Newport – guest bed, part 2

Continuing work on the guest bed. I had originally planned to follow the same method that I used for the Baslow Ranch bed but decided to make the mattress with foam core board as I had done with the box springs. I tried dressing the mattress I made for Baslow Ranch as a mockup for the guest room, but it didn’t look right. There needed to be more structure under the bed coverings, and foam core board provided that. It also allowed me to use up some of the scraps I had laying around.

I cut three layers of foam core board slightly smaller than the box springs to allow for fabric coverings.

Using the thin batting I had used to stuff the Baslow Ranch bed, I covered the top and sides of the foam core board to give the mattress a softer appearance.

I pinned a scrap of white cotton sateen over the covered mattress and then sewed the corners to make a fitted sheet.

I turned it right side out, stretched it over the mattress and then glued the excess under the mattress.

Using the same fabric, I made a flat sheet, turning the edge under near the head of the bed. I didn’t sew the corners on this sheet. Instead, I folded the corners and glued the excess under the mattress.

I made a blanket for the bed using two coordinating cotton prints that came in a set from Joann Fabrics. I didn’t use any batting since the double thickness seemed to have enough weight. I pressed it into shape on the bed and dabbed a tiny bit of glue where needed to keep the blanket flat on the bed.

I made a pillow for the bed using the white sateen, filling it with beads. I then sewed a pillowcase out of the same fabric and squeezed the stuffed pillow into it. I like the way the pillow is bowed inside the crisp pillowcase; I think it adds a bit of realism.

My first dressed bed! Hooray!

Categories: Furniture, The Newport
July 21, 2010 | 0 comments

Newport – master bedroom bed and box springs

I bought a Daisy House full bed kit before I knew I had the knack for scratch building furniture, but I still like it and think it was worth it. :D The wood in the kit was high quality, and it went together beautifully. The kit even comes with sandpaper, toothpicks and cotton swabs to help with assembly and finishing.

Instead of finishing the headboard and footboard with the supplied flat wood, I used the leftover carved post toppers from the House of Miniatures single bed kit I used for Baslow Ranch. I painted the bed black and sealed it with satin varnish by Delta Ceramcoat.

Interestingly enough, it looks a lot like our real life bed! :]

Even though I am mainly working on the guest room for the moment, I wanted to finish the master bed so I could complete some of the same steps needed for both beds at the same time…namely the mattresses and box springs.

For the box springs, I used three layers of foam core board glued together with tacky glue. I cut them smaller than the bed frames to leave room for fabric coverings.

I prepared a long strip of fabric by using HeatnBond (a fabric adhesive) to create a double thickness of material. The fabric would have been too thin to use a single layer.

After gluing one end of the strip to one of the shorter ends of the foam core board stack, I wrapped the strip all the way around the bed without using any glue until I got back to where I started. I didn’t want the sides to look glued down or for the layers of board to show through.

I clipped the corners on the top and bottom edges and then glued the flaps down on either side.

The result is a covered box spring pretty enough to show. The mattresses will cover the tops, so only the pretty fabric sides will show.

Categories: Furniture, The Newport
July 18, 2010 | 0 comments

House of Miniatures Chippendale 3-Drawer Chest

I scratch built a mirror from frame strip wood and plastic mirror sheet by Darice. This inexpensive material is awesome…it is thin enough to be cut with scissors to any size or shape and it has a perfect mirror finish. Much easier than using real glass mirrors for minis. The mirror looks scratched and cloudy in the photos since I haven’t removed the protective film yet.

The House of Miniatures dresser is mocked up here without the drawers…or glue for that matter. :]

I finished the pieces with IKEA antique pine stain to match the bed and side table, also shown in the photo.

I sealed the stain with satin varnish by Delta Ceramcoat. It gives the wood a soft, subtle finish that I think looks very realistic in miniature.

The dresser kit went together flawlessly. I’ve used jewelry findings for the knobs.

I just love the finish and details of this dresser…

Categories: Furniture, The Newport
July 17, 2010 | 0 comments

Baslow Ranch – Mattress construction

My mattress tutorial was featured in the June edition of the Greenleaf Gazette!  :D  There is a wealth of information in their newsletter so be sure to check out the archive as well.

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For my Greenleaf 2010 Spring Fling entry Baslow Ranch, I made a mattress to fit the House of Miniatures single bed. I started with calico cotton fabric that had an old, stained look to it but this method can be used with newer looking fabric as well.

The inner measurements of the bed frame were approximately 3 1/4″ x 6 3/8″ so I cut two pieces of fabric measuring 3 1/2″ x 6 3/4″ (figuring in a 1/4″ seam allowance). I also cut a 19″ long strip of fabric 3/4″ wide; this gave me a mattress about 1/4″ thick.

For a different sized bed, I am afraid to say there will be math involved. If you want to cover the mattress with thick bedding, you will need to make your mattress smaller than the bed frame. You’ll also need a longer strip of fabric to make it all the way around a larger mattress. If you want a thicker (taller) mattress, you will need to cut a wider strip of fabric.

Here are the steps I used to put the mattress together. Use a small stitch so it will look more in scale when complete. With right sides together, pin the two ends of the fabric strip together and sew a 1/4″ seam. This will give you a loop of fabric. Pin one edge of this loop to the edge of one of the base pieces, clipping at the corners.

Sew all the way around using a 1/4″ seam and then clip the excess fabric across the corners. This will cut down on the bulk in the corners when the mattress is turned right side out.

Pin and sew the second base piece to the remaining edge of the long loop of fabric (again clipping at the corners), leaving about two to three inches open in the seam for stuffing the mattress.

Turn the mattress right side out. Use a pointy (but not sharp) object to make sure the corners are squared and open completely.

For the stuffing, I used thin batting that is meant for millinery (I had some left over from previous projects). It’s similar to felt and can usually be found in fabric stores. Felt would work just as well, though you may need more or less depending on the thickness of the material. I cut four pieces measuring 3″ x 5 3/4″ of the millinery batting for my mattress. I rolled them all together into a tube shape, inserted the tube into the opening and then flattened the batting out inside the mattress cover. It will take a bit of effort to get them straight and flat inside, but you won’t get the right look without it.

Once stuffed, I blind stitched the opening to close up the mattress.

I marked a grid of one inch squares on the mattress and used thread knots through all thicknesses to quilt the mattress. You can make the grid smaller or larger to suit your tastes.

Here’s the completed mattress on the bed. Though it doesn’t translate in photos, this really feels like an old, lumpy mattress. But, I bet it would feel perfect after a hard day’s work at the ranch! :D

Categories: Baslow Ranch, Furniture
July 13, 2010 | 0 comments

William Morris rug – part 1

I am stitching the William Morris rug shown on the front cover of the book Miniature Needlepoint Carpets by Janet Granger.

Her patterns are made for 18ct canvas, but this rug would measure about 9″ x 9″ using that material. Too large for my purposes, and 18ct isn’t as fine a finish as I prefer. I decided to stitch the pattern on 28ct fabric, which will result in a rug just under 6″ x 6″. I also decided to cross stitch this pattern to eliminate the tendency for the fabric to show through the usual needlepoint stitch.

I made a color copy of the pattern to attach to my magnetic board and liked the colors better than the original, so I visually matched the thread colors from my stash instead of using the suggested colors in the book. This is the rug after about 13 hours of work. Long way to go.

Now at roughly 33 hours of work. I’ll be finishing the second half of the design before filling in the background and border. I’m still undecided on those colors, though I have some ideas. I just love the design itself so much, I don’t want to detract from it.

At just under 70 hours, the entire design is done!  :D

Now comes the long process of filling in the background colors. I am sold on the rusty red for the outer border but I am torn between the vanilla and silver-grey for the interior. My plan is to work on the red border for now and decide on the inner portion once that’s done.

I think the vanilla will be really rich looking – like red velvet cake with butter cream frosting. Yum! But, the silver-grey has its appeal as well – the peach and pink floral shapes will likely stand out more against the silver-grey.

Categories: Needlework - French knot rugs
July 10, 2010 | 0 comments