f colored canvas, or chintz, or thin felt, or serge. A
rug made of a plain colored material with a cross-stitch or
embroidered pattern around it is very pretty. Fine matting can also be
used, and oil-cloth is excellent for the kitchen.

General Remarks on Furnishing

In another place in this book (pp. 228-233) will be found instructions
for making furniture for very small and simple dolls' houses; but for
a good dolls' house with several good-sized rooms you would probably
prefer, for the most part, to use bought things. Square tables are of
course easy to make (a cardboard-box lid on four legs is practically
the whole thing), and there are other articles which, if you see your
way to devise, are better made at home, instructions for which will be
found as you read on; but chairs and round tables and so forth are
perhaps most satisfactory when they come from the toy-shop. Both in
buying furniture and in making it, it is necessary always to remember
the size of the rooms and of the dolls, and the size of whatever
furniture you may already have, so as to keep everything in
proportion.

Beds

Beds can be made of cardboard-boxes of different sizes. The box turned
upside down makes the bed itself, and the cover should be fixed
upright behind it for curtains to hang from. These curtains and the
frill round the bed should be made of any thin material, such as
muslin. The mattress, bolster, and pillows are best made of
cotton-wool covered with muslin or calico. Sheets may be made also out
of muslin; pillow-cases should be edged with lace; for blankets you
use flannel, button-hole-stitched round with colored silk or wool,
and the quilt will look best if made of a dainty piece of silk, or
muslin over a colored sateen to match the curtains. A tiny nightdress
case should not be forgotten. Beds for doll children can be made in
the same way out of match-boxes; and for cozy little cots for babies
there are walnut shells.

[Illustration: CARDBOARD BOX BEDS]

Bead Furniture

[Illustration: BEAD CHAIR]

Chairs can be made with wire, beads, a little silk or cotton material,
some cardboard and cotton-wool. To make a chair in this way, cut a
piece of cardboard the size that you want the seat to be. Lay a good
wad of cotton-wool over it, and then cover it neatly. On a piece of
strong wire thread enough beads to go round the seat of the chair. Sew
this firmly to the seat. Then thread beads on four pieces of wire the
right le