How to Make Miniature Twig Furniture

Miniature furniture made from twigs is a perfect accessory for any rustic or forest-themed dollhouse. It's also an economical craft project, since the supplies needed for it are virtually free. Design and build your own twig furniture in all shapes and sizes to fit the needs of your dolls, small woodland critter toys, or any miniature display.

Things You'll Need

• Twigs
• Scrap paper
• Clear tape
• Hot glue gun
• Pruning shears

Instructions

1. Collect twigs. Get twigs in a variety of lengths and in thicknesses ranging from the girth of a toothpick to that of a pencil. Collect twigs from the freshest fallen growth that you can; these twigs will be looking their best and still be moist enough to be somewhat flexible.

2. Work out the size and shape dimensions for your furniture. Determine what miniature scale you want to build with (standard dollhouse scale is 1/12th) and calculate based on some sample measurements taken from furniture in your own home (simply convert feet to inches). If you like, you can create some mock-ups with scrap paper and clear tape to see if you've gotten your measurements right.

3. Build the frame of each furniture piece. Use the hot glue gun to attach small pieces of thicker twigs (trimmed with pruning shears) into the outer framework for each piece of furniture. This frame should consist of the legs of the furniture attached to an outlined structure of any seat, back or table areas (as the case may be). The outline shape will more or less consist of several rectangular shapes attached end-to-end in the shape of furniture items. Apply the smallest amounts of hot glue possible; you won't need much and the furniture will look the best if the glue isn't visible.

4. Glue in the solid portions of the furniture. For each rectangular segment of the furniture, cut a series of short, thin twigs that can be laid end-to-end to fill in the empty space. Be sure to lay all of the twigs parallel to each other for the best appearance.

References

• "Dolls House Details: Over 500 Craft Projects in 1/12 Scale," by Kath Dalmeny; David and Charles Publishers; 2002