Using decorator fabric to make dollhouse bed covers and spreads

Often window covering places or interior decorators have old fabric sample books that they throw out when new ones come.  If you can get some of these, they have great dollhouse-sized swatches.  In these pictures 3 different fabric swatches were used to make bedspreads for wooden dollhouse beds.  Simply cut out the swatches and fray check the edges.  Since these particular ones were very stiff fabric, I chose to glue the ends down to the bed (can you see the rubber bands used to keep it in place until it dried?).  

How to make your own dollhouse daybed!

You can create your own doll house day bed by following the directions in our no-sew doll house sofa post.  Just use a larger block for the base.  For back shape ideas you can look at pictures of real day beds.  Here are pictures of a couple I did with different kinds of fun feet!

Use a knitting loom to make doll house blankets or bed spreads...

Using a knitting loom (this one was done with the Knifty Knitter brand) you can knit a small swatch and very quickly have a dollhouse bedspread or blanket.  If you've never used a Knifty Knitter before, I highly recommend them!  They're good for all kinds of projects.  You don't have to know anything about knitting or crocheting to use them... you just wind yarn over and over, always taking the bottom loop off the peg!  

Making your own homemade dollhouse Inn Tables, Coffee Tables, or night stands....

Last spring when we were trimming trees in the yard, there were a couple of relatively straight branches from the cherry tree that were too pretty of wood to throw out!  So we let them dry out for a few months, and then I cut them up, my husband drilled holes through the centers, I cut dowels, and with a couple of taps of the hammer you have some quick (and cheap) miniature inn tables, coffee tables, or nightstands.  They can be varnished to keep the rustic look, or the bark easily peels off and then they can be painted... or you can glue fabric over and around them to create a table cloth covered bedside table.  Note:  If you do this, be very careful when cutting the branches into disks.  The saw can "grab" the branch and whip it on you, so only select "straight" parts of branches.

Make your own wooden dollhouse bunkbed

Making your own wooden doll house bunk bed takes a minimum of 4 pieces of wood, but you can also add two dowels to the top bunk to give it rails.  I chose to use a nail gun to assemble the bed, but you can also use glue.    Follow instructions from the earlier dollhouse bed post on how to wrap the "mattresses".  Here is a picture that is better than any explanation!

Make your own wooden dollhouse bed!

First, decide on the size of your bed... for a 1 foot = 1 inch scale you'll want the bed mattress part to measure approximately 3" by 6".  Cut a 3/4" deep block of wood to these dimensions.  Then, out of thinner wood, cut your desired headboard / foot board shape.  Nail (or glue, but nailing is more sturdy) the bed together, leaving a small space under the bed to make it look more realistic.  

 

Next, paint or stain the headboard and foot board.

Now, choose the fabric for your bed mattress as well as the bed-covers.   Here, you have several options.  If you will have children playing with your house, I highly recommend sewing or gluing the bed-covers onto the bottom middle of the fabric for your mattress.  If you will not have children playing with it, then just leave the bed covers loose.  Spread the wooden bed mattress with a thin layer of tacky glue and "wrap" it with your mattress fabric.  

  

If you already attached the bed-covers, you're done!  If not, wait for the glue to dry and make your bed!  Here are some examples of beds with comments:

This pink dollhouse child's bed uses fleece for its bedspread.  Fleece works great because it does not ravel.  It is trimmed with a scrap of lace.  The headboard and foot board was embellished with small flowers, cut out of a string of "ribbon flowers".  

This blue bed shows you a very quick and easy cover - just a scrap of cloth cut out and fray-checked around the edges.

Now, this bedspread is my favorite, because it looks the most "real" with all the tucks!  It is part of the sleeve of an old child's dress.  It was already hemmed like that...  I just cut it and fray-checked the cut edges.  I also cut the tie off the back of the dress and stuffed part of it and sewed up one end and a stitch through the middle to make a double pillow for the bed.  Even if you're a non-seamstress (like me!) you should be able to run a short straight stitch in two places or find someone who can do it for you.  You also might be able to make pillows using fabric glue, but I haven't tried it, so not sure about that one... let me know if you try it, how it goes!