Uneven Bars for American Girl doll

Overall dimensions 13 1/2" W x 19" H x 14" D

The uneven bars can be disassembled (into 9 pieces, see picture further down) so they can be stored easily e.g. in a little bag)

See my other free Gymnastic tutorials

What you need

• glue and if available PVC primer and cement
• Krylon Fusion (for plastic) spray paint
• painters masking tape
• 1/2" CPVC 8' long
• 5/8" wooden dowel 24" long
• 4x 90° elbow for 1/2" CPVC
• 6x T for 1/2" CPVC
• 4x end cap for 1/2" CPVC

• fabric 12" x 20" (e.g. flannel) for storage bag
• draw string for storage bag

• white felt (3" x 7") for grips
• small pieces of velcro for grips
• 2x 1/2" CPVC pipe wall attachment for grips

 

How to make the uneven bars

1. Cut the following pieces (I used a chop saw, but you can use a hand saw too)
     CPVC
         2x  10 1/2"    (sides for low bar)
         2x  17"          (sides for high bar)
         4x  5"            (bottom stand)
         1x  12"          (across bottom stand)
         4x  1"            (to attach end caps)

     wooden dowel
         2x  12"          (bars)

2. Take two 5" pieces and a T connector and glue together (part A)

3. Take the other two 5" pieces and a T connector and glue together (part B)

4. Take a 1" piece and a T connector and glue it together

5. Take an end cap and glue it into the T connector with the 1" piece (part C)

6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 three more times to get all 4 end caps used (parts C)

7. Take one of the wooden bars and glue a 90° elbow piece on either side, making sure they are both facing the same way and laying down level

8. Repeat step 7 for the other wooden bar

9. Let all the glue dry thoroughly before continuing

10. Now we are going to assemble it before we are gluing the last pieces in place

11. Take part A and add a part C on each end (A and the two Cs should be 90° to each other)

12. Take part B and add part C on each end (B and the two Cs should be 90° to each other,
       just like in step 11)

13. Take the 12" piece and connect it to parts A and B to form an H

14. Take the two 17" pieces and put them on the back of the H

15. Take the two 10 1/2" pieces and put them on the front of the H

16. Add the two bar pieces

17. Now that it is assembled and straight (plumb)!!! we can glue the last 4 pieces in place

18. Take one part C out and glue it pack into place making sure everything is still straight (plumb)

19. Repeat step 18 for the other three part Cs, each time making sure everything is still straight
     (plumb)

20. Let the glue dry

21. Wrap the wooden bars in painters masking tape all around

22. Leave assembled and spray paint all of it and let dry

23. After the paint has dried completely (24h - 48h) remove the masking tape,
      You could seal the bars with a clear sealer if you want to


You are done !!!

How to make the grips

1. Cut 4 pieces of felt 3/4" x 1 3/4"

2. Top stitch 2 pieces together, repeat for the other 2 pieces

3. Take 1/2" double folded bias tape and cut 4 pieces 4 1/2" long (or make your own: 1 1/2" wide 18" long, fold long sides in 1/4" then fold in half)

4. Cut 4 small piece of Velcro (rough and soft side)

5. Sew soft end of Velcro on one side of the bias tape piece, turn bias tape piece over and sew rough end of Velcro on the opposite end. Now you will have Velcro on both ends but on opposite sides of the bias tape

6. Repeat step 5 for the other three bias tape pieces

7. Sew on bias tape pieces as shown

8. Take the CPVC 1/2" pipe holder and cut one side of and sand off all roughness

9. Hand sew CPVC holder onto fleece (see picture in step 7)

You are done !!!

How to make the bag

1. Cut a piece of fabric 12" x 20"
2. Zigzag all around
3. Fold long sides together (right sides together) that you will have 6" x 20"
4. Sew bottom short side and continue on to long side sewing up to 3" from the top
5. Fold over seams from long side then double hem the top side (3/4")
6. With safety pin thread draw string through double hem and knot both ends

You are done !!!


For more Gymnastics items see my blog