LOVE STORY

Get kids to fall for reading with Sophia Palmer’s duo-tone canopy

- SOPHIA PALMER

HOW TO MAKE A READING NOOK CANOPY

MATERIALS

• 3 metres x 130cm double gauze fabric in orange and pink (we got ours from www.minerva.com. Mollie readers can get 15% off gauze fabric using the code MMDG15 from January 20th to March 7th 2022)

• 60cm (235/8) diameter hula hoop

• Machine thread

• Tailor's chalk

• Sewing machine

• Scrap paper

Everyone remembers the first book they fell in love with as a child - they never leave us. And seeing as imagination is so important in story time, you need the right setting. Sophia's project creates a little haven for dreaming up new adventures, whether that's wandering through a classic fairy-tale, discovering new friends or filling up with facts.

Switch up the colours of the canopy to match your little one's favourite hues. If you don't have a hoop that can pull apart, you can make six narrow ties instead of a tube to attach to the inside. .

01 Use the scrap paper to draw out a triangle 51cm (2018) in height, 28cm (11) long at the base, 3cm (1/4) long at the point - based on your hoop being 60cm (2357) in diameter. Use this template to then cut four triangles from orange fabric and four triangles from pink.

02 Place two different coloured triangles wrong sides together (WST) and pin along one long side. Sew using a 9mm (3/8) seam allowance. Trim the seam allowance down by half and press the seam open. Then, with the fabric right sides together (RST), sew the seam again with a 6mm (14) seam allowance. This is a French seam. Repeat with the other triangles, joining them all together to form the shape of a tent.