How To Quickly Furnish An Empty Dolls' House With Scraps From Your Sewing Box and Home. Post 824. Dress of the day.

 I bought a large dolls' house from St Luke's hospice charity shop. Empty dolls house.

Furnished dolls' house, by Angela Lansbury.

Dolls' Dresses

Later, I was give a small one by a neighbour who advertised it going free. The message popped up on the road's WhatsApp group. 

I wanted it for my grand-daughter. She comes to visit frequently. If she likes something, she might want to take it to her home.

I plan to take little paper doll-size figures from magazines for the faces and hands and feet and cover the bodies with dresses made with tiny scraps of fabric, or ribbons. A 1:12 scale figure is roughly 6 inches high.

Dolls' Bedding

Meanwhile, I thought I had nothing to furnish it. The videos on You Tube showed how several hours work with glue guns and lathes and paints could produce top quality miniatures. I wanted something ready in an hour for her visit. No messy glue. No skill. No equipment. Quick and easy.

This is what I found.


Toweels and bathmat set for a dolls' house. Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Tiny scraps of towelĺing make a hand towel, and guest towel, to hang on a toothpick towel rail.  The towelling scrap can also be cut to go on the dolls' house floor to make a bathmat and a mat for a washbasin or toilet. 

1 Tiny cloth samples of curtain material and material for blinds made little rugs. Or bedspreads. Or curtains. 

(If you have time, or come back to improve it another day, use a toothpick as curtain rail. 

I cut off the points for safety. Paint the toothpick curtain rail with silver or gold or white nail varnish. 

No sewing needed. Just cut a scrap of cloth to size, or edge with serrated pinking shears. Or turn upside down hiding the sample label but not wasting time removing it. I keeping the label (in case I need it later to order blinds or curtains).

2 Cotton wool from the bathroom makes a pillow or cushion.

Or put it inside the plastic cap from any juice or milk bottle turned upside down to make a dog bed.

3 An empty cotton reel makes a table or stool.

4 A scrap of fabric, or cut up paper tissue, makes a tiny table cloth and napkins. If you ever wondered what use could be made of stained or town clothes, underclothes, or towels. tiny scraps can make dolls house table cloths. Small pieces cut from old towels or face cloths can make dolls house duvets, duvet or cushion fillers, shaggy rugs. Or sheepskin coats for cardboard or paper figures.

5 The label peeled off a bottle of juice (mine was from Waitrose) with the wording cut off, leaving just the pattern of fruit or flowers, makes  small picture to hang on the inside wall of the dolls house bedroom, living room or stairwell. Or a flower growing up the outside wall. I found it had no sticky back but just stuck on by itself. 

6 The picture of an animal from a crochet set, knitting pattern, needlework kit, or a glossy magazine, cut be cut out and placed against an exterior or interior wall. 

7 If you want a the paper or card picture of your animal or person to have a 3D effect, place a toothpick or lollipop stick or coffee shop stirrer behind. Stick the support behind the picture or supporting the base a centimetre in front of the wall. 

The tiniest scrap of fabric cut into a long oval or figure of eight can make shoes for your paper person or animal.

8 Paper clips can be bent into tiny hangers or net curtain rods.

9 Plastic or metal thimbles can be made into table lamp shades or light fittings.

10 Foil sweet wrappers can be rolled up to make dolly's aluminium foil for her kitchen.

11 An old toothbrush head can be cut to make a sweeping brush or broom head.

12 Paper parasols from cocktails at a restaurant can be saved for dolls house umbrellas.

13 Christmas cake decoration can be used for trees beside the front door or Santa on the rooftop or in a chimney. If the cake decoration trees are on spikes, stick in coffee pot capsules, or in pots made from thimbles, filled with kapok or cotton wool.

Even if you child or grandchild or neighbour's children or visitors don't appear for a while, you will have enormous fun and pride in your own ingenuity.

Enjoy.

Useful Websites on Dolls Houses

https://dollshousedirect.co.uk/choose-the-right-scale-for-your-dolls-house/

-Ends-

Please share links to your favourite posts.


If you have any suggestions or pictures I would be glad to see them, and can add them here if you tell me whether to credit your whole name, first name only, or to be 'anonymous contributor'.

Please bookmark for your future use, and share with friends, family and colleagues the links to your favourite posts.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pearl brooches on hat paired with M & S sweater with pearls. Dress Post 686 by Angela Lansbury

Image
    Sweater embroidered with mock pearls matches my hat pinned with mock pearl brooches.  I had never worn this pale grey sweater  I thought pale grey was a boring colour and always opted for something brighter such as royal blue or bight red. However, as I re-folded warm winter tops to fit them into my crammed dresser unit shelves, this fell out. Was the universe sending me a message?  I thought, I don't remember ever wearing it.  I must wear it once. Just for a change.  Snow is falling outside in London. Now is its hour. I looked  at the decoration. Sequins! I had been searching for sequins to wear at New Year. This thick sweater would not match my red solid sequin evening skirt. However, it would match my knitted hat, which bore brooches with mock pearls. The Grey Marl Sweater M & S Collection. Size 14. a mixture of four fabrics, cotton.  As I had anticipated, the garment had pinned inside some spare sequins and pearls and rhinestones....
Read more

Stripey Red & White Socks, thigh high, and tights - outfit 679 by Angela Lansbury

Image
  I bought a pair of knee high red and white stripe socks in St Luke's charity shop. At one pound or under, you can't lose much. (Their charity fundraising shops are in NW London in Hatch End, Harrow Weald and elsewhere.) Why did I buy the long socks, in hard to match, garish, childish, stripes - after hesitation and consideration? The Advantages Of Long Socks The  length was attractive, at this time of year. I often need long socks under a midi skirt. For warmth in winter. And not to show bit of bare legs above socks. To co-ordinate colours. Advantages and Disadvantages of Red and White Stripes I like red. It's fun. White can show dirt quickly.  Red and white is a bit restrictive. It will clash with patterns, only go with plain reds and whites. But under a table at dinner or on Zoom nobody else will notice. Nor will I. I will only feel them. If the socks are too tight, you might feel uncomfortable. At night, when you take them off, you might see red indentation lines acr...
Read more

Inspection of Collection, M & S Dress poem Plus PACKING LIST, Post 739 by Angela Lansbury.

Image
I've clothes in every shade and hue Red, orange, pink, purple, green, blue In every style and kind of dress From, Primark, Temu, M & S I love to count, and keep in order Yes, you've guessed it, I'm a hoarder. -ends- Permanent Packing List When I was a busy travel writer, taking at least one trip a month, often two or three times a month, I would keep a suitcase permanently packed with clothes in black, white and red.  My all purpose wheelie bag contained all the things I had regretted not taking on previous trips. CLOTHES & COSMETICS 1 A swimsuit and swimhat. Later I bought a swimsuit with an attached hood. 2 I always had one tank top in case it turned sunny, or I had a stopover somewhere warm. 3 A brimmed hat or baseball cap. 4 A thermal vest, scarf and gloves for chilly nights, air conditioning, breezy boat trips, or trips to another continent with reverse seasons. 5 A couple of scarves, one with gold to convert a plain black or white tee-shirt into an evening out...
Read more