Knit/Crochet for the Home (Miniature Edition)

I bought a new home!back

No seriously, I did buy a full-size new home this summer, but I also bought a miniature house, too! Now I have to figure out how to furnish it.

The week after we moved in to our newly bought house, there was a neighborhood yard sale and I bought this vintage dollhouse for $16. Sure, it’s a bit banged up and we have to put the door back on, but it’s really charming isn’t it? With two young daughters, I’m sure it’ll have many years of playtime ahead.

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Furniture is one thing, but I’m really looking forward to making some soft furnishings in knit and crochet.

Here are some thoughts I had:

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Do you have any ideas for my new house? Have you ever made dollhouse furnishings? I’d love to knit or crochet sofas and chairs, too. Have any of you done this before? I would love to hear your experiences, pattern sources, or ideas for what I should do. With this dollhouse as a test run, maybe I’ll try to make some new decor for my full-sized house, too!


13 comments

  1. Shaina / August 7, 2014

    A mini log cabin blanket out of Curio would be adorable!! You could also braid a few strands of City Tweed DK together and then sew the braid into a little braided rug for the floor.

    Another trick that you could use for the furniture is to construct a frame out of plastic mesh, crochet the furniture to fit over the frame, insert the frame into the crocheted cover before you close up the last side, then crochet the last side closed. This will give you a nice, sturdy piece of furniture that is also lightweight for the kids.

    (Sorry that it’s kind of hard to explain this technique. I’ve used it a few times before and you could never tell that the item is being supported by plastic mesh. Here’s an example of one that I made a few years ago: http://ravel.me/EdwardRad/sgh.)

  2. Holly K / August 6, 2014

    Thanks for so many suggestion here! I am inspired to get busy on this, and will post an update when I’ve completed some projects based on your ideas. Thanks again, everyone!!

  3. honeybee33 / August 6, 2014

    You’ve brought back some beautiful memories for me! I never had the luxury of a dollhouse, but I did kit out three bookshelves as a three-story condo with crocheted furniture for my Barbies. There’s nothing like the fertile imagination (fueled by necessity) of a pre-teen with a hook and a ball of yarn; I made and stuffed sofas, chairs, and tables – all pre-amigurumi!

  4. Sharon / August 6, 2014

    I had this exact dollhouse when I was little too! What a find! I remember it well! Have lots of fun making the furniture for it!!

  5. Lori / August 6, 2014

    Like Geraldine, my heart skipped a beat when I saw this. I, too, had one just like this and I’d been thinking about it recently. I loved that thing and spent hours playing and dreaming of ways to furnish it. Thanks for bringing back the wonderful memory!

  6. kyla / August 6, 2014

    Ps- craft stores sell the little recordable buttons (like the ones at build a bear). You could record fave TV theme song and place in crochet TV. Songs in radio- water sound in washer etc.

  7. kyla / August 6, 2014

    I’ve seen patterns on revelry for little Xmas trees and wreaths too. Jackolanterns too!

  8. kyla / August 6, 2014

    Amigarumi is perfect for this. I have made tea sets and blocks for baby gifts. Using thread and smaller hooks you could easily make cups and foods. Bean bag chairs would be easy for your kids to make. Small gauge crochet dolls and pets…a block pattern can be tweaked into stove fridge washer dryer dresser TV computer stereo…endless possibilities with a basic single crochet cube!

  9. Fabiola / August 6, 2014

    Re purpose an old book for a bed.if you cut out the inside pages it can also be used to store all the house items that aren’t always out. I don’t know why but I would love to see lace curtains on this with fingering yarn. Stockinette stitch is great but it’s such a neat doll house and doll houses aren’t as popular as they used to be. I think it would be beautiful if it looked fancy even if they are going to play with it.

  10. Daryl / August 5, 2014

    For furniture there is a fantastic store for miniatures on the main street in Lincoln City. I was just there last week and was amazed at what they have available WOW.

  11. Geraldine Scott / August 5, 2014

    Oh, my! My heart did a pitter patter when I saw your blog post…I had the exact same doll house as a little girl…except mine was blue on the outside, but the inside was identical! Mine had a set of plastic furniture for each room…I spent hours and hours playing with it! Thanks for the trip down memory lane!

  12. Deb / August 5, 2014

    Have you thought about using plastic canvas? Years ago, my aunt made me a set of doll house furniture out of plastic canvas. I spend many happy hours playing with it.

    • Holly K / August 5, 2014

      GREAT IDEA, DEB! I’ve used it once before, and I’ll certainly revisit plastic canvas, woven with yarn, for the furniture!