Looking for a stylish piece of furniture for your Barbie dollhouse? This modern scalloped chair is a fun project that's surprisingly easy to make using simple materials.
In this step-by-step tutorial, I'll show you how to build the chair from scratch, from creating the seat base and backrest to upholstering the frame and attaching the legs. You don't need any special tools, making this a great project for beginners as well as experienced miniature makers.
Let's go!
Quick Project Details
Scale: 1:6 scale — suitable for Barbie dolls
Difficulty: Easy and beginner-friendly
Estimated time: 30–45 minutes, excluding drying time
Estimated cost: Less than €1 when using leftover materials
List of Materials
You'll need the following supplies to make this miniature upholstered chair:
- Cardboard (for the seat base)
- Stretch fabric or jersey knit fabric
- Kitchen paper (or a paper towel) for the padding
- Hot glue gun and glue sticks
- Pencil
- Ruler
- Scissors
- Craft knife
- Cutting mat
- Toothpick or bamboo skewer (for making pilot holes and applying glue)
Optional
- Fabric glue (for securing loose fabric edges)
- Acrylic paint or wood stain (to finish the bamboo legs)
- Sandpaper or a nail file (to smooth the cut ends of the bamboo skewers)
Step-by-step tutorial
Step 1: Make the Seat Base
Draw a circle onto a piece of sturdy cardboard and cut it out. Repeat to make a second identical circle, then glue the two pieces together. Doubling the cardboard creates a stronger base for your Barbie chair and helps it hold its shape.
Step 2: Cut the Backrest Pieces
Using bamboo skewers, cut all the pieces needed for the chair frame. Accuracy is important, so measure each piece carefully before cutting.
- Base pieces: Cut one piece measuring 6 cm and one piece measuring 5.5 cm.
- Central backrest sticks: Cut 2 pieces measuring 6.3 cm.
- Remaining backrest and side sticks: Cut the remaining pieces by reducing the length by 0.8 cm for each pair as you move outward from the center. This gradual reduction creates the curved shape of the chair back and armrests.
- Legs: Cut 4 pieces measuring 5 cm.
Lay all the pieces out in order from the longest to the shortest before moving on to the next step. This makes the assembly much easier and helps keep both sides of the chair perfectly symmetrical.