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How to Sew Your Own Civil War Tent

The Civil War to this day represents an intense period in American history. Reenactments of the battles, encampments and general living conditions are common and large groups of people spend time and effort to recreate everything accurately, right down to the smallest detail. Civil War tents were called fly tents, or dog tents and designed to be put up quickly and packed away just as fast for soldiers who needed to be on the move.

Things You'll Need

Heavy canvas 104-inches by 80-inches
Scissors
Heavy duty sewing needle
Heavy cotton thread
24 buttons

Instructions

- 1
  Cut two pieces of canvas 52 inches by 80 inches. The typical fly or "dog" tent was two 4-feet by-6-feet halves, one carried by each soldier, fitted together for two men to sleep under.
- 2
  Double in the outer edges of each piece 2 inches. Sew by hand to form a small flap and seam the folded edges. This reinforces the edges for durability. Modern thread, such as polyester or filament would be stronger, but cotton is authentic. Sew 1/4 inch in from the edge of the 2-inch piece. Sew all the way around, all four sides. You will have a finished 4-feet by 6-feet fly.
- 3
  On one longer side of one fly, the 76 inch side, cut button hole slits every 6 inches in the center of the doubled over flap. Cut through both layers. You can hand-finish these button holes with a loose baste stitch if desired to reduce fraying.
- 4
  Sew 12 buttons, one every 6 inches on the opposite long flap to correspond with the button holes. The flaps are designed to be buttoned together with another soldier's flap to make a two-person fly.
- 5
  Button one flap to the other to check the fit. The tent is suspended by using two poles and a rope stretched between, or in a pinch, the soldiers rifles with a rope between them supported the tent. Permanent poles can be cut to fit your tent for frequent use.

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