Instructor: Melissa Darnell

Email with questions: [email protected]

Materials/Tools Needed:

• thin obeche, oak, or similiar wood 

• saw or Dremel 

• pencil 

• two small wood beads 

• wood stain and disposable foam brush 

• sandpaper 

• wood glue 

• two square wooden barbecue skewers or extra long fireplace matches 

• thin carboard 

• cloth of your choice for the curtains and coverlet 

• fabric glue 

• scissors

1.  Print out the pattern templates for the scale of your choice below.  Cut out each pattern piece.

2.  Trace around each piece on your sheet of wood.  Be sure to label each piece so you'll know what it is later when putting together the bed.

3.  Cut out each piece.

4.  Sand all cut edges smooth, then sand all sides of the wood pieces smooth using a very fine grit sandpaper.  Wipe off all dust.

5.  Stain all wood pieces and let dry.  Don't forget to sand the edges of each piece as well.

6.  Cut four bedposts from the barbecue skewers.  Use the templates provided to measure and cut the lengths for each post, making sure to cut each post flat (instead of at an angle) so that your bed won't wobble!  For the shorter two posts, instead of wittling (or carving) the rounded tops of the posts, just glue on a small wood bead to the top of each short post instead.

7.  Stain the bedposts as well and let dry.

8.  To build the bed frame, glue the two side frame pieces to the base using wood glue, then glue on the headboard and footboard to either end of the base.  You may want to use a gluing jig (an inexpensive one can be made using children's Legos) to hold the bed frame together while the glue sets.

9.  Now glue on the bedposts to the corners of the bed frame.  Be sure to elevate the bed frame slightly by gluing the frame to the posts slightly up off the bottom edges of the posts.  Rest the frame on its side and let the glue dry.

10.  Glue the canopy to the top of the headboard and taller posts and let dry.

11.  Cut a piece of thin cardboard to the same size as the headboard, then use fabric and fabric glue to cover it with fabric.  Glue the back of this covered cardboard to the front of the headboard using white/school glue and let dry.

12.  Cut and hem the bed curtains, then gather the top edges and glue them to the sides of the canopy and glue the sides of the curtains to the bedposts if they do not hang well.  Cut, hem, and gather the frill and glue it around the sides and front of the tester, over the curtains.  Make small ties from embroidery thread or ribbon and tie the curtains back to the bedposts.

13.  Make a mattress (using the bed base as a pattern) using two rectangles of white cloth sewn or glued together along the edges and stuffed with cotton.  Make two small pillows using this same method.

14.  Cut a bedspread 1/2 inch wider and 1 inch longer than the bed base (for seam allowances).  Cut the frill in three pieces, two sides and the bottom, to allow for the bedposts.  Hem and gather the frills and sew them to the bedspread.  Put the bedspread onto the bed, use small metal push pins pushed through each side of the bedspread into the mattress to hold the frills in place, then spray lightly with fabric stiffener and let dry.  Once dry, you can remove the push pins.

* Note: Want to save time?  Try making the base of the bed using a small cardboard box.  You can then glue the headboard, footboard, and bedposts to this box base using craft glue or small amounts of hot glue.  You can also make the headboard, footboard, and canopy out of pressed (not corrugated) cardboard if you do not like to work with wood or don't have wood working tools available.  Paint brown to simulate wood, cover with wood veneer, or paint another color entirely (such as white with gold accents) for a beautiful finish!  Also, if you don't like to sew, try using a fabric glue (my favorite is Fabri-Tac, a clear glue available in most craft stores and all Wal-marts) to create the curtains, canopy frill, and bedspread with instead!