How to Make Dollhouse Furniture Out of Paper & Pipe Cleaners

The flexibility of pipe cleaners makes them an ideal material for making miniature furniture. The directions show how to make a bed, table, and chair using pipe cleaners for the legs of the table and chair and the headboard of the bed. The legs are made with pipe cleaners twisted into an S shape. The headboard and the back of the chair contain the S shape with an additional upside-down U-shaped pipe cleaner. Enlarge the patterns as needed. Use paper for the bedspread, tabletop, and chair seat. Cut on the solid lines, and fold on the dotted lines.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Long white pipe cleaners Paper Scissors Narrow tape Patterns (included here)

Making a Bed, Table, and Chair

1. 
   Bed pattern

   To make the bed, trace the pattern on paper and draw dotted lines as in the pattern. (Ignore the curls for now. These are the headboard.) Cut out your design. Fold down the three sides of the bed along the dotted lines. Cut two slits on the straight lines at the end of the bed. This dust ruffle will hold the bed up.

2. Take five long pipe cleaners. Cut one in half. Curl these two halves into an S shape. Set them aside. Fold one long pipe cleaner into an upside-down U, curling the ends as in the illustration. Set it aside. Cut two pipe cleaners the same length as the bed's top end, and cut two the length of the sides. Shape all four into a squared C shape. These will become bed frames to support the ends and sides.

3. Take the squared C-shape pipe cleaners. Tape them on all four sides underneath to hold the bed up. Tape the U shape to the top of the bed to form the headboard, with an S shape on either side. Tape all three pipe cleaners to the bed and to each other for support.

4. 
   Table pattern

   To make the table, trace the pattern on paper. Draw dotted lines as in the pattern. (Ignore the curls for now. These are the legs.) Cut out your table. Fold down the four sides along the dotted lines.

5. Take four long pipe cleaners. Cut them in half. Bend each into an S shape. These eight short pipe cleaners will form the table legs. Tape the legs to the paper under the table. Then tape each set of pipe cleaner legs together where they meet. This will strengthen the table.

6. 
   Chair pattern

   To make the chair, trace the pattern on paper. Add dotted lines as in the pattern. (Ignore the curls for now. These are the legs and back of the chair.) Cut out the chair.

7. Fold the three sides of the chair underneath. Tape the curled pipe cleaner legs and back to the underside of the chair. Tape the pipe cleaner legs together where they meet. This will support the chair.

Tips & Warnings

• Make your furniture out of thin cardboard to create sturdy, more durable pieces. After you cut out each piece, fold the side with the dotted lines underneath so the lines won't show. When your furniture is finished you can color each piece with colored pencils or markers.