How to Build a Bed Fort Using Paper and Office Supplies

If there's one thing I never got to do that much of when I was younger, it would have to be fort building. I always liked making stuff, and I barely got to build a decent fort. So what was my first thought on entering the Fort Contest?

At first I was indifferent about it, all "Meh" and stuff. But as time went by, I remembered all the time I never spent doing something neat. Especially when it came to making a fort in my house. Since i had a bit of stuff lying around my room, I figured "Why not? I'm 21, single, and I have nothing better to do."

The overall concept is simple enough, but its important to be creative and innovative. If you can make your own fort using the materials in the next step, then by all means go for it!

UPDATE!!!
I tried it out. This is something better suited for younger kid use. I wouldn't suggest you use this method if you are somewhat bigger than your bed. It did work, but not for me. Hopefully, the info from this instructable will be of use for any fort builder!

Step 1: Materials

(For a fort like this, I used some basic stuff, but you can use variations to achieve your goal.)

1. Large Bed Sheet (mine was a twin size sadly)
2. Cardboard (depends on how big an indoor fort you wanna make)
3. Paper (I had a durable roll of some good quality in my closet, but you can use anything that can be easily rolled up.)
4. Tape (to seal your paper and connect your cardboard)

Tools:

1. Scissors (Obviously)
2. Thumbtacks (if you have any walls you can use)
3. Needles (to pin fabric together if needed)
4. Optional office supplies (like stapler or paperclips and rubber bands)

Step 2: Step 1: Building the Frame

First thing to do is to build your "Outline" of your fort. I used the scroll of paper I had and cut out three sections. The first two were about the same size coming up to my waist while the 3rd one went the whole length of my bed. To make these out of any rollable paper, take one corner, roll it up keeping it at an even thickness, and then when you reach the end, add a piece of tape. If your paper stick isn't long enough, you can just tape on a corner of another piece and keep rolling and taping until you get the desired length.

After you have your sticks rolled up, use the scissors to cut both ends of each one flat. Then cut a V shaped notch in one end of any sticks that will support others. The placement is entirely up to you, but secure the corners with tape to keep the sticks from becoming undone.

Step 3: Step 2: Reinforcement Is Necessary

This outline needs some more lines. Its gotta have more structure. This is where the cardboard comes in. Take the cardboard and cut it into thick strips, as referenced by the images. I only used the cardboard for 3 edges of the fort I made. The two vertical "Legs" and the opposing "Arm" or "Roof Side" were put in place so the whole fort would have some structure. The cardboard legs need to be the same size as the sticks of your frame, so you can attach them together with tape or some other methods. Really though, the choice is yours.

Step 4: Step 3: Add the Cover Up

Finally the best part of the fort build! Using the thumbtacks, put one in the corner of your bedsheet and the room. Then go from one edge of the bedsheet and secure it to the wall as you go down it. Once you have one wall down, do the other one, then if necessary, use your needles to secure it to the frame. This depends on your design if you go with this method.

After the bedsheet has been secured....

Step 5: Finished the Fort!

It's complete! And in only 3 easy steps! By the way, I made this all in one evening, and its kinda late right now. So for the same night I submitted this instructable, it will be the same night I "test out" how comfy the fort is. I hope yours turns out well!