Grackle - Blanket Fort: Growing Up Is Optional

Contents

Contents

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BLANKET FORT . Copyright 2018 by Jessie T. Kressen and Nathaniel Kressen. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

Cover photograph courtesy Grackle + Pigeon

WM Morrow Gift is a trademark of HarperCollins.

Grateful acknowledgment is made for permission to reproduce the following:

A Good Nook, artwork by Jessie T. Kressen

Yoga Fort, artwork by Fluidtoons Brett W. Thompson

Appears Courtesy of Gamba Forest

Meditation Fort, artwork by Heather Keton

Appears Courtesy of Gamba Forest

FIRST EDITION

Digital Edition OCTOBER 2018 ISBN: 978-0-06-274276-6

Version 08312018

Print ISBN: 978-0-06-274275-9

This book is dedicated to our

friends and family,

and everyone out there who keeps

a healthy dose of childlike wonder.

L ets face itadulting is hard. Gone are the days when lifes biggest worry was getting caught breaking curfew. Nowadays, if you stay up late, you feel awful the next day. Come on, body. Get with the program. We are adventurous young spirits ready to take the world by storm.

Not going to lie. Ambition is exhausting. Bed cuddles are awesome. Cant we just not deal for a while and take refuge in a pile of pillows and blankets and maybe, just maybe, redefine what adulting actually means?

We are Grackle + Pigeon, and were all about getting creative visions airborne. As a husband-and-wife artistic team, weve collaborated across print, multimedia, and live performanceand now, we are so stoked to bring you twenty-plus variations on the pinnacle of all things awesome: blanket forts.

Still with us? Lets do this.

In this book, you have both a road map and outright permission to escape your everyday obligations. Some blanket forts can be built using common household items, others require a bit of research and invention. Some require many hands, and some you can build yourself. We give you the basic steps and bare bones of a plan to get started, but our main intention is to activate your imagination so you can build your own vision.

Welcome to our world. Here, there are no deliverables and there are no deadlines. Growing up is optional.

The Essentials

While were huge proponents of diving in headfirst and asking questions later, were going to recommend purchasing some rope, some twine, and an abundance of clips and clamps before you get started. These items can all be sourced cheaply and figure into every fort youre likely to build.

You should also procure two aluminum rod tent poles online. Youll notice that we used broom handles, an eight-foot dowel, telescoping (non-bendy) tent poles, and tree trunks in the creation of this book. Well tell you right now, though: nothing compares to aluminum rod tent poles in terms of flexibility and ease of use. When it comes to creating the base structure of your fort, these offer the greatest number of options in terms of sizes and shapes, and are lightweight and compactible, which makes them easy to transport.

So far as knots are concerned, weve included some guidance where tying the right knot will help you take your fort construction from A-plus to A-plus-plus. Otherwise, we recommend a healthy disregard paired with impromptu innovation.

Last, leave modesty to the other parts of your life and locate some out-there fabrics and props. These are blanket forts, after all. Fortune favors the bold (patterns).

What Youll Need

• Different kinds of clips
  • clothespins (metal, plastic, wood)
  • mini clamps
  • curtain clips with hooks
  • binder clips or other large metal clips
• Rope
• Twine
• Fishing line
• Telescoping tent poles
• Aluminum rod tent poles
• Broom handles
• String lights
• Penny nails
• Command (sticky) hooks
• Outdoor decking screws
• Lots of blankets, sheets, fabrics, pillows, and throws
• An imagination

Aluminum Rod Tent Pole Tutorial

Aluminum rod tent poles are easy to use, lightweight, and compactible. Simply unfold and fit the pieces together. An elastic rope extends inside the length of the pole to help keep the pieces in place.

Draping

Draping technique should be flexible, depending on the look youre trying to achieve.

For most blanket forts, youll want to create a base structure and toss the fabric over once its secure. In these cases, it helps to have two people, one to toss and the other to catch. You may need to tug back and forth to get the fabric to hang evenly and to place the opening where you want it.

Every now and then, for a more free-floating appearance, you might want to hang fabric from the underside of ropes using clips. For examples of this, see .

Securing

Our personal opinion? Use as many clips as your heart desires. Large metal clamps help secure heavier fabrics in place, while small clips give you freedom to finesse the final shape.

The knots youll need can be split into two camps: those with the ability to slide (for example, a Taut Line Hitch) and those used to secure objects firmly in place (a Square Knot).

Youll want to use a knot that can slide when securing the uprights of your construction to fixed anchor points such as a doorjamb or wall, in order to tighten or slacken the ropes as needed. An example of this can be seen in .

Taut Line Hitch (aka Slip Knot)

Taut line

Tighten + slide

1. Loop rope around an anchor object and hold one end of the rope taut (referenced below as the standing line).