A tutorial on an easy doll bed

Mom built this bed last year for the boys, and Dollar Tree has the banks again, so here is how she did it.

You need:

Four -23 inch Crayon Banks, I purchased mine at the Dollar Tree for $1.00 each

2 -12x24x 1/4inch pieces of plywood, I purchased mine at AC Moore and used a coupon for each so I paid about $5.00 each

Three -36 inch wood dowels cut into 2- 24-inch length and 5 -12 inch lengths I paid .53 cents each at my local hardware store

I can of spray paint approximate cost $3.50

Toddler bed sized quilt batting approximately $7.00

Polyfiber  fill I had mine on hand. You will need a small amount.

Fabrics for mattresses, I had mine left over from another project, but you will need 2 pieces that are 14 by 48, and then a piece for a pillow, I just cut and sewed.

Two Fat quarters of a cute print to co-ordinate, I paid 1.25 for each.

Two baby blankets from the dollar store. I paid $1.00 each at Dollar Tree

Hot glue, threads, sewing machine, dremel, magic marker

Step 1

Make the cuts for the bottom and top bunk beds. I made a slit in the crayons after I determined where I wanted them to end up. I have my bottom bunk very low so we can sit the dolls on the bed. That is up to you though. I have the crayon cut so that the corner of the plywood will slide in with a tight fit.

 I used my Dremel with a pointed drilling bit on the lowest speed. I think a drill on a very low speed would work as well. You need to have it on a low speed or the friction will melt the plastic. I made a mark with a sharpie and then followed it; I tried it several times and then made adjustments as I needed until I had it the right size, then I repeated on all the crayons.

I then assembled the bed and determined where I wanted the top bunk, and repeated the process.

I then drilled the holes for the guardrails and the ladder using the same process. I placed the guardrail as high as I could on the crayon. It adds stability to the piece.

I then cut the dowel rods with the cutting wheel on my Dremel, but you can use whatever tool you have. I do not have many.

Step two Sand and paint the wood parts.

We chose black for the wood parts since the crayon’s wrapper design has black in it.  I used good quality spray paint. I do not recommend cheap paint. Every time I have tried to get away with it, I end up spending more money because I either have to use so much of it or I am not happy with the results and I sand it down and repaint it. Cheap paint is not worth it. I used Rustoleum.

I was trying to teach my 9-year-old son to use the spray paint properly, and some of the dowel pieces ended up with drip marks. If I do this project again, which I very well may do for my nieces, I would use a permanent marker to color the dowels, much easier. The dowel dries quickly with the marker. We used it to touch up after we sanded down all the drip marks. We also colored the edges of the plywood with the marker.

 This is my six year old posing with the painted pieces and the can of paint.

Step 3

After all the pieces were dry, I used the hot glue gun to assemble the bed. I started from the bottom and built it to the top. Make sure that you get the crayons in the proper corners or the ladder will not line up correctly. 

I coated the edge of the holes with hot glue and quickly slid the wood in and it held great. I was able to move the bed around and carry it to the second floor with everything together, including the boy’s guys. Yes, I made this for my son’s “American Boy’s”. They like all the little miniature stuff. I converted girls into guys for them. They have two female cousins with dolls so they wanted their own.

I also plugged up the coin slots with a bit of hot glue. I was afraid that the six year old would put things in the bed then want them back. That would be difficult.

Step 4

Mattress- I had my fabric so the  one short side  was a fold, I sewed the 2 long sides then turned it right side out and cut 4 layers of the batting to fit inside. I then turned the ends under on the top of the mattress and sewed it shut on my machine. I then hand tied the mattress so that we can throw it in the washer if need be and it will not bunch up.  I made one for each bunk.

I made the pillows in a similar fashion using poly fiberfill.

Step 5

Top Sheet and Blanket

 I decided that the entire fat quarter was a bit large, so I made two small pillows and the sheet from each. I hemmed all edges, making a deeper hem at the top.

 The blankets however I was not super happy with but for now, they will do. The dollar store blankets I had I cut them so that the applique would show then I used a zig zag stitch on the edges. The fabric was cheap and very hard to sew. My machine ate the corners several times and it jammed my machine. If I was not determined to have it 100% complete by the boy’s bedtime, I might have waited on that and got a remnant of quality polar fleece.

I chose fabrics that were more “boyish” but I think that a girl doll might be just as happy with the primary color scheme of this bed. You might be able to find the crayons in pink and purple as well. I let the kids choose and they chose four different colored banks to make the bed with, but you can use all the same or two colors whatever you and your child would like.

My guys like cats and dogs so they have cat pillows, top sheets, and a dog blanket.

I believe that I came in for cost on this project at about $32.00 with what I already had on hand, but even if you had to purchase the fabrics and other items, it should come in at around $40.00.

I can see this bed as a single bed with a canopy on the top of the crayons as well.

I imagine any plastic tall item can be used for the legs; you could also use wood in a similar fashion if you have the capacity to cut it, and I did not so I went with the plastic.

I spent about 2 hours one day on the cutting sanding and painting and for the sewing, I think the rest took me under 3 hours, but I am quick with straight lines.