How to Make a Playset Canopy

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If the fabric canopy on your child's playset is torn or damaged, it's easy to sew a new one. Using high-quality outdoor fabric from Sailrite®, your new playset tarp will last for years and provide much-needed shade and protection for your child while they enjoy playing outside. In our video tutorial, we'll show you how easy it is to measure and pattern a new playset canopy and attach it to your child's play structure. Let's get started.

Video Chapters:

Intro — 0:00 min.
Determining Fabric Required — 0:37 min.
Cutting Fabric Panel — 2:49 min.
Creating Hems — 4:44 min.
Sewing Hems — 7:03 min.
Installing Grommets — 10:56 min.
Adding Reinforcement Strip — 13:41 min.
Installing Canopy — 18:03 min.
Materials & Tools List — 20:59 min.

Materials List:

Textilene^® Decorative Vinyl Mesh Elizabeth 54" Fabric #123353
Seamstick 3/8" Basting Tape for Canvas (50 yds.) #129
Tex 90 White UV Bonded Polyester Thread 4 oz. (1,350 yds.) #100079

Tools List:

Gingher^® 8" Scissors Right Handed #19104
Clear Acrylic Ruler 6" x 24" #102400
Scribe-All^® Black Marking Pencil for Vinyl #121977
Sailrite^® Canvas Patterning Ruler #107040
Deluxe 5-1/2" Magnetic Sewing Guide #103597
Sailrite^® Ultrafeed^® LS Walking Foot Sewing Machine #311502
Sailrite^® Drill Hole Cutter Set #121825
#1 Spur Grommet 5/16" (Nickel-Plated Brass) #26315
#1 Spur Grommet Die Set 5/16" #18202
Spring Clamp #50211
Tape Measure, Drill, T-Square

If you don't have the original tarp or canopy to pattern from, don't worry. We'll show you how to accurately measure for a new canopy. Depending on the width of your play structure's frame, you may be able to use just one fabric panel without having to add a seam to make your canopy panel wider. The mesh fabric we used in our video is 60 inches wide, so we only needed one piece of fabric to create our playset tarp. If you'd rather use a canvas fabric instead of mesh, the red fabric in the photo is Top Notch^® 9 — it's also a great choice for playset canopies.

This project takes a minimal amount of sewing, which means anyone can make a replacement canopy for their playset or swing set, even if you are not an experienced sewer. All this project requires is outdoor fabric, a hole cutter, spur grommets and a die set, a sewing machine, and some basic sewing tools and supplies.

In this video tutorial, we'll show you how to measure and cut your fabric panel, how to create and sew the hems, and how to install the grommets. One of the last steps is adding a reinforcement strip to prevent chafing and abrasion against the wooden crossbeam on your play structure. Finally, we show you how to install the canopy on your playset. Watch the video to get started on this easy DIY.

If you're looking for more outdoor projects, head to our Outdoor Living Projects page. There you'll find everything from patio furniture covers to shade sails. We have everything you need to DIY your home, inside and out.