Tools and Materials

• 12 short paint-stirring sticks
• 4 long paint-stirring sticks
• Wood glue
• Wood clementine crate
• Large binder clips
• Sandpaper or sanding block
• Gesso or primer
• Acrylic paint in desired color
• Dish towel
• Scissors
• Needle and coordinating thread
• Sewing machine (optional)
• Loose stuffing
• Doll needle
• Buttons (optional)
• Fat quarter of fabric
• Quilt batting

Clementine Crate Doll Bed How-To

1. Make the footboard: 
Trim seven short sticks to 8 inches; set two aside. Lay five trimmed sticks side by side on a flat surface. Lay a long stick next to each end, positioning so that the bottom of each long stick extends 1 1/2 inches past the bottom of the row of trimmed sticks.
2. Lay one trimmed stick across all the sticks, parallel to and 1/2 inch above the bottom of the five trimmed sticks. Glue into place with wood glue.
3. Make the headboard: 
Lay five (untrimmed) short sticks side by side with a long stick on each end, as with the footboard. Lay the last trimmed short stick across all, as with the footboard, and glue into place.
4. Secure headboard and footboard to ends of overturned clementine crate with wood glue; clamp into place with binder clips. Let dry for at least one hour. 
5. Sand bed lightly with a sandpaper; paint with gesso or primer. Paint two to three coats of acrylic paint, sanding between coats.
6. To make the mattress, trim off the hemmed edges of a dish towel and cut in half. With right sides together, sew all edges, leaving a 2-inch opening on one edge. Pull corners into a triangle and hand- or machine-sew to box corners. 
7. Turn right side out, stuff, and sew opening closed.
8. Use a doll needle and thread to “tie” mattress in, adding buttons if desired. 
9. Fold fat quarter of fabric in half, right sides facing. Sew along two open edges; leave the third edge open. Turn right side out and fill with quilt batting cut to size. Hand-sew open side closed. Sew straight horizontal and vertical lines of stitches at even intervals across quilt to secure batting.

Resources

Quilt fabric designed by Heather Ross for Spoonflower.