishments, like carnival masks, above the stage window later on.
This pic was supposed to show you the chalk pocket, but Blue jumped in to check out the theater.
Have a great week, everybody.
2 comments:
thanks for sharing that great idea - I love it!!! and am going to have to try that for my daughters next birthday.
my only question is how does the whole thing stay in place? is it only held there with the shower rod or is it tacked down at the bottom as well? what kind of shower rod and what is it hanging on? sorry - hope that isn't too many questions!
Hey girl...sorry it has been TOO LONG since I've been on to tell you what an utter GENIOUS you are!!! :D Of course, I BOUGHT a flimsy excuse for a puppet theater that my kids only used a handful of times before the "wooden" frame was bent and broken!! I LOVE THIS IDEA!! Thanks so much for sharing your wisdom...I'll have to make one of these now!
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