It is time for a new Halloween building! I decided I wanted to make something very different than the realistic looking buildings that I have a tendency to design. I also thought about how precise you have to be in making many of these buildings and decided I wanted to make a house where wacky angles and a lack of precision were celebrated. Hence, the Little Crooked House. If you find yourself lining up the steps or the dormer windows, you are making it wrong! I would really love to see pictures of just how wacky you make your house!

This Is How You Make The Little Crooked House

Size of the finished building as designed will be approximately 4″ W x 4 1/8″ D x 6″ H. These measurements do not include the size of the base. I consider this an intermediate pattern.

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The Little Crooked House Pattern Specific Materials

  • My free pattern for The Little Crooked House from the A Cottage in the Forest Library. Design #64. Get the password for free by filling out the form at the bottom of this page.

Favorite Materials Supply List

Steps to Make The Little Crooked House

  • Download The Little Crooked House pattern from A Cottage in the Forest library.
  • Import The Little Crooked House pattern into your design software.
  • Cut out the pattern – I use my Cricut Maker. Texture if desired.
  • Fold the body of the building.
  • Glue on the window frames and door. Attach vellum windows.
  • Glue the Entryway onto the front.
  • Glue together the body of the building.
  • Add the bottom insert.
  • Glue on the roof.
  • Add the dormers.
  • Add the chimney and the stairs.

How To Make The Little Crooked House

Download The Little Crooked House Pattern

Download The Little Crooked House pattern from A Cottage in the Forest Library. It is design #64. Don’t forget to unzip it. The pattern is available in multiple formats – as a SVG (scalable vector graphics), DXF (drawing eXchange format), as a studio3 file for Silhouette, or as PDF file. I now include a 1″ square in with all of my SVG, DXF and Studio3 files. Scale the pattern so that the square is 1″ to make the building in the size it was designed. Of course the wonderful thing about SVG files is that you can easily scale them to make your building whatever size you would like.

Choose between whether you want a regular back with the light hole at the bottom of the building (this is the option I make below) or if you want to use the Putz Back, where the light hole is in the back of the building.

Import The Little Crooked House Pattern Into Design Software

As of this blog post, a Cricut Design Space update in 2021 broke the attached score lines. You will need to go through the pattern in Design Space and change the score lines to Score and then attach them to their object. I am still designing so that if someday Design Space fixes their problem score lines and drawings import as actual score lines and drawings attached to their object, though I have pretty much lost hope of that ever happening.

Here is a great tutorial from Jennifer Maker’s website on attaching score lines. I have started making all of my score lines red so that you can tell that they are intended to be are score lines.

Cut out all of your cardstock, Kraft Board or aluminum can pieces using my pattern. If you are using cardboard and don’t intend to glue glitter or decorative papers onto your house, I suggest visiting Lucy Foxworth’s blog at Paper Glitter Glue where Lucy explores multiple ways to paint and texture your cardboard house.

Refer to the PDF I included with the svg pattern for the name of each of the pieces you need to cut out. Texture your pieces using your embossing machine and texture folders if desired.

Fold the Body of the Building

On the front, back, and side pieces with a tab with a curve, or that will be glued to a curve, cut slits into the tabs so you can make the folds. 

Fold each of the body pieces towards the back or inside (mountain folds.)

Fold the entryway (all mountain folds), carefully folding on the curves.  They will NOT make sharp right angles. 

Glue on the Window Frames and Door. Attach Vellum Windows.

 Glue all window frames and the door in place. I normally paint all of my pieces before gluing them together, but I forgot to take pictures this time, so here is the picture from the kit instructions.

Glue the vellum in place if you are using it. 

Glue the Entryway onto the Front.

Glue the entryway together. 

Glue the entryway onto the front.

Glue Together the Body of the House

Glue the the body of the house together. I find it easiest to glue the tall left side to the front first, then the back, then glue on the smaller side.

Add the Bottom Insert

Check the fit of the bottom insert piece, adjusting any of the fold lines as necessary. You may need to trim the corners. Glue in the bottom insert piece now as it will help to help to stiffen and square the walls of the building. I like to lower it in from the top. I run the needle tip of my glue bottle between the Bottom Insert and the sides, making sure each side is glued securely before moving on to the next.

Glue on the Roof

Glue on the roof, with the rectangle cutout on the left, and the square cutout on the right. Once again, I made the roofline wavy, so no need to worry about centering it perfectly. If you are going to shingle the roof, do so now.

Add the Dormers

Glue each of the dormer windows onto the roof, then glue the corresponding roof onto the dormers. Glue the dormers on a crooked as you would like.

Add the Chimney and the Stairs

Glue together the 4 sides of the chimney, making sure you match up the lengths of the sides. Decide where you are going to glue your chimney and trim away the roof overhang to let it sit flush with the house.

Glue together the steps and glue to the entryway. Attach the entryway roof, and the shutters.

Make Base and Decorate as Desired.

Enjoy making the Little Crooked House yourself! I would love to see your finished design. Please share a photo of it with me by emailing me at Jackie@acottageintheforest.com

MAKER’S GALLERY FOR A LITTLE CROOKED HOUSE

Little Crooked House by Cheryl Sablotny
Little Crooked House by Billy Dale
Little Crooked House by Grace, Lucy & Maddie
Little Crooked House by LeAndra Miller
Little Crooked House by Deanna Smith
Little Crooked House by Anonymous

FREE CUT FILES & PATTERN FOR THE LITTLE CROOKED HOUSE

Download the Little Crooked House Pattern

LIKE THIS TUTORIAL? PLEASE CONSIDER LEAVING A TIP TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT.

Get the password for the library with the free Little Crooked House pattern and SVG/DXF/PDF/Studio3 files here by filling out this form:

If you have any trouble subscribing please contact me at jackie@acottageintheforest.com

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