Finish your miniature dolls house bed by gluing the bed rails into the head and footboard. Lay the headboard on a flat surface and apply glue to the ends of the bed rail tenon. Insert the tenon into the mortise. Fit both bed rails in place. Prop and leave to dry if possible. Lay the footboard upside down on a flat surface and fit the bedrails carefully into the mortise holes on the back of the footboard. Set the bed upright and clamp the bed frame gently until the glue dries.
Make a base for your miniature bed from a piece of thin cardboard, or use a piece of aircraft plywood cut to size. You can cut a piece of foam to size and cover it with fabric for a mattress, or you can make a mattress from quilt batting in a fabric cover.
You don't have to limit yourself to picket fence beds made from wooden stir sticks. Using the mortise and tenon technique you can fit plain slats between squared boards to make many different styles and sizes of beds. Simple technique and materials with lots of uses!
