how to make a table for dolls
When little girls get together, it always involves dolls and accessories. Luckily, you can easily make your own doll furniture and save money, which is sure to put a smile on you and your little girl's face! Here you can see how to make a doll table with your own hands , a must-have for playing with dolls. There are several options: from ice cream sticks, from PVC pipes and a plastic photo frame, a doll table made of cardboard and an almost real wooden table for dolls - a copy of a country picnic table. All these crafts are easy to make…. Ideal for children of any age.
How to make a table for dolls
This stylish doll table is easy to make. You just need a few things and you can put the table together in about half an hour.
Here the author used popsicle sticks, they are easy to work with. What's more, they add a beautiful, stylish look to everything you do! If you want, you can use colored sticks to make the doll table more colorful.
All you need is 16 standard 15cm sticks and a hot glue gun.
Carefully arrange the 8 popsicle sticks, one under the other, so that the shorter edges are in line. Apply hot glue along the line on both sides. Apply glue to the two sticks and press. Your tabletop is ready. Let's move on to the legs. Take two sticks and connect them into the letter “X”. Repeat the same with the other two sticks. Apply a bead of hot glue to one end of the sticks and place the other over it. Flip over and glue another stick matching the first one and place the tip of the "X" in between. Repeat to make the second leg. Apply glue to both sides of the tabletop. Place the leg and press firmly. Repeat the same with the other leg. Your doll table is ready!
Photo source: sewcraftyme.com/diy-doll-table-american-girl-doll-table-diy.html
DIY doll table...from a photo frame
Are you looking for a fun and simple doll table that can be paired with chairs? Here! Transform an inexpensive photo frame into the perfect doll table, complete with a versatile tabletop that you can customize to fit your chairs. You'll need a photo frame with a removable back made of cardboard or chipboard (Tip: Flat frames with a plastic rather than glass panel work best as they are child-safe). PVC pipes with fittings and fabric. All details are on the website.
Photo source: matildajo.com/frametable/
Review of available materials that are found in every family
If you want to complement toys and houses with “real” sets, or give your dolls comfortable and original furniture sets, you should not throw away the following household waste that we are used to:
- matchboxes - they will be needed if you want to make full-fledged drawers in cabinets, dressing tables, bedside tables, and chests of drawers;
- plastic bottles;
- plywood scraps and wooden blocks;
- foil, flexible wire of different thicknesses;
- threads for knitting and embroidery;
- cardboard boxes for cosmetics, household appliances, shoes;
- sponges for washing dishes, viscose napkins;
- scraps of leather, fabric - the more beautiful scraps, the better;
- plastic food containers, egg cells.
If there are people in the house who do handicrafts, furniture for dolls made of cardboard can be decorated with beads, rhinestones, polymer clay, beads, lace - all this will help create a bright, colorful interior of a doll house.
Wooden furniture for dollhouse Cardboard sofa for dolls
For example, scraps will be needed to sew upholstered doll furniture in addition to cabinet furniture. From various triangular scraps you can assemble a colorful bean bag chair, which is so popular in real life. The same material will be needed to create sofa and bed pillows, sheets, blankets and bedspreads. A room with a cardboard furniture set can be decorated with an LED garland - such lighting is appropriate for the game, and it is also fireproof.
Cardboard dollhouse Two-story dollhouse
Master classes on creating furniture for dolls: detailed instructions for your creativity
Any mother knows: her daughter’s best friend is a doll. This means that you will have to make every effort to create a worthy home for your princess’s favorite toy. And you can’t do without furniture filling. We offer you several master classes that will tell you how to make furniture for Barbie, Monster High dolls, Winx dolls, baby dolls and so on with your own hands, and all you have to do is choose the appropriate option.
In addition to wooden furniture, you can also make countless interior items or toy flowerpots with plants from scrap materials.
Transparent plastic lids from jars of cosmetics and household chemicals make it possible to quickly and easily make many decorative items for a doll's house
Product classification
Furniture for dolls is produced in a wide range, you can always choose an option for any budget and for children of all age categories. The main thing is to pay attention to the quality of the materials that were used in its manufacture, to assess the degree of safety of the structures for children's health. Toys should be smooth, without sharp corners or unpleasant odors. If the child has not yet reached 5 years of age, it is necessary to exclude the presence of small parts. Practicality and functionality of products are important.
The certificate of conformity provided by the seller is a guarantee of the proper quality and safety of doll furniture.
By accuracy
Despite the same purpose, furniture can differ dramatically in appearance. There are products made from solid plastic, the general outlines of which only vaguely resemble real beds. Another thing is a miniature doll crib that exactly replicates the details of real furniture. It may have wooden sides, a decorated headboard, slats, a soft mattress, and a bed. Older children prefer these smaller copies.
Doll miniatures are usually made by hand, which naturally affects the cost. If the baby is only 3-4 years old, or even younger, it makes no sense to spend money on such toys. At this age, the child will not be able to evaluate the accuracy of the imitation of the product and will quickly break it.
To size
The most common scale for toy furniture is 1:12. This value is observed in the manufacture of collectible items, suitable for many types of mini-dolls, no more than 15 cm in height. The dimensions of the main interior items will be: wardrobe - no less than 16.5 cm, chair height with back - 7.5 cm, its seats are 4 cm, the table is 6.5 cm, the dimensions of the bed are 16 x 7.5 cm. For larger dolls, other values are provided:
- For Barbie, 29–30 cm tall, furniture in a scale of 1:6 is suitable. That is, instead of a standard 16.5 cm cabinet, a design with a height of at least 33 cm is ideal.
- For BABY BORN, whose height reaches 50 cm, a table with a height of 19–20 cm and a bed of 52 x 25 cm are optimal.
- Furniture for large dolls is selected individually.
In order not to be mistaken with the dimensions, you need to divide the average height of a person (170 cm) by the length of the doll, and then use the resulting scale. Furniture that is too large will look just as unnatural as furniture that is too small. This nuance should not be neglected.
By type of furniture
Doll furniture is not much different from ordinary furniture. You can furnish the home of any toy with the following items:
- A bed with beautiful bed linen and bedspread.
- Bedside table, chest of drawers with or without drawers.
- A couch, a sofa, a sofa.
- A solid or hinged wardrobe with all kinds of decorative elements.
- Table, chairs, both for the kitchen and for the office.
Ready-made furniture sets for dolls can also include ottomans, armchairs, dressing tables, and shelving. The set of kitchen products usually includes a buffet, stands for dishes, and for baby dolls there are playpens and changing tables.
Toy furniture can be solid, collapsible, soft, cabinet, individual, serial. It is divided into many types according to operational purpose (for the bath, bedroom, dining room), and functionality (for sitting, lying, storing things).
By material
The reliability and durability of doll furniture sets directly depend on the quality of the materials from which they are made. Experienced craftsmen usually use:
- plywood or natural wood;
- plastic;
- metal;
- polymer clay.
You can also create beautiful furniture for dolls from scrap materials. In this case, cardboard, paper, newspapers, and plastic bottles are used. It is not necessary to be a highly qualified specialist to make a bed for a baby doll, but it is worth considering that homemade furniture will not fit into an expensive high-quality doll house.
Popular types of transformable children's furniture, advantages Plywood Natural wood Plastic
Metal Polymer clay
Cardboard Newspapers Plastic bottles
Origami paper chair
To work, we will need a square sheet of paper (white or colored). When choosing a size, be guided by the required dimensions of the future chair.
Scheme:
To learn how to make an origami chair, we suggest using a video tutorial. Follow MK's step-by-step instructions and the entire manufacturing process will take you no more than 10 minutes.
Video: Master classes on creating an origami chair
How to make furniture for dolls? DIY dollhouse
Fold the fabric pieces face to face and sew, departing from the outline by approximately 0.2 mm.
4. Trim the seam allowance at a distance of approximately 0.2-0.3 mm from the seam and cut the fabric in the corners. Turn the workpiece onto the face and iron it. I didn’t photograph these steps, but I think everything is clear here.
5. Sew the padding polyester blanks on the sides and top with a simple seam between the edges, without tightening the thread too much, turn them onto the face, insert the cardboard blank and sew with the same seam at the bottom.
6. Place the fabric blank on the cardboard one and iron it.
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7. In my bins I found half beads on a thread and glued them along the contour of the headboard.
8. It seemed a little empty to me, so I glued on more cabochons.
The headboard is ready.
Now let's move on to the bed itself.
9. From padding polyester, cut a blank for covering to the size of the sponge.
10. Glue the padding polyester to the edge of the sponge and sew the sides.
11. Cut a cover for the crib from fabric, I measured the size of the sponge 8 by 11 cm, plus added 4.5 cm on all sides.
12. Sew the sides of the cover, trim the corners and trim the edge of the cover, if required.
13. Put the cover on the crib and glue it along the edge with a moment.
14. Use a glue gun to glue bottle caps to the bottom of the crib - these will be the legs.
15. Sew a frill from ribbon, you can gather it, or you can make it with folds.
16. Glue the headboard to the crib with a glue gun.
17. Also use a glue gun to glue the frill around the perimeter of the crib.
The crib is ready.
All that remains is to sew the pillows and bedspread.
Author MK Nadezhda I.
Materials:
Tips for planning and filling a house
Most dollhouses have the following rooms:
- living room;
- bathroom;
- kitchen;
- bedroom;
- children's room.
In order for the rooms not to look empty, they need to be filled with basic interior items. If necessary, rooms are complemented with small decorative elements - mirrors, curtains, pillows, flower pots. A sofa, one or more bedside tables, armchairs, a miniature coffee table and a TV must be installed in the living room; lamps are also often installed.
The kitchen must have a set, stove, refrigerator, dining table and several chairs. The bedroom is equipped with a bed, a wardrobe, bedside tables, and a large mirror for dolls. The bathroom requires a toilet, sink, mirror, and shower. The filling of a children's room depends on the age of the baby doll. Typically, such a room contains a cradle or a miniature bed, toys, chairs and a desk.
Living roomBathroom
Kitchen
BedroomChildren's room
Design and decor
Considering the variety of materials and their unlimited possibilities, doll furniture can be made in any style. The main thing is that the products look harmonious in the toy house. It will be easier for beginners to create an interior with a minimum number of objects of simple shapes. To decorate the facades of doll cabinets, chests of drawers, bed sides, and other items, the following are often used:
- Solid or stencil painting, covering all or only part of the product.
- Decoupage, in which pictures of various themes are glued to the surface of furniture and secured with a special varnish.
- Colored or imitating natural materials self-adhesive film.
- Fabrics, leather for upholstery and decoration.
- Mirrors, glass, ribbons.
When making collectible miniatures, craftsmen, as a rule, fully duplicate original interior items. The same materials and types of decor are used. Compositions consisting of several elements are always performed in the same style.
hands for dolls with your own hands
Moms Many who want to give a surprise to their daughters are interested in the question: “ How to sew doll clothes
?. Everything is quite simple, if you are familiar with the basics of sewing.
Firstly, you need to stock up on the following set of tools: scissors, decorative needles, threads, measuring tape, sewing overlock machine.
Secondly, you should choose fabrics for the Child. It will be much easier to put on the accessories and remove things from the dolls if they are fastened with Velcro. Therefore, third parties should be prepared in advance.
B - Velcro, before making clothes for dolls
, you should take measurements. To do this, you need to use a measuring tape to measure the circumference of your chest, waist, hips, length of the product, armpits from the distance to the waist line. Measurements are taken with tension without tape. To the resulting dimensions on each side, add 0.3 cm for allowances.
If you are interested in making things for dolls or Barbie-like toys with “model appearance,” then it’s quite simple, let’s look at the example of Dress. The dress will consist of 2 parts: bodice and both. skirt parts are made in the form of rectangles, the edges of which need to be processed with an overlocker. After this we do a fitting. In front we pin the chest with needles from the line to the waist. We adjust the bottom to the waist line. After this, we hem the parts and secure them with Velcro. The straps are made in the same way. You can decorate the Dress with rhinestones, sequins, and complement the Items.
Do-it-yourself accessories for dolls are very quick and quite simple, you just need to show imagination and ingenuity. When making them, you can experiment with materials, textures and fittings.
DIY making
Before you start making a bed, you need to decide on its dimensions and, accordingly, choose the material for the frame. In addition, you will need decorations (various beads, ribbons, flowers, bows, etc.) and doll bedding (small fabric scraps will do). For the mattress, you can use foam rubber or padding polyester. When all the elements are collected, you can begin the creative process. Let's look at several of the most common options for making doll beds.
From cardboard
To construct this model, you can take any thick cardboard, but corrugated cardboard is best - it is thicker, but at the same time convenient to use.
Required tools and materials:
- cardboard;
- wire (for strengthening and fastening the structure);
- glue (PVA, “Moment”);
- tape (simple and double-sided);
- scissors;
- fabric or other finishing material.
You can first cut out the details of the future bed from a sheet of paper in accordance with the required dimensions and only then transfer the drawing to cardboard.
- Cut out the parts of the product from cardboard. It is better to duplicate each detail at least twice - the strength of the bed will depend on this. It is preferable to make 4 blanks for the base, and two for the backs.
- Glue the base using Moment glue so that there are two of four blanks.
- Cut four identical pieces of wire with a length exceeding the length of the base by 7-10 cm.
- Evenly position and attach the strips of wire with tape to one of the two glued base blanks.
- Glue both parts of the base with PVA glue so that the wire is between the layers of cardboard. Leave the product to dry under pressure.
- After drying, assemble all the elements of the crib together, mark on the two parts of the backs with dots where the wire coming out of the base will be inserted. Make holes at these points.
- Thread wire through them and glue the joints. Fasten (tie) the wire from the outside, cut off the excess ends of the wire.
- Glue the remaining two parts of the backs so that they hide the wire knots (this way the child will not hurt his hands).
- Carefully cover the resulting structure with any available material - fabric, paper, self-adhesive film, etc.
A chair for a doll from what was found at home. Process of creation
Self-isolation continues, but I wanted to make a chair for the big girl who has joined my doll family. Fortunately, at home I found a scrap of pine board, sushi sticks and three balusters from a broken Soviet chair (they can be replaced by a wooden mop handle or the handle of a child’s spatula, in general, any suitable block). I will share the process of creating such a chair, maybe someone will find it useful. I sawed off a seat for a future chair from the board. I sawed one of the balusters in half to make the front legs of a chair. I screwed the two remaining balusters to the seat so that they formed the back legs and back.
Then I made a stencil for the top of the back using paper. To do this, I measured the width of the seat, folded the paper in half and cut out the desired half of the shape. Having opened it, I received a stencil with a fold marked in the middle.
Then she folded the paper parcel in half and about a third more, by eye. I got three folds at a distance from each other. We will need them for further marking. I used a jigsaw to cut out the back part from the board. I made crossbars from sushi sticks, cutting the top to the same length. The upper end of the sticks is decorated with two notches; this suits the style of the planned chair very well. I put the lower tapering ends aside for now; they will come in handy a little later. I cut off the lower part of the back - a block equal in length to the distance between the back posts.
I marked the places for attaching the sushi chopsticks using the folds of a paper stencil and drilled the recesses with a drill of suitable diameter. I made the same recesses in the lower part of the backrest. I sanded everything. I tried it on. I made two chopsticks from the tapering ends of sushi sticks, sawing off about 2cm each. I drilled recesses on top of the back posts and in the top part. The main thing is not to drill through the top part. I hammered the chops into the top of the backrest.
I glued sushi sticks into the recesses of the top and bottom parts. Then I smeared the ends of the bottom bar with glue and dripped a little glue into the recesses for the choppers in the columns of the back of the chair. I glued the back and the main part.
Then I tinted the wood impregnation to the desired shade. Covered the chair in several layers. I didn’t touch the balusters; they were already varnished. I applied more layers of impregnation along the edges to make them darker. And I left the middle of the seat and back lighter. This created the effect of old wear from sitting on the chair.
I really like the texture of wood, so I decided to make the softness removable. You needed a piece of fabric, batting (can be replaced with padding polyester or paralon), and braid for ties. We take measurements for the seat. To do this, I placed a sheet of paper on the seat and bent it along the edges. I cut out and traced the resulting pattern onto the fabric folded in half. There is a fold on one side, seam allowances on the other three. Where the fold is will be in front of the seat. I cut out the batting according to the pattern without seam allowances.
I stitched along the sides to create a pocket. I turned it inside out and put a layer of batting in the middle. Along the back edge I folded the edges inward and inserted strings folded in half.
I stitched it. The seat is ready! We tie the ribbons around the back posts and voila - a retro country style chair is ready!
I'm not a professional, so it didn't turn out perfect, but my puppeteers are happy)))
Thanks for the greyhound
Making hangers
You don’t have to make hangers for doll clothes, but use ready-made ones, for example, from sock packaging.
The hook can be removed from the packaging
If desired, they can be wrapped in thin foam rubber and covered with fabric.
Decorating hangers
If there are not enough of them or the right size, you will have to take their production into your own hands.
Hangers made of paper clips or wire
The easiest way is to make hangers from paper clips. They come in different sizes, metal, colored, with plastic braiding - there are plenty to choose from. The manufacturing process is simple, you can do it with just your hands, but it is more convenient to use pliers.
It is enough to bend the paper clip slightly on both sides, and then lift the long part and bend it with a hook. For rigidity, the tip of the short part can be wrapped around the neck of the hook.
Clothes clip hanger
Video - How to make hangers for dolls
If dolls need hangers larger than those made from paper clips, use wire. It is quite difficult to make neat and even products out of it; a simple device made from a piece of plywood or a plank and several small nails will help with this.
Image | Description |
Step 1 | On the board, draw the outline of a hanger of a suitable size and drive several nails into it, without recessing the caps. |
Step 2 | Cut a piece of wire and wrap it sequentially around the nails, forming hangers. |
Step 3 | Remove the workpiece from the template, cut off the excess wire and make several turns with its tip around the neck of the hook. |
Cardboard hangers
You can make these hangers together with your child - the process is incredibly simple, and joint activities are very bonding. In the future, your daughter will be able to independently take care of storing her expanding wardrobe of dolls.
Step 1. Prepare colored cardboard, glue, scissors, ribbons and buttons, as well as a drawing or printout of the hangers.
Materials required for work
Step 2. Cut out the hanger pattern and transfer it to cardboard. Each product will require several parts depending on the thickness of the cardboard and the required strength of the hanger.
Pattern
Step 3. Glue the parts together by placing a narrow tape between them in the neck of the hook area.
Parts to be glued
Step 4. We pass the ends of the ribbon through the holes of the button and tie it with a bow.
The bow is tied, the hanger is ready for use.
You can make a lot of these hangers in different colors and with different decorations - to suit every doll outfit. And hang them on hangers you made yourself.
Doll hanger
Plywood doll products
A doll's wardrobe for clothes can also be made from plywood. He will serve his owner for a very long time. You can connect the walls and shelves together with hot glue or PVA. A hanger bar can be made from a wooden skewer or a Chinese stick. Hangers are made from straightened paper clips.
The bed, table and chairs can also be made from this durable material. Some craftsmen even carve beautiful patterns on such furniture, imitating carved furniture. It looks very nice. The plywood needs to be painted or covered with fabric.
It is better to stuff the sofa with cotton wool or foam rubber so that it takes shape, and then cover it with fabric.
The table can be made either square or round using a jigsaw. The legs will be wooden skewers or sticks. Chairs are made using the same principle.
How to make a doll cabinet from a box?
For such a locker you will need any cardboard box. In addition to the box itself, you will need:
- remnants of wallpaper or colored paper;
- empty matchboxes;
- toothpicks, sandwich skewers;
- wooden beads or buttons with “ears”;
- wire;
- paper clips;
- foil if you want a wardrobe with a mirror.
Preparing the base
Before you make a doll cabinet from a juice box or shoe box, you need to prepare the box itself.
Option 1
We remove the lid of the shoe box, straighten it and cut off the folds - it is better to do this with a sharp knife so that the edges are smooth. From the lid you can make:
- partition;
- doors.
Option 2
Carefully cut off the front wall of the juice box. If the box has a round hole on the top, remove the plastic insert onto which the lid is screwed. In fact, there is no need to do anything else - the thicker the load-bearing parts, the better.
You can make a partition from the cut out front part:
- Fold the cut wall in half, aligning the long sides.
- Bend the long edges outward by 1 cm.
- Glue the part, but do not touch the seam allowances.
- Hold the septum under pressure for some time.
- Glue the partition into the cabinet.
Decorating the interior
You can make a hanger in one half of the cabinet, and drawers in the other. Depending on the size of the wardrobe, the following are suitable for the crossbar:
- skewer;
- any round wooden stick;
- cocktail tube or paper roll.
It is best to glue it into the walls.
The other half may have drawers:
- To do this you will need several empty matchboxes.
- Their outer parts are simply glued one on top of the other.
- To make the drawers easy to open, semicircular cutouts are made on the sliding parts to fit the size of a child’s finger.
Making doors
Both doors are made the same way:
- Cut 4-6 strips of cardboard that are as long as the height of the closet and half as wide as the width of the doll clothes closet.
- Glue the strips together in 2-3 layers - glue should be spread over the entire surface.
- Keep the pieces under pressure until they are completely dry.
- Glue on handles - for example, small wooden buttons with “ears” or wooden beads.
- Place the doors on miniature hinges, 2 on each side.
Legs
Doll furniture can also be without legs. But if you have large beads, pawns from old small chess, or just wooden blocks of a suitable shape, why not make the toy cabinet look like a real one? The main thing is that the legs are the same and at equal distances from the corners.
A do-it-yourself doll cabinet is made from cardboard in almost the same way. You first need to glue the box from cardboard and attach the doors and other parts to it, that's all.
Furniture for dolls made from matchboxes
This is just a godsend for creating a dollhouse environment. You can create a huge number of pieces of furniture from them:
- Chest of drawers, bedside table. You just need to glue the boxes together and decorate them with gift paper or simply paint them with paint. Beads can become handles. To understand how to make a bedside table for dolls, you need to look at a real bedside table and make an exact copy of it from boxes. You can decorate it using paints or wrapping paper.
- Table. In the same way you can create a desk, coffee table or dressing table. It can be with or without drawers. The connected boxes need to be sealed with self-adhesive tape or painted. You can decorate them using decoupage technique. The mirror on your dressing table can be a piece of foil or a DVD.
- Sofa. Glued matchboxes can be covered with soft fabric to create a sofa.
- Kitchen set. Glued matchbox blocks make a great work surface for a kitchen with lots of drawers.
Table
Do-it-yourself furniture for dolls cannot exist without such a necessary item as a table. It’s even easier to make than a kitchen or a bed. There are many options for drawings, photos, and diagrams for creating them. You can use ready-made ones, or you can just think and decide how to make a furniture table for dolls out of a box with your own hands from what you have on hand.
For example, this miniature table. To create it you need to prepare: • a plastic bottle; • a scrap of fabric; • cardboard sheet; • scissors and glue.
Step-by-step instructions: 1. Cut out 4 table supports from the bottle. For greater stability, bend the legs when cutting. 2. Next, cut out a circle from cardboard; it will serve as a tabletop. Glue it to the bottom of the bottle. 3. From a scrap of fabric prepared in advance, a tablecloth is cut out in the form of a circle, with a diameter slightly larger than the tabletop. 4. The table is covered with a tablecloth. For ease of use, we glue the ends to the supports. It’s also easy and quick to build a dining table from plywood. A diagram of do-it-yourself furniture for dolls made of cardboard and plywood is attached.
The nuances of creating furniture from different materials
For those who want to make original toy furniture with their own hands, information about the features of working with each of the possible materials will be useful. Some of them can be easily processed at home, while others require specific skills.
Sheet cardboard
Cardboard is a raw material that is often thrown into the trash when unnecessary. Meanwhile, you can use it to make any piece of furniture for a dollhouse. It is ideal for novice craftsmen, and you can safely involve your child in the process of creating a bed or wardrobe. To work you will need:
- pencil;
- ruler;
- scissors;
- office glue.
Before making furniture for dolls from cardboard, you need to draw templates, cut them out, and then glue them. The finished product can be colored with pencils, felt-tip pens, and paints. Colored paper is also ideal for decoration. You can use it as a basis, but in any case you will need cardboard to make the furniture stable. High quality material is often used in doll miniatures due to the ability to process very small parts.
Along with sheet cardboard, you can use disposable paper tableware, toilet paper rolls, egg packaging, cereals, and sweets.
Boxes
Making doll furniture from matchboxes will be no less simple. This is an ideal material for working together with a child, for example, to create a chest of drawers, a cabinet, or a desk. It is enough to glue them together in a certain way and decorate them in any way. A matchbox can also become the basis of a doll's suitcase.
You should not throw away boxes of shoes, juices, and dairy products. They can serve as the basis for a closet, a sofa or the house itself. But such material is not suitable for professional activities; collectible miniatures require higher quality.
Plywood and wood
Wood products are more expensive than others, and also require at least minimal experience working with the material. First of all, you need to take into account the functional purpose of the furniture in order to determine the appropriate thickness of plywood. For example, 6 mm is suitable for the base of a bed, legs of chairs, tables, and for the side walls of a cabinet or drawer, 4 mm will be sufficient.
The process of creating toy interior items is identical to the manual production of real furniture. Showing your imagination, you can use any wooden products:
- window beads;
- toothpicks;
- skewers for kebabs;
- rulers.
The raw materials are polished, processed with special means, painted or used in their original form. By the way, furniture made from popsicle sticks looks original: tables, chairs, shelves, beds. To increase the strength of the finished structure, you should use furniture glue instead of office glue. Wood is ideal for creating doll miniatures in any style.
Wire and plugs
When working with wire, you need skills in using pliers and wire cutters. Older children can be involved in the process. The complexity of the work will directly depend on the intended furniture and the thickness of the material. The larger the diameter of the wire, the more difficult it will be to handle, because the principle of operation is based on bending it, making turns, connecting 2 or more units. As a result, you can really get a strong frame for a future doll bed or beautiful chairs in a classic style with original weaving.
Corks from various bottles are another multifunctional material at hand. You can make ottomans from plastic ones, tables and armchairs from wine ones, simply using them as a base. The options are not limited to this; if you have some imagination, plugs can be suitable for any piece of furniture. They are much easier to work with than wire, but unlike the latter, in doll miniatures they will not always look appropriate.
Washcloths, foam
Kitchen sponges are an unexpected but practical material for making toy furniture. Moreover, it is suitable even for kids who tend to break something. This is not to say that a chair made from a washcloth will fit perfectly into the classic interior of a purchased Barbie house, but it will last longer than a plastic one. Even in kindergartens they make crafts from sponges - they are used whole or divided into parts. To create the desired shape, the prepared pieces are glued or stitched.
Foam sofas and beds are a convenient option for a novice craftsman. Even a child can cut, fasten and paint pieces of foam. Such products require a minimum amount of time, effort, and money. It will not be possible to make small parts from foam or foam rubber, so they should only be used for large, simple structures.
Plastic
Plastic bottles, like polystyrene foam, are good for the base of sofas, beds, chairs and other furniture items. They can be given the desired shape using scissors, painted, or supplemented with fabric. Jars of cream, yogurt, sour cream, and other plastic items are often used with the same success. For example, you can use rulers to make an impeccable doll's cabinet or shelf - not only an adult, but also a child can cope with the task.
Tips for choosing home furniture for schoolchildren and placement rules
Plastic is also used in doll miniatures. But in this case, the craftsmen take high-quality, special material, and do not use improvised means. The design of plastic toy furniture is not limited to any standards.
Newspaper tubes
Newspaper tubes have long become one of the most popular materials for all kinds of crafts. To make them, ordinary newspapers are wound on thin knitting needles. Not only various baskets are woven from prepared raw materials, but also furniture for dolls. Of course, this is not the easiest option for beginners, but if you get the hang of it, you can make artful, unique items in a vintage or country style. To increase reliability and resistance to moisture, the finished table or sofa is covered with stain or varnish. Newspaper is not used to create collectible miniature copies of original furniture.
The stain and varnish do not cover up the letters on the newspaper even when several layers are applied in a row.
Textile
All kinds of fabrics, lace, leather or leatherette often play a supporting role in the manufacture of toy products. They are used for upholstery of upholstered furniture for dolls and accessories. No bed, especially a miniature one, would be complete without bed linen. And the sofa will take on a finished look only with a few pillows, decorated to match. Textiles are also suitable for toys intended for little ones. To give the shape, craftsmen usually use foam rubber or stuff the product with padding polyester.
Knitting also allows you to achieve excellent results. Beds, wardrobes, tables are created using knitting needles and crochet. Not all products will be as practical as wooden or plastic ones, but thanks to them, the doll can have a cozy apartment. You can safely involve children of preschool and older age in these types of needlework. If you have no experience, it is quite possible to make a toy item for home use.
Plastic compositions
When making furniture from plasticine, you can take a child as an assistant. No matter how high-quality the bed or nightstand turns out to be, they are easy to deform, so such products are not suitable for active games. But the baby will be interested in taking part in modeling.
The situation is completely different with cold porcelain; you can also create furniture for dolls from polymer clay. The high plasticity of the materials makes it possible to process the smallest parts with perfect precision. And the finishing firing consolidates the result, making the product very durable. Sealant is also sometimes used to create doll furniture.
We decorate non-standard furniture
After the furniture is assembled, you can move on to the decorating stage. There is no need to limit yourself here, and there can be a huge number of options. Starting from simple ones, among which we can highlight pasting with colored paper, to unusual decoration options, where we can mention painting with varnish and much more.
You can decorate assembled furniture using various techniques. Are you good at drawing? Don't deny yourself the pleasure of creating your own creation. Paint the surface some base color, and when this layer dries, apply a pattern or color image to it.
It can also be decoupage. Use multi-layer napkins with suitable patterns. A thin thread glued in several folds will look interesting.
Buy or make it yourself
Making toys for girls and boys yourself is much more interesting than buying ready-made ones in a store, although such activities require a lot of time, effort, and financial expenses for materials and tools. Different products may require jigsaws, knives, measuring devices, special varnishes, paints and other consumables.
Handicrafts develop creativity, perseverance, attention, and improve motor skills in children and adults. And it doesn’t matter what kind of furniture you end up with - a knitted sofa, a paper chest of drawers or a wooden chair, any activity will be beneficial. This approach has other advantages:
- Confidence in the safety of the materials used.
- Possibility of creating furniture in any style.
- There is no need to select products of a certain size.
When choosing ready-made doll furniture, you should make sure of the proper quality of the products - many manufacturers save money on this. The most common are wooden and plastic toys. The latter are more durable, but the former are safer.
Many factories produce entire sets of furniture for the kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, and other rooms of the dollhouse. When purchasing these, a significant amount of time is saved, because the need to select suitable products for elements already purchased separately disappears.
Handicrafts develop creativity, perseverance, attention, and improve motor skills in children and adults. When choosing ready-made doll furniture, you should make sure that the products are of the proper quality.
Sofa made of newspaper tubes
For the sofa you will need: • approximately 200 blank tubes, about 30 cm long; • clothespins; • side cutter; • colored cardboard; • ruler.
The procedure for making newspaper tubes: 1. The newspaper is cut into pieces of the same width and length. 2. Each layer is coated with glue. 3. As a basis, you can use: a knitting needle, a sewing needle and a ballpoint pen. A strip of newspaper is wound around it. 4. The base is pulled out and the tube is given time to dry.
The process of assembling a sofa: 1. A base is woven from dry tubes - 15 pieces in the transverse direction and 5 in the longitudinal direction. 2. We form a side in 5 rows. 3. We increase the racks, making about 6 legs. 4. We cut off the blanks. 5. Add skewers to the middle posts for strength. 6. We break at a distance of 5 cm, first the first blanks, then the second - also at a distance of 5 cm, secure the racks - glue a clothespin to them. 7. Trim off the excess length of the legs. 8. We insert the racks in the back area. 9. We weave a few more rows - full, then 2 incomplete (shortened). 10. We form the height with strips of cardboard. 11. We weave 3 more rows and close them. 12. Fix the crossbar with cross-sections. 13. Wrap each leg. 14. We decorate the product at our discretion.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=sCyJMJJ7kW0
https://youtube.com/watch?v=sCyJMJJ7kW0
Master class on sculpting Monster High from polymer clay:
1. First you need to draw a sketch of the keychain. There are a lot of logos and emblems with the image of the Hi monster on the Internet, so it won’t be difficult for you to print out the finished drawing or redraw the image on a sheet of paper. You choose the size of the sketch yourself, based on the personal wishes of the child and his age. Cut out the drawn or printed design with scissors. Photo 2.
2. White polymer clay must be rolled out either using a pasta machine at its maximum thickness and folding a layer of clay into two layers, or using a rolling pin, but then make sure that the width of the layer is at least 7 mm. Photo 3.
3. Without removing the paper sketch from the surface of the plastic, use a blade to carefully cut out the figure along the contours of the sketch. Photo 4.
4. We put on disposable gloves and smooth out all the bumps and sharp corners. When working with white clay, wet wipes are necessary, since white plastic collects a lot of lint and fine dust, and by wiping the surface of the layer with wipes, you will remove all these specks without problems. Photo 5.
5. We make the decor of the bow - roll out raspberry-colored plastic on the thinnest setting of the pasta machine and carefully wrap it around the bow. In this case, we press the crimson plastic only in the upper part of the bow, carefully fixing it in each hollow. The layer that falls on the front side of the keychain - do not press it! Photo 6.
6. On the back side of the accessory, excess crimson plastic should be cut off with a blade or a stationery knife. Photo 7.
7. Place the paper sketch on the workpiece again and carefully press the outline of the lower edge of the bow with the point of a needle. Remove the paper design and carefully use a blade to cut out the bottom edge of the bow along the pressed contour. Photo 8, 9.
8. Take a modeling elastic stack and trim the bottom edges of the bow with it so that they become rounded and give the bow volume. Photo 10.
9. Use the sharp part of a needle or toothpick to separate the middle of the bow and press small grooves from the middle in the center of each half of the bow. Photo 11.
10. Form the eyes. Roll out black plastic to a minimum thickness and place a paper sketch on its surface. Use the point of a needle to push through the eye sockets. Photo 12.
11. Remove the paper sketch from the layer and use a scalpel to cut out the eye sockets according to the pressed contours, not forgetting about the two small eyelashes on the outer sides of the eyes. Photo 13.
12. Place the eyes on the surface of the blank keychain and use a modeling stack with a soft spatula to round all the sides of the eye sockets. Photo 14.
13. Roll a small ball out of black plastic and press it with your finger to make it flat (its diameter should not exceed 4 mm). Photo 15.
14. Place the flattened ball under the eye sockets and press it down lightly for better adhesion to the bottom layer of clay. Place the keychain blank in the oven for firing. Photo 16.
DIY cardboard bed for a doll
You can use any cardboard box for the product.
You will need:
- A4 paper sheet;
- A simple pencil, scissors;
- Ruler, cardboard.
How to do:
First we make a pattern for the future craft. On a sheet of paper we put the dimensions of the headboard, footboard, bottom of the bed, side slats of the headboard and footboard. This will be our diagram. In the drawing, the dimensions are given in millimeters, so it would be more advisable to initially measure the doll with a centimeter so that the crib fits it. In the presented drawing, the dimensions of the crib are 15x20 cm, these are standard for a baby doll.
We transfer the resulting patterns onto cardboard sheets. Be sure to make straight cuts along the marked lines, as shown in the picture. They will play a connecting role in the design of the future bed, so their width should be equal to the thickness of the cardboard.
An important point in the assembly, here we involve the child. Initially, we connect the bottom with two sides, inserting them into the cuts. The colored circles in the drawing example will help you orient yourself correctly.
Then strengthen the toy structure with both backs.
As a result of assembly, you get such a cute bed for dolls.
For additional stability of the toy, insert pieces of wooden sushi sticks into the sides under the cardboard, having previously glued them.
How to determine the size of furniture
A doll is a small copy of a person, so its furniture is the same as ours, only smaller.
To determine the scale you will need:
- meter;
- doll;
- a sample of the furniture you want to make.
Actions:
- We measure your height and the size of the doll.
- Let's find out the parameters of the existing furniture.
- The resulting numbers, for example, 168 and 14, must be correlated; for this we will find the quotient, 14/168 = 0.083. This will be the similarity coefficient of objects.
- We calculate the dimensions of the furniture for the doll; to do this, we multiply the height and width of the object by the resulting figure from the point above.
For a standard Barbie doll, this coefficient can be taken as 0.09.
Taking this into account, the following parameters will be acceptable (dimensions are presented in centimeters):
- single bed - width from 7.5 and length - from 16;
- double - width from 13, and length - also from 16;
- for a chair, the seat height starts from 4;
- the table must be at least 6.5.
Possibility of using plastic and aluminum bottles
They allow you to produce shaped and three-dimensional elements for which a cardboard base is not suitable. In particular, children will be interested in chairs made from 0.5 liter plastic bottles: the soft seat will be located in the lower part, the back and curved armrests are made using a seamless method. To do this, cut off the neck, cut out a blank in the front part about a third of the “circle” - this is the place where the doll will sit, bend the armrests on both sides of it and fix the resulting “rollers” with a stapler, cut out the oval back. A high soft seat cushion is placed at the bottom of the bottle.
Cardboard dining table for a dollhouse Cardboard windows in a dollhouse
Chairs are assembled from aluminum bottles in much the same way, but here you can make openwork and more complex additions, since the material bends well and holds its shape. Such products will become successful companions for furniture made of cardboard, and in order for the crafts to fit into the toy interior, all fabric elements should be made in a similar style from the same material.
Carved cardboard dollhouse Chair made of clothespins for dolls