How to Make a Barbie Doll Dining Chair
While there are many choices in ready-made furniture for Barbie, in most cases these products are made of plastic. Consumers who prefer something more substantial often have a hard time finding wooden doll furniture that is scaled for use with a 16-inch fashion doll. Making a dining chair for Barbie does not require impressive woodworking skills. This armless, upholstered dining chair provides elegant seating that is sized to Barbie's proportions.
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Things You'll Need
- Wooden block that is 4 1/2 inches tall by 3 inches wide and 3 inches deep
- 8-by-3-inch rectangle of 1/4-inch plywood
- 1/2 yard of cotton fabric
- 3-by-3-inch square of quilt batting
- 7-by-3-inch strip of quilt batting
- Hot glue gun
- Wood glue
- Sewing machine
- 4-inch c-clamp
- Sewing needle
- Thread
Instructions
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Making the Foundation
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1
Place the wooden block on a flat surface with one of the 4 1/2-by-3-inch sides facing down. The other 4 1/2-by-3-inch side should be facing up. Apply wood glue to the side that is facing up.
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2
Lay the 8-by-3 rectangle of plywood on top of the glue, lining up the edges on three sides of the rectangle so they are flush with the edges of the block. Three inches of plywood should extend past the end of the wood block.
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3
Secure the two wood pieces with the c-clamp and allow the wood glue to dry. The wood block forms the seat and bottom of the chair and the plywood forms the back of the chair.
Upholstering the Chair
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4
Attach the two pieces of batting to the wood chair foundation using the hot glue gun. Glue the 3-by-3 square of quilt batting to the seat of the chair. The 7-by-3-inch strip of batting will provide a cushion that wraps over the back of the chair. Glue batting to the upper front and upper back of the chair, wrapping it over the top.
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5
Cut the fabric into 3 pieces: a 7-by-3 1/2-inch strip, a 4-by-3 1/2-inch square and a 5-by-18-inch strip.
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6
Fold the 7-by-3 strip in half the long way, right sides together. Sew two seams on either of the longest sides of the fabric. Turn the fabric right-side-out. You should have a sleeve of fabric that measures 3 1/2-by-3 inches with an opening along one of the 3-inch sides. Slide this sleeve over the chair back and secure the fabric at the open end of the sleeve with hot glue.
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7
Place the 4-by-3 1/2 square on top of the chair seat. There should be a 1/2-inch overlap of extra fabric on all but the chair back side. Hot glue the fabric to the chair along the overlapping edges of the fabric.
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8
Turn up a 1/4-inch hem on both of the longest edges of the 5-by-18 inch strip of fabric and machine hem. Use the needle and thread to gather one of the hemmed edges to form a fabric skirt. Hot glue the fabric skirt around the sides and lower back of the chair, overlapping the fabric slightly in the back. The skirt will cover the fabric that is overlapping from the seat as well as the raw edge of the fabric sleeve that covers the chair back.
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1
Tips & Warnings
With a little extra embellishment, this chair can also work well as a sweet and feminine seat for Barbie's vanity table.
Make sure you cover the top corners of the chair with quilt batting to ensure that the chair does not have any sharp corners.
