This week someone in one of the Putz House Facebook groups asked for a bench to go with a building they had made. I couldn’t remember if the person asked for a park bench or a garden bench, so I made both! The sides of each bench are interchangeable, and since I couldn’t decide which seat I made for the garden bench I liked best, I included all four.
Recently, another person reached out to tell me they had made Auntie B’s House and had problems making certain parts of it out of Kraft Board. I knew the stairs would be a problem and had suggested thinner cardstock, but I hadn’t thought about the rest of the pieces with tight folds. Aluminum cans may be thick, but they fold beautifully. From now on, I will try to make each of my patterns out of various thicknesses of cardstock and make suggestions. To this end, I have been buying and testing various weights of cover cardstock. My thought is you would want to use as heavy of a cardstock as you can so it stands up well, but without having to struggle with the folds. So far, my favorite has been Accent Opaque Cover Cardstock, 100 lb. 271 gsm. It is thinner than the Kraft Board, but holds up well. I have also ordered Accent Opaque Cover Cardstock 80 lb. 216 gsm, and will test tight folds with both and recommend between the two depending on my results.
These patterns can be cut out of Kraft Board, though I also really liked the look of the 100 lb. cover cardstock. The bench on the left was made out of Kraft Board, the one on the right out of the 100 lb. cover cardstock. Of course they are even more fun made out of aluminum cans!
How You Make the 3D Park & Garden Benches
This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.
Materials to Make 3D Park & Garden Benches
- My free pattern for the 3D Park & Garden Benches from the A Cottage in the Forest Library – get the password for free by filling out the form at the bottom of this page.
- 100 lb. Cover Cardstock, Cricut Kraft Board or aluminum cans – your choice!
- Glue – for the Cover Cardstock or Kraft Board, I like Aleene’s Fast Grab Tacky Glue. For aluminum cans, I use Aleene’s The Ultimate Glue.
- A Cutting Machine like a Cricut Maker or Cricut Explore or X-Acto knife or Cricut TrueControl Knife. I know the Cricut TrueControl knife looks expensive next to an X-Acto knife. I have both on my work desk, the X-Acto for aluminum cans and the TrueControl Knife for cardstock and cardboard. I really like the TrueControl knife because the blade doesn’t twist loose while you are working. I am constantly having to tighten my X-Acto knife.
How To Make The 3D Park & Garden Benches
Download the 3D Park & Garden Benches Pattern
Download the 3D Park & Garden Benches pattern from A Cottage in the Forest Library. Don’t forget to unzip it. The pattern is available in multiple formats – as a SVG (scalable vector graphics), DXF (drawing eXchange format) or PDF file.
Import the 3D Park & Garden Benches Pattern into Design Software and Cut
Since these are so small and simple to fold, I didn’t even add score lines. I just grasped the pieces where I needed to fold them with a small jewelry plier and made the fold.
If making the garden bench, decide which seat you like best. Cut out your cardstock or aluminum can pieces using my pattern.
How To Make the Park Bench
The square edge of the seat is the top of the bench. Fold the park bench seat forward right above the 4th cross bar. Fold each side of the seat back at the edge of the cutouts. Glue each side of the seat to the bench sides.
How To Make the Garden Bench
Glue the sides of the bench onto the front of the garden bench back. Fold each side of the seat back at the edge of the cutouts. Glue the seat to the sides and back.
That’s it! Enjoy adding your 3D Park & Garden Benches to your Holiday Village! I would love to see pictures of your buildings using the benches. Please share photos with me by emailing me at Jackie@acottageintheforest.com.
FREE CUT FILES & PATTERN FOR THE 3D PARK & GARDEN BENCHES
Download the 3D Park & Garden Benches Pattern
Get the password for the library with the free 3D Park & Garden Benches pattern and SVG/DXF/PDF files here by filling out this form:
If you have any trouble subscribing please contact me at jackie@acottageintheforest.com
Save the 3D Park & Garden Benches to Your Favorite Pinterest Board!
Very nice and Thank you for sharing with us.
Could you make a lamppost for us?
I can try. It may be hard to make one 3D and delicate enough looking.