I know it's hard to believe, but I honestly had never tried it! From the way he described it though, I knew that I wanted to. It sounded so extravagantly messy. Ha ha.
I happened upon a website that had free scroll saw patterns. The site is called Jim Barry's WOODWORKERS WORKSHOP.
When you get to the site, scroll down the page to either thumbnail titled DOLL FURNITURE PDF, click and you can choose what piece of furniture you would like to see.
In my case I chose a sofa.
I then clicked on it and it opened as a PDF file. I saved a copy, enlarged it 8 times and then printed it.
NOTE: I wanted the furniture pieces to accommodate a medium sized stuffed animal rather than just miniatures or a Barbie, that is why I enlarged it.
Now, because I printed it on regular paper, I had to adjust some of the pieces. For example the sofa back was now on two separate sheets of paper. I fit them together using some clear packing tape, then I cut out the actual pattern. I traced the pattern pieces onto some cardboard, cut them out and pieced them together.
NOTE: Before the pattern was cut out of the cardboard I altered it slightly to look more traditional as you will see when I show you the finished product.
At this point I have made the skeleton of my sofa.
I then use masking tape to secure all of the edges to make it appear smooth to prepare it for PAPER MACHE.
Here are a few variations of paper mache Kids Fun And Games.
So, I proceed to cover my cardboard sofa with many gooey layers of paper mache, letting each coat dry in between .
NOTE: instead of getting extremely dirty, use a paintbrush to apply the glue.
I am now satisfied with the overall look so I then seal the ENTIRE piece with 4 thick coats of varathane . Back, front, bottom, sides,...this is important because paper mache CAN ROT. DO NOT skimp on this part of the process.
I then glue some square wooden blocks to the underside for legs.
Then I gather up some fabrics that I think look traditional and proceed to stitch by hand a lovely overstuffed, reversible sofa set with pillows. The taupe fabric has actually been glued to the paper mache surface, but, everything else is interchangeable.
Included in the set is a kindling box, a sewing basket, a sofa, throw blanket and 3 pillows (2 reversible pillows and a bolster), an ottoman, a side table, a lamp and a small padded box to store mini treasures.
Everything was created by hand in the same manner as the sofa.
KINDLING BOX
It is actually a small pine container bought from a craft store. I just wrapped it in fabric and ribbon and filled it with twigs. The padded box is pretty self explanatory.
SEWING BASKET
Using a mini treasure chest made of pine (from a craft store), I start gluing things to make it look like an actual sewing box.
Buttons, lace, thread rolled up to look like yarn, skewers that have been rounded at one end to look like knitting needles, paper with hand drawn mini pattern and measuring tape (that I have sprayed with an acrylic sealer so it looks like old parchment paper), rolled and folded fabrics and of course a mini cross stitch aida cloth roll.
LAMP
I created this lamp by gluing a variety of wooden pieces together ( wooden wheels, a boiled egg cup and some half round pieces) .
I used a piece of hemp string to represent the lamp chord. (not visible in this picture)
I made a template out of cardboard (4 Pieces) for the lamp shade and commenced to sew fabric to each of the 4 separate panels, then I sewed them together to create the shade. (I used floral wire to connect the shade to the lamp base)
NOTE: to create your own lampshade, just look on the internet to see the basic construction and take it from there.
OTTOMAN
Basically used the same process as the sofa.
The structure is made from paper mache and upholstered to match the rest of the set. The legs are real wooden pieces that have been painted.
Now for the great reveal.
Here are the finished product photos.
DOLL FURNITURE ENSEMBLE
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| Just to give you a better idea of the size I was going for, the stuffed animal in this photo is 16" Tall. |
I hope you enjoyed this post and that it gave you some wonderful ideas.
See you next time.
