Tablecloth Playhouse

My kids love playhouses, but our house is small so it's hard to find a place to set one up. Plus, they tend to be expensive. I saw something similar to this advertised for sale online, but it was way out of my price range, so I decided to try my hand at making one myself.

You do NOT need a sewing machine to make this if you use a table cloth. All you really need to do with the table cloth is cut out windows and door and you're done. I couldn't find a tablecloth that was the right size for my table at a thrift store and didn't want to destroy an expensive new one, so I made one using inexpensive fabric.

Here's what you need for the sew-your-own method:
Enough fabric to cover your kitchen table to the floor (Note: my table is 60" x 36" and is 30" high - so I used 7 yards of fabric - I had to cut the fabric in half, and then sew the two halves together. Most bolted fabric is about 44" wide when unfolded. Also, I chose two yards of one color of fabric for the "front" of the house; and five yards of another, less expensive fabric, for the rest of the tablecloth - I just attached a half yard of the "other" fabric to the nicer housefront fabric to form the correct length)
Bias tape
Rick rack
Small pieces of a different fabric for "curtains" (one or two fat quarters would work for this)
Scissors
Sewing machine

Here's what you do:
1. If you are using different colors, cut a door and windows out of your "house front" piece of fabric. Mine was purple. Don't worry about hemming the windows/door - that's what the bias tape is for. Leave one side of your "door" uncut, if you want your kids to be able to open and close it. If you're keeping all your fabric the same color, just select one piece of fabric to be the "front" and cut the door and windows out.

2. Sew bias tape along the edges of your window and door.

3. Cut your fat quarters (or whatever curtain fabric you've chosen) to match the size of your window and sew on the inside of the house.

4. If you want tiebacks for the windows/door - sew two pieces of rick rack halfway up the edge of each window. You can also sew a piece of rick rack at the top and middle of each side of the door to be able to keep it shut. I also added a piece of rick rack as a tieback where the door folds open/close.

5. Sew the remaining pieces of fabric together, forming one large rectangle. Hem if desired.

6. Place it over your table and let the kids move in!