If you love Native American artwork, but the prices are more than your budget will allow, make your own! You don’t have to be Native American, and you certainly don’t have to be an artist, to have beautiful Indian decor pieces. One item that’s very easy to create is a tepee. When the project is finished you won’t believe you made it yourself! You need not worry about investing a lot of money, either, because the tepee is inexpensive to make.
Have you ever seen those paper funnels that are meant to help you add oil and other fluids to your car? Gas stations across America give them away free. You can also purchase them – or get them free – at most auto part stores. One cone is all you need to make a tepee, but you’ll love the craft so much, you’ll need several of the funnels to satisfy your appetite for making tepees!
There is no specific size funnel that’s critical to the design of the tepee. Use an ordinary funnel size, or if you want a tiny tepee, cut part of the funnel opening away. That will create a shorter funnel which can be used to make a smaller tepee. No matter what size tepee you start with paint the inside a dark color, like black, brown or gray.
After the funnel has dried you’ll add the leather to the outside. Many craft stores carry pieces of leather which are ideal for the tepee project. The leather pieces come in several colors and generally costs a couple of bucks. They are usually sold in a rectangular piece that is large enough to do one tepee. You can also check with a local upholsterer to see if they have scraps they would give you.
Wrap the leather piece around the funnel using spray adhesive to secure it. Other glues can be used but you want an adhesive which will dry quickly so that the leather piece doesn’t slide down the cone. Make sure to trim across the small opening of the funnel so that there is still a small opening in the leather as well as the funnel. That area will become the top of the tepee and the large opening of the cone will become the bottom.
Use a folded piece of paper – or a different pattern – to draw a triangle on the front of the tepee. Where you draw the triangle will become the front of the tepee. Make sure the wide bottom of the triangle reaches the very bottom of the tepee. The paper funnels have a ridge around the large opening and the ridge should not be cut. Position the craft knife or scissors just above the ridge and cut out the triangular shape.
Use a long strand of rawhide, a piece of twine, or something similar to glue around the bottom of the tepee. This will create dimension and will cover the raw edge of the cone and leather. Hot glue works well to hold the strip in place.
Cut twigs – or even a wooden skewer- to make three sticks that will protrude from the top. A dab of hot glue on the end of each stick will serve to attach the sticks to the top opening. Space the sticks evenly apart and make them cris-cross rather than stick straight up. Even a piece of tape can be used, by reaching up through the bottom of the tepee, to hold each stick in place.
There are all sorts of ways to decorate your tepee. Purchase miniatures and place them inside the tepee or just display it as-is. Use rubber stamps, stencils and paint, or even markers, to create images of deer, trees, bears or other designs.
The tepee doesn’t necessarily have to have a bottom but you can create one by cutting a circle of cardboard. Paint it the same color as the inside of the tepee. Glue or tape the circle over the bottom of the tepee and set it on a shelf or mantle to display. You – and everyone you know – will love the little tepee you’ve created yourself!
Reference:
- Purchase Native American theme cloth here: www.joann.com
