Beginner Sewing Tutorial: Hamster Tent

Make this adorable doll or hamster sized tent from soft wool felt with my free pattern PDF download and practice your hand stitching! A fun sewing project for kids, teens, and adults!

A few months ago, my craft room hamster, Gus Gus, decided that his 2-story condo wasn't quite big enough and was trying to chew his way into a hammy heist! Thankfully, I already had plans to expand his home in the works and he was upgraded to a 5,000 ㎠ hamster haven. With this new space, he received some new toys and hidey-holes, one of which was a small wool felt tent.

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A great little tutorial to practice blanket stitches, this round retreat is also fitting for Miss Marie Mouse! She is enjoying her tent just as much as Gus Gus, and hers is a little more gussied-up (the embroidery is included in the pattern, but strictly decorative and up to your preference)!

He quickly chewed himself a back door in the tent, and loves throwing it and burying it in his sandbox. 

I'll prop it back up in the evenings when I feed him, and he snakes his way in and out of the holes, hiding sunflower seeds and corn kernels in it, before stuffing it inside one of his dens, to be propped back up the next day.

**Note: it is important that you use real wool felt is you intend to give this tent to a live pet! Wool is a natural fiber from sheep, but acrylic felt sheets (at most craft stores) are made from plastic and are not only flimsy, they are not good for your pet to ingest!

To make your own little doll tent or hamster den, you'll need:

• Wool felt (I'm partial to Pixie Pink or Spellbound Sapphire)
• Basic sewing supplies (find links to these or make your own sewing kit tin here)
• Free PDF Pattern

When cutting your pattern out, be sure to trim the straight side up to the black edge, otherwise, it won't fit your circle floor.

After cutting out all of your pieces, you have the option to add the embroidery to the top of the tent. 

I transferred it by holding the paper up to a lit window and tracing lightly with a pencil or fabric marker, then used a stem stitch to make the pretty curls.

Next, use a blanket stitch to create the cone shape of your tent, hiding your knots between the edges of felt.

Finally, use a blanket stitch to add the round floor to the bottom of your tent and you're finished! My 3 year old infiltrated my photography session when the sample tent was finished and decided it was raining and that Miss Mouse needed to hide in her tent!

I hope you had fun making this quick project! If you make one, please tag me @cinderellasews on Instagram or post a photo to the Pinterest "Tried It" button here!

Happy Stitching!