NO such beautiful dolls as delight the hearts of the children of to-day, ever peeped forth from the Christmas-stockings of our grandmothers or great-grandmothers when they were little girls. In those times there were not, as there are now, thousands of people doing nothing but making toys for the entertainment and pleasure of the little ones, and the motherly little hearts were fain to content themselves with lavishing unlimited affection and care upon a rag, wooden, or corn-husk baby, made and dressed at home. Since then almost every child tired of, and surfeited with handsome and expensive toys, has been glad at times to get grandma to make for her a real old-fashioned dollie which might be hugged in rapturous moments of affection without fear of dislocating some of its numerous joints, or putting out of order its speaking or crying apparatus; and might in times of forgetfulness be dropped on the floor and suffer no injury thereby. Such a doll is just the kind to adopt for the summer. The fine French doll with its delicate wax or china face, silky hair, and dainty toilets, is more suited to the elegances of the parlor than to the wear and tear of out-door life, and everyone knows that summer holidays spent in the country are far too precious to be wasted taking care of anyone’s complexion, let alone a doll’s; so it is best to leave the city doll in her city home, safe out of harm’s way, and manufacture, from materials to be found in the country, one more suited to country surroundings.
Corn-husks, corn-cobs, and ordinary garden flowers can be made into dolls which, although not quite so pretty nor so shapely as those produced from more costly material, yet possess a charm of their own which the children are not slow to perceive.
Little Indian girls, to whom store babies are unknown, make the most complete and durable corn-husk dolls, and the following directions tell just how to construct them:
Provide yourself with the husks of several large ears of corn, and from among them select the soft white ones which grow closest to the ear. Place the stiff ends of two husks together, fold a long, soft husk in a lengthwise strip, and wind it around the ends so placed as in Fig. 111. Select the softest and widest husk you can find, fold it across the centre and place a piece of strong thread through it (as in Fig. 112), draw it in, tie it securely (Fig. 113), place it entirely over the husks you have wound, then bring it down smoothly and tie with thread underneath (Fig. 114); this will form the head and neck. To make the arms, divide the husks below the neck in two equal parts, fold together two or more husks and insert them in the division (Fig. 115). Hold the arms in place with one hand, while with the other you fold alternately over each shoulder several layers of husks, allowing them to extend down the front and back. When the little form seems plump enough, use your best husks for the topmost layers and wrap the waist with strong thread, tying it securely (Fig. 116). Next divide the husks below the waist and make the legs by neatly wrapping each portion with thread, trimming them off evenly at the feet. Finally, twist the arms once or twice, tie, and trim them off at the hands. The features can be drawn on the face with pen and ink, or may be formed of small thorns from the rose-bush. Fig. 117 shows the doll complete, minus its costume, which may be of almost any style or material, from the pretty robe of a civilized lady to the more scanty garments of its originator, the Indian. The doll is represented in full Indian costume in Fig. 118. The war-paint and tomahawk are not necessary here, as he is smoking a pipe of peace. His apparel is composed of one garment, which is cut from a broad, soft corn-husk, after the pattern given in Fig. 119. A narrow strip of husk tied about his waist forms the belt.
Fig. 113
Corn-husk Tied.
|
Fig. 115
Head and Arms.
|
Fig. 114
Head Finished.
|
His head-dress is made of small chicken feathers stuck at regular intervals into a strip of husk. The corn-silk hair is placed on his head, and on top of that one end of the head-dress is fastened with a thorn.
Fig. 116
Head, Arms, and Body.
|
Fig. 117
Finished Doll.
|
A small twig is used for the stem of his pipe, and two rose-bush thorns form the bowl. Instead of using a thorn for his mouth, a round hole is punched in the face and the stem of the pipe inserted.
Fig. 118
A Real Indian Doll.
|
Fig. 119
The Indian’s Dress.
|
Here is another way of making a doll which is very easy and simple. First find a young ear of corn, one on which the silk has not turned brown; then with a crab-apple for a head and a leaf of the corn to dress her with, you have your material. Cut off squarely that end of the ear where the husks are puckered, to join the stalk, and carefully take the silk from the other end, disturbing as little as possible the closely wrapped husks.
Roll part of the leaf (as indicated in Fig. 120) for the arms, then with a small twig fasten the head to the arms; stick the other end of the twig into the small end of the corn-cob, and the doll is ready for dressing. Her bonnet is made of the leaf just where it joins the stalk (Fig. 121), and is fastened to her head with a thorn. Before adjusting the bonnet, however, the silk must be placed on the head to form the hair.
Fig. 120 Fig. 121 Fig. 122
Material and Parts of Doll.
|
doll
Mary Jane.
|
Make the scarf of part of the leaf (Fig. 122), fold it around the shoulders, and secure it with thorns.
The features also are made of thorns.
When her toilet is complete, you can but acknowledge that this rosy-cheeked little maid, peeping from beneath her poke-bonnet, is very cunning indeed.
The flower lady with the baby is made of a yellow gourd flower; the small gourd attached, which has just begun to form, serves for her head; a green gourd leaf is used for her shawl, and her bonnet is made of a smaller leaf folded to fit her head. The baby is a white gourd bud, with a cap made of a leaf. A small twig stuck through part of the lady’s shawl, through the baby, and into the lady doll, holds the child in place and makes it appear as though clasped in the mother’s arms.
The features of both dolls are scratched on with a pin and then inked. To make the lady stand erect, a small twig is stuck into the heart of the flower, and the other end into the top of a small paste-board-box lid.
The other flower doll is made of the common garden flowers. The underskirt is a petunia; a Canterbury-bell forms the over-skirt and waist; small twigs, or broom-straws stuck through buds of the phlox, are the arms, and the head is a daisy with the petals cut off to look like a bonnet. The features are made with pen and ink on the yellow centre. A reversed daisy forms the parasol.
If the flowers named are not at hand, those of a similar shape will answer just as well.
Gaily dressed little ladies can be made of the brilliantly tinted hollyhocks, and many other flowers can also be transformed into these pretty though perishable dolls.