How to Make a Doll Chair

How to Make a Doll Chair

So we have been shoe shopping lately, and we have really racked up on the shoe boxes!  I didn’t want to throw them out because I knew that as soon as I did I would need them.  So, instead of waiting around for a project, I decided to get creative.  I actually came up with several projects but I have to take it one at a time or none will get done!  There isn’t a video for this craft, so hopefully my pictures and instructions will help you recreate it.  Please feel free to ask questions in the comments if I didn’t make something clear.

Materials Needed:

1. Shoe Box
2. Fabric
3. Quilt batting (I substituted this with an old dish rag.  Don’t worry, it was clean.  Stained, but clean.)
4. Scrap Cardboard
5. Scissors
6. Needle & Thread or Sewing Machine
7. Hot Glue gun and extra glue sticks

**Helpful Tip—If you don’t have any shoe boxes hanging around, you can go to a local shoe store and ask for extras that they have in the back!  I learned this trick when I needed more shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child.  Payless had no problem giving me as many as I needed!

 Step 1:

Turn your shoebox upside down.  This will be the seat of the chair.  Cover the seat and the front with your batting or substitute.  You can choose not to use anything except the cardboard, I just didn’t want my dolls to feel uncomfortable!  A little cush is nice ?

Step 2:

Use your scrap cardboard and measure how tall you want the back of your chair to be.  Make sure the back is as wide as the seat or a little wider.  When you attach the arms you don’t want a gap. (Learned the hard way and had to re-do.)

Step 3:

Use your scrap cardboard and measure how high you want your armrests.  If you are making an accent chair you might not even want arm chairs.  There are pictures further in the post that will give you an idea of this option.  Once you measure how big you want the armrest, double it.  Once you cut it out you will fold it over.  See picture below.

Step 4:

Add batting to the armrests and the back of the chair.

Step 5:

Hot glue fabric to the armrests.  I pulled each corner in first, then worked my way around the board.

Step 6:

Place your shoebox upside down on your fabric to measure the cutout.  Trace the box first, then flip up on each side to trace those.  I gave about 1/2″ around the sides for a seam allowance.

Step 7:

Once you cut out the pattern place it over the shoebox to make sure it fits with extra room.  Then hem each corner.

Step 8:

Place the slip cover over the shoebox and then glue each edge up under the box so you can’t see it.

Step 9:

You are going to repeat step 6& 7 for the back of the chair.  Trace the cardboard on your fabric, cut it out, hem it to make a slipcover and then slip it over the back piece.

Step 10:

Fold over the excess fabric and hot glue into place.  You will not see this because it will be behind the shoebox.

Step 11:

Glue the back of the chair onto the seat.  If you want an accent chair then you are done!  If not, keep going!

Step 12:

Take your armrests and since they are open, you need to glue them together.  See picture below.

Step 13:

Glue the armrest onto the back and side of the shoebox.  You’re done!  Whew! Now go make some cute accent pillows!