[MR] One-Piece Pavilions

[Towey, Brian]

Thank you, Fergus, for the Harbor Freight link.  I should have thought of
them.  They have bigger canvas tarps than I have seen elsewhere.  Maybe
plastic isn't the only way to get a one-piece pavilion.

Olwen, I also found this outfit that seems to specialize in tarps.   I
haven't dealt with them, but they look legit.  They have blue, silver,
white, and green/blue reversible ones.  Some of the tarps are UV coated or
flame retardant, but not all.  The way we like to play with fire in the SCA,
that could be important.  http://www.masterdist.net/tarps/frw.html  They
have blue ones up to an astounding 60' x 120'.  I'd love to see the loom
that was made on!

You can also find big tarps sometimes on eBay.

Here's the pattern I had in mind.
http://toweycb.home.mindspring.com/pavilion.pdf  

Most of these tarps have a hem with grommets all around.  This design tries
to preserve as much of that hem as possible.  The doors end up being on the
ends, the way they are on some belled wedges, instead of the long sides.
Oh, and vertical side walls also help to preserve the hem and avoid seams.

I got the dimensions by tossing numbers into this wonderful Custom Pavilion
Pattern Generator 
(http://www.adelphi.edu/~sbloch/sca/tents/pattern.html) until the tent just
used up a 25' x 25' tarp.  For a different size (I see there's a canvas 20'
x 30' available) you'd just jigger the numbers until they fit.

Comments are welcome!  I definitely want to measure twice and cut once.

While we're on the subject of not-quite authentic, it's very, very important
that my little ones be able to find the chamber pot in the night.  But,
leaving a candle burning in a tent while you sleep is a famously stupid
thing to do.  The best idea I have come up with so far is to hang up a
lantern with white cyalume light sticks in it.  They would be bright in the
evening and fade through the night.  What else have people tried that works?

Charles Fleming
mka Brian Towey