CORNHUSKS DOLLS FOR FUN AND PROFIT

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

You now have a bare arm with a sleeve which is tied on at the wrist and which extends out over the hand. You're ready to carefully turn the covering back-as if it were fabric-both to expose the hand and to form a nice puffy peasant-blouse look. Once it's been folded back,, you can tie the open end of the sleeve to the arm near the center of the length of wire.

The other sleeve is made in the same way . . . and there's no need to worry if the two don't look just alike. When the arms are attached to the body, their coverings will tend to even out. And, anyway, real people aren't all that symmetrical either.

OK, you've just completed what I consider the most difficult step in making a cornhusk doll. If you've gotten this far, you can do the rest. The little lady still doesn't look like much, but she'll shape up fast from here on in.

ASSEMBLY

Now the doll begins to hang together. Take the sleeved armpiece and thrust it firmly as far up under the head as it will go, so that half the body husks fall in back and half in front.

Then firmly tie a length of string around the torso just under the arms to form a high waist.

The next step is to smooth out the bodice and you'll no doubt work out your own favorite way to do this. Meanwhile, here's mine: Choose several long, thin strips of husk that are each about I inch wide. Hold one with your thumb at the left front of the doll's waistline, cross the band over her right shoulder, and hold its end down at the back. Wrap the next strip from the right front, up over the left shoulder, and down to the right side of the back. Continue alternating such strips until the bodice is well built up. Although stained husks can be used for the under layers, the two final pieces of shuck should be unblemished. Tie a string around the waist to keep the wrappings in place.

At this point there are a lot of long-usually too long-pieces of husk flapping about below the waist. Whack them off with strong scissors so that the doll will stand about 6 to 7 inches tall. (When I made my first cornhusk people I left them taller than that, with a resulting El Greco, wraith-like quality. Now I bring them down to earth a bit more. The choice is yours.)

SKIRT

The doll's skirt is treated in much the same way as the sleeves: tied on in the reverse of its final direction and pulled down to produce a full effect, with the rough edge hidden under the bouffant gathers.

Choose two of your widest, cleanest pieces of flared husk to form the front and back of the skirt. (if you're short of wide material, you can add an extra section to cover the gap at each side.) Tie on the front first, with the gathered (narrow) end at the waist and the wider part extending up over the doll's face. Then fasten the back panel in the same way, so that it slightly overlaps the first (front) one. Once you've made a few cornhusk gals you may want to attach both sections in one operation, but you'll find it easier at the outset to proceed as I've suggested. And don't worry about all that string bunched around your little lady's waist . . . it helps to keep her together.

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print