Making Doll Furniture in Wood: 24 Projects and Plans Perfectly Sized for American Girl and Other 18" Dolls [Paperback]

Dennis Simmons (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2004

The patterns included in this woodworking project guide are sized for 18-inch dolls such as the popular American Girl dolls and can be scaled for larger or smaller dolls. Each project includes a list of all materials needed and details the start-to-finish procedure, from preparing wood to staining and painting the piece. Patterns for 30 pieces of doll furniture are included, and five step-by-step projects for a bed, dresser, rocking chair, table, and standing mirror are featured.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dennis Simmons is a professional woodworker and a contributor to Scroll Saw Workshop magazine. He lives in Clarinda, Iowa.

Product Details

• Paperback: 120 pages
• Publisher: Fox Chapel Publishing (April 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565232003
• ISBN-13: 978-1565232006
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,185,876 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars NOT scaled for 18" dolls, July 8, 2006

By 

B. Ramsey (Madison Heights, Virginia United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Making Doll Furniture in Wood: 24 Projects and Plans Perfectly Sized for American Girl and Other 18" Dolls (Paperback)

How disappointing! I bought this book for my daughter's 9th Birthday. Her dad is going to make her American Girl dolls some furniture & I thought this would be the perfect guide. WRONG! The armoire is only 6" deep. The American Girl clothes hangers are 6 1/4" wide. Tell me, how is that going to work? The doors won't even be able to close! Thankfully my hubby is a skilled woodworker & can expand the dimensions, but if he is going to have to come up with his own pattern this book would have best been left on the shelf. We are very disappointed. My brother-in-law is making the picnic table & my niece told me that they were surprised & how small it is looking. Seems like more than one project is not quite up to the 18" par. Think twice before buying this one or at least find one to look at in person before hand.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars good book but----, February 7, 2006

By 

grandma (Georgia) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Making Doll Furniture in Wood: 24 Projects and Plans Perfectly Sized for American Girl and Other 18" Dolls (Paperback)

This is not a book for beginning wood workers.
Need a lot of different tools.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, February 24, 2006

By 

Martha "Mrs. Eclectic" (Cape Cod, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Making Doll Furniture in Wood: 24 Projects and Plans Perfectly Sized for American Girl and Other 18" Dolls (Paperback)

I really loved this book. My girls wanted furniture for their dolls, but Pleasant Company Products were out of my budget. Using this book, my daughters and I were able to create the simple pieces.

My older daughter designed a bedroom suite. We painted it blue with a cascade of morning glories. Flower painting is not one of my talents, so we used rub ons from the craft store. The bed was easy to build, the armoire was challenging. We turned the chest over to Grandpa to finish. I was beyond my skills.

My younger daughter wanted a dining room suite for her tea parties. The table and chairs were fine, but once again we requested Grandpa's assistance to turn an armoire into a china hutch. We painted the furniture a lovely yellow with sunflower transfers. Both of my girls love it.

In closing, the beds, tables, and chairs were fine for a beginner. If you are attempting any of the case-goods, you might need a grandpa too.

I don't have a lot of tools. My local store (the orange one) cut the wood to size for me, so we just needed to assemble it, sand it, etc. The first cut was free, and there was a nominal charge for the other cuts. The sweet gentleman who helped us liked the book. He is a grandpa, and is going to buy the book too.

I wish the case-good projects were a little easier. I also wish there were simple patterns for bed coverings and chair pillows. I am an experienced seamstress, but others may benefit from this in the next edition.