I like to think that I enjoy doing sewing projects, but I’ve realized that I hate the planning process of prepping for a project. This means that I generally just wing it. 😅 My most recent project was this simple fabric gate that I made to stretch across the entrance for some pickleball courts.

My sewing projects mostly fill a specific need, like this one does. I generally prefer to spend as little money on them as possible. For this project, I believe I spent $10-$12 buying velcro and straps from Amazon to run across the top and bottom. I already had a large enough piece of fabric for the gate. I’ll explain the process, how it turned out, and changes I would make if I were to make a simple fabric gate again.

Process

1. I started out by taking measurements for the gate. I used these to make sure I had the right size of fabric. I wanted to wash this because I expected it to get pretty dirty. I washed the fabric beforehand, to prevent it from shrinking when washing it later.
2. I measured the fabric about an inch wider on each side than my measurements allowing wiggle room for seams. I actually forgot to measure how tall the gate needed to be, so I didn’t cut off any of the length. When I put it up the first time, I planned to clip it to measure the needed length. Then I would sew a fold to get the proper length.
3. I sewed the side seams up at about a half inch in. Then I folded it over and stitched a second time. This prevents any loose threads from the fabric from showing and gives it a more finished look.
4. I measured out the strap length to run across the entire length of fabric plus around a foot on each end. I wanted the strap to be able to support the center of the gate so it wouldn’t sag as much. I stitched the strap onto the top, the rolled the strap so it was completely enclosed and stitched again. I repeated this process on the bottom strap.
5. Moving on to the velcro! I wasn’t sure how much velcro I would need, and I guessed on the strap length. To compensate I decided to use more velcro than I would have if I had measurements for those. I think I used more on the strap side than on the fabric side, but I can’t remember. It was probably 6-8 inches in length. I stitched the velcro on using a box with an X in the middle to provide strength. I repeated this for each of the corners.
6. After the first time I tried it out, I clipped the excess fabric up. I folded this and stitched it so no fabric would be left free floating.

How It Turned Out

The gate worked pretty well for the first few times! The visual barrier was enough to keep the toddlers from testing it too much. We got a few weeks of less interruptions while we played pickleball. After a few weeks, the kids did learn they could push through the gate. I think that was a mix of not having a high quality velcro and use wearing the velcro down. Even with that, it did at least help slow down the kids enough to make it easier to catch them.

Things I would do Differently

After some use here are some things I would do differently on a gate like this in the future.

• Use a different fastener. I think this could be accomplished with either a higher quality velcro or a few snaps in place of the velcro. If you were to the higher quality velcro, I would also consider adding some length to the straps, so you could wrap it around the bar a second time for added strength.
• Use some kind of dowel on the sides. I think adding in dowels on the side and possibly in the middle would allow prevent kids from being able to lift it up enough to slip out the bottom.

Conclusion

Overall, I was pretty happy with how this turned out! I ended up leaving it with my friends back in Bremerton when we moved, but if I had been there longer, I would have made the changes I mentioned. Honestly, I had considered both of those options when I was originally making the gate, but I was trying to spend as little as possible to get something workable. Would you try to make a simple fabric gate like this? I’d love to know how you’d go about it!

Jaylyn