Making a dollhouse couch (sofa) out of foamboard

Here is how to make your own doll house sofa out of foam board... we put it in our foamboard dollhouse.  Here is a finished picture, followed by detailed instructions.

Print this template... I designed the file to be 10.5" x 8".  You can scale it to be larger or smaller than that, or just come up with your own style!

Now lightly glue your template onto a piece of foam board.  (You will peel it off when you're done cutting it out so don't  use permanent glue stick.)

Using a straight edge, and a very sharp cutting device (see the picture for the type we like to use), trim out all the pieces...

The pictures below show what "score cut" means... The idea is, that when you score cut foamboard, you are only cutting through one layer of the paper and all of the foam... you do NOT cut through the second layer of paper.  By doing this, you can gently fold back the foam board both directions and then pick out the foam.  Score cutting is generally measured to be the same width as your foam board.  The foam board we use is 3/16th of an inch thick (4 cm).  If you have thicker foam board than this, please adjust the green line width in the template file.  

Note how score cutting allows you to have a finished looking corner with no visible foam.  It not only looks better, but helps you get your corners hot glued at 90 degrees.

Here are a couple of pictures showing the two ways you can glue your foam board that you have just score cut...

Next glue together the 3 couch (sofa) seat pieces...

Now take some fabric and "wrap" your sofa seat like it's a package, using hot glue where you would normally put tape if it were a package!

Next glue the bottom of your couch (sofa) back and sides to the middle of your fabric piece...

Now trace the sofa back shape onto the fabric...

Trim the fabric along your trace lines (you can leave some little fabric wings to cover part of the foam if you'd like, see the picture below)...

Glue the couch cushion to the back... the positioning of this is entirely up to you.  You can make it flush with the floor, or raise it up a bit like we did.

Now stand up the sides of the couch and hot glue them... we put glue in the white "gap" and along the side of the couch cushion.  Push down on it with your hand to make sure the glue makes good contact and keeps your couch at 90 degree angles...

Almost done!  The edges of the foamboard show... so...

...trim them with trim, or extra matching fabric, or rope... whatever you think looks good!  

That's it!  Have fun!

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?).  

A quick, cheap doll house waste basket...

Use an old cap (from toothpaste, hairspray, etc.) for a quick dollhouse garbage pail!

How to make your own dollhouse mantel clock...

Making your own doll house mantle clock is quick and easy...

1. Find a piece of trim that has a profile you like.



2. Cut off a small chunk about 1/2 inch deep.

3. Do an image search to find the type of clock face you want and print it.  I took this picture myself, so you are free to use it (personal use only, no resale).

4. Paint or stain your clock and let dry.

5. Glue on the clock face.

6.  You can stop here, or for a more playable dollhouse mantel clock, spray it with clear acrylic sealer.



For instructions on how to make a grandfather clock for your dollhouse, please see our earlier post.  

How to make your own doll house floor lamp

Making your own dollhouse floor lamp is quick and easy:

1. Cut a small diameter rod to the height you want your lamp to be.

2. Cut 2 small disks from a large wooden dowel or rod

3. Punch a hole in the center of each of these disks the same diameter as your small rod.  (A drill press works best, but you can do it however works for you.)

4. Insert the long narrow dowel into the holes, secure in place with glue

5. Paint it!

6. Glue a small bit of ribbon trim around one end.

7. Add any embellishments to "dress up" your light.

That's it!  Have fun!  

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!

Painting dollhouse tables and chairs

Any of you who can actually paint will look at these pictures and know that I cannot :)  But there's something unstressful about painting patterns... if any of you have a habit of doodling while you're on the phone or waiting on hold, you can definitely paint on doll house furniture!  Here are pictures of some of my doll house table and chair doodlings... maybe it will inspire you to try too!  One thing nice about paint, if you don't like it, just wait until it's dry, paint over it, and try again!  Use a tiny brush.

Another dollhouse stove picture...

Here is a picture of another wooden doll house stove.  Unlike the other wooden stoves I've done, this one has all painted on faucet handles, door pulls, and stove burners.  These particular ones were not meant to look "real", so I used pink!

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.

More templates for the homemade no-sew dollhouse chair, couch, sofa

Here are the templates of the handmade no sew doll house chair / couch / sofa that I like the best so far.  Follow instructions from the earlier post.  To get it the correct size, copy this image and insert it in a Word editing program, resize it to 117% (Height 5.88" by Width 8.25").  This is to fit a chair block of 1.75" x 1.75" and a sofa/couch block of 4.5" x 1.75".

Use Dowels to finish your wooden dollhouse kitchen furniture

Using small diameter dowels is an easy (and cheap) way to finish your wooden doll house stove, refrigerator, sink and cupboard.  Here I used some scraps of grey dowels (torn out of an old drapery sample) for handles for the fridge and stove.  And tiny snippets of thin dowels for the sink/cupboard faucet handles and drawer and cupboard handle.  When the glue dries, paint these too.  

For a finished picture of the miniature sink / cupboard combo, see the picture in my later post.

Make your own dollhouse grandfather clock!

A grandfather clock in a dolls house looks neat tucked into a corner, or as a centerpiece on a wall.  You can use our picture to make your own doll house clock!  It's from a photo of a clock my brother-in-law made in high school.  Depending on your level of woodworking skills, you can simply paint a block of wood and glue it on the front, or if you have a scroll saw, trim the block of wood to match the clock's shape, paint and glue.  Cover with clear acrylic sealer, if desired.  The finished clock should be around 6 inches tall.

For instructions on how to make a small dollhouse clock (for a mantle or chest-of-drawers), please see this post.  

Another dollhouse kitchen idea - a homemade stove and sink combo

For a "studio" doll house, you might like this space saving idea!  "Install" a stove to the right of the sink (where you would normally leave empty for some cupboard space).  This time I tried using small gold rings (available from craft stores) for the stove burners.  Next time I would even out the glue blobs on top after it has sat about an hour.  Here are a couple pictures: