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| Left, finished faux leather club chair for a Barbie or any other 10 to 12 inch doll. Right, the blocks and underside of the chair have been painted black and sealed with Mod Podge. |
This side club chair is a classic addition to our growing collection of Barbie dollhouse furnishings. I covered it with faux looking leather paper instead of real leather. The paper was purchased on sale at a hobby store for a dollar a sheet (I needed two sheets).
I chose to give it a coat of Mod Podge in order to keep it clean, however, it looked just as nice without this coating, if you would prefer to leave it “as is.”
Supply List:
- leather look paper (2 large sheets)
- white school glue
- two wooden blocks
- corrugated cardboard
- masking tape
- recycle Styrofoam sheet
- Mod Podge
- black acrylic paint
Step-by-Step Instructions:
- Cut 4”x4” pieces of corrugated cardboard for the arms and bottom sides of the club chair. Triple these cut layers from cardboard to make them sturdy.
- Glue the pieces together to shape a “U” Shape.
- Cover the surfaces using masking tape.
- Make the backside of the chair by cutting the cardboard into a “T” shape.
- Glue three of these “T” cut pieces of corrugated together to make the back sturdy and cover with masking tape as well.
- Cut and shape the faux leather paper around the parts of the club chair using a decoupage technique. (See photos below)
- Apply glue to the edges of the back piece of the chair and fit it between the side and bottom shaped “U” piece. Use a rubber band to hold these together while the glue dries. (see photos)
- Craft a thick cushion using either Styrofoam and cardboard or layers of cardboard or a stuffed fabric cushion. Any one of these alternatives will suffice!
- Glue the wooden base to the bottom of the chair.
- Paint the base and bottom of the club chair to finish with black paint.
- Layer on a finishing coat of Mod Podge to all the chair’s surfaces to give it protection from wear and a professional look.
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| Left, see an average size 11-12 inch doll seated and standing next to my club chair. Right, the finished faux leather club chair without Mod Podge layer. |
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| How the club chair is constructed from different angles. There are essentially two four pieces to the chair made of three to four layers of corrugated cardboard. |
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| Left, construct a “U” shaped cardboard piece and a “T” shaped cardboard piece that will make the back side of the chair once it it glued in place. |
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| Above you can see the two pieces glued together after they have been covered with the paper and glue. Always cover ”upholstered” furniture wrapping the ends to the outside edges. The arms, top of the chair and underside of the chair or couch are covered last. This method of wrapping gives a “seamless” appearance to the finished piece. I used a rubber band to hold the armchair top and bottom together while the glue dried. |
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| Left, you can see that I used Styrofoam covered with cardboard to make the chair cushion. Center, then I glued on two wooden blocks side-by-side to make a modern base for the chair instead of four individual chair legs. I also neatly covered the bottom side of the chair with masking tape to hide wrapped paper surfaces. Both underside surfaces of this chair will be painted black before the project is finished. |
More links to upholstered Barbie doll sized furniture: