Some people have asked how I dress a bed in my quarter scale projects. There is nothing new about the way I do it, I follow the method that I learned from Pam Junk when buying her kits, with few additions.
Here I've made up a bed from a kit, and painted it lavender then brushed it over with white. You need:
Piece of timber offcut or matboard to fit the bottom of the bed with a couple of mm to spare – about 1/8” deep or thereabouts. This will be the ‘mattress’.
Piece of batting to go over the mattress. You can make this big enough to go over the sides as well if desired, to give a softer effect.
Fine cotton for sheets
Piece of trim if desired for sheet
Tacky glue - preferably in fine tipped glue bottle or else a pin to apply it
Step 1. Mattress
Spread tacky glue over the mattress and place the batting on top.
Let dry then trim around the edges.
If you are adding it to the sides of the mattress, glue to the sides of the mattress and trim level with the bottom. It is not necessary to glue the batting to the top and bottom edges of the mattress.
Step 2 Valence - optional
For this bed I made a lace valence, whereas for the bed in Cockleshell Cottage I omitted this step.
For the valence, I gathered the top of the lace to fit the length of the bed sides, turning under the ends just a tiny bit. Then I used slightly larger gathering stitches about 1/2 or 2/3 of the way down the lace. This makes gathers that sit flat rather than sticking out.
I put glue along the side of the bed and added the length of lace, then arranged the gathers in a pleasing manner. Whilst it was still wet I removed the lower length of thread and rearranged the gathers where needed.
Since the lace was slightly longer than required I glued the extra to the top of the bed base.
Step 3. Adding bottom sheet
Cut a piece of fine cotton large enough to wrap around the mattress on all sides.
Run a line of tacky glue along one side of the bottom of the mattress and attach one edge of the sheet.
Do the same with the other side of the sheet, pulling it evenly over the mattress top.
Fold in each end of the top, making a mitred corner on each side.
Make sure that the sheet is sitting flat on top of the mattress.
Trial fitting on the bed
Step 4. Top sheet
Cut your top sheet to fit as far down the sides as desired.
Run a fine line of tacky glue around the edges to prevent fraying. The pin from a fine-tipped glue bottle or some other very thin item is ideal for doing this.
If you want to add a trim to the top edge, do so now.
The sheet doesn’t have to be full length – I make mine about 2/3 or less, to reduce bulk at the end of the bed.
Step 5. Adding the blanket/quilt
Cut the cover to the desired size, making sure it is big enough to fold under the end of the mattress and to go desired length down the sides of the bed.
Fold the top of the sheet over the top of the coverlet. Finger press fold.
Fold coverlet under end of bed, adding some tacky glue to bottom of mattress to hold it in place.
To reduce bulk, I trim the corners underneath.
Press with your finger to make a neat mitred corner.
Another view of folding the corner.
This shows the excess glued flat under the mattress, while I am holding the side against the mattress with my finger.
Both sides done, and the unit is tried on the bed. If no alterations are needed, the bottom of the mattress can be glued to the base of the bed. In this case I had to trim the coverlet a little bit on this side.
I decided that I didn't like the mitred corners with the lace valance, so I removed the coverlet and cut another one. I could salvage the sheet fortunately, and started off the same way by folding it under the mattress at the end.
I experimented with the way I wanted the side of the coverlet to fall against the end of the bed and when happy with it I put a drop of tacky glue between the layers and pinched them together.
A tiny bit of glue to hold the mattress in place, and a trim to make the sides even. Each side was finished with a very thin line of tacky glue to avoid fraying before trimming.
Then a dot of glue at the sheet end to hold the top of the bedding against the side of the bed. I like this much better than the mitred corners with the valance.
Step 6. Add pillows and cushions
One method I use to make pillows is by putting a piece of batting the appropriate size onto a piece of fabric, outlining it with a very thin line of tacky glue and putting a second layer of fabric over the top, then pinching the two layers together with the sides of a pair of fine-pointed tweezers.
When it is dry I cut as close as possible to the line of glue to leave a very narrow ‘frill’ around the pillow.
Another method I use is to wrap the wadding up like a package and glue it on the back so that it can’t be seen.
Here I’ve added the first of the additional decorative cushions. This one is actually purple, though it looks blue here. I will make the next one in a floral print, and then maybe one in a stripe.
This was before I changed the coverlet but fortunately I hadn't glued them too securely into place so was able to simply use them again on the redone bed.
I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into how I do my beds!