Last Day of Doll Class - A Doll Party!

We had a doll party on the last day of class.  The girls made tiny treats for their dolls.  They made powdered sugar donuts by coating cheerios with sugar.  They made tiny layer cakes from vanilla sandwich cookies, frosting and sprinkles.  And there were even tiny cheese sandwiches with cheery tomato slices.

Here's a yummy doll cake!

The girls brought dolls to the party as guests.  Here is a guest, playing pin the tail on the donkey.  The dolls LOVED this game.

A hand colored paper doll was an attendee.

SUGAR!!!

The dolls and doll makers were served Shirley Temples in tea cups at a little table.  It was a great party!

Day #8 Doll Class - Flower Fairies

Pretty fairies in a ring, conducting fairy magic.

Fairy sisters

Day #7 of Doll Class - Kachina Dolls

Today, the kids learned about Kachina spirit dolls.  I showed them a Kachina doll and read them a picture book about Kachinas.  Then they made their own dolls, using clothespins as armatures, Crayola Model Magic as sculpting material, and twigs, feathers, and tiny shells for embellishment.  They immediately understood the idea of creating a doll that embodied an entity from the spirit world.  I love how young children are so connected to the universe. 

The book is "The Lost Kachina" by Heather Irbinskas.

One child made a Cat Spirit Kachina, in honor of her dead cat.  There was also a Hermit Crab Spirit, embodying the spirit of a dearly departed, beloved crab.

We also had a Beach Spirit, representing the spirit of everything beachy.  There was also a Robot Spirit.  These little doll makers are THE BEST!

Day #6 of doll class - yarn dolls!

Yarn!

What's better than creating? Here are some good instructions for making yarn dolls: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Yarn-Doll

Happy Girl's Day! Day #5 of Doll Class

We had a Japanese Girl's Day celebration in our doll class this week.  One of the traditions of Girl's Day is to display dolls in a very special way.

I read this book to the girls in class.

The girls made little origami dolls and clothespin kokeshi dolls.

Happy Girl's Day!

New Doll and Day #4 of Doll Class

New Doll

I love doll profiles.

We made gourd dolls in the most recent doll-making class.  The kids learned about gathering fabric by making a little cape for their dolls.  The rock is a baby.  The shell is the baby's cradle.

A very fancy gourd doll.

More gourds and babies and shell cradles.

Twins!

Day #3 of Doll Class

Sweet little hands, hard at work, making corn husk dolls.

They look like they're going to a ball.

Husks and Shards

I spent the day dyeing corn husks for the doll class.  Aren't they pretty?  I can't wait to show the little girls!

My mom and daughter and I went to a doll show last weekend.   I bought a bunch of broken doll heads.  I was thinking of making little doll ornaments for a Christmas tree.  If I start now, I'll have a bunch by the end of the year.  I want to fix the Helen doll.  Her pieces were glued together with some old, weird glue.  It was definitely an old fix.  I need to figure out how to get the remaining glue off of the pieces.  Then I need to find out what kind of glue to use to piece her back together.  She came on a cloth body that looks original.  I'm looking forward to giving her new life.

Day #2 of Doll Class - Upcycling Nesting Dolls

On Day #2, the little doll makers used Sharpie markers to decorate wooden nesting dolls that I had painted white and sprayed with gold glitter.  It was a great upcycling project.  So simple!  When they were finished, I had prepared some little accordion folded paper dolls for them to cut and make chains of hand-holding dolls.  The girls were entranced.  None of them had ever made dolly chains before.  I remember doing this SO much as a child! 

Day #1 of Doll Class

Today was the first day of the doll making class.  There were nine excited girls there, ready to sew rag dolls.  It was great!  The kids were so eager and interested.  The only unexpected event was when Bea and Sydney (both age 7), decided to color with markers all over their dolls' faces.  Of course, they didn't like the results.  Fortunately, we managed to switch the wigs and button eyes to the other side of the head and all was well.

New doll looks on in irritation as preparations are made for doll making class

Here's my newest doll, made from Dixie's Izannah workshop pattern.  She's waiting patiently for clothing, but she might have to wait for a while...

...because her mother has volunteered to teach a 10 week doll making class to a bunch of little girls in her kids' homeschool co-op.  Apparently, her mother has lost her marbles.  Here are some rag doll bodies for the kids to stuff and give faces and clothe.

Here are some wigs.  This is a dizzying shot.  It captures how I felt after sewing them.

Gourds for making gourd dolls.

Origami dolls to make on Japanese Girls Day, which happens in March.

I found these little guys in my stash.  They should come in handy.

Doll books - my favorite genre of picture book.

I can't tell if she looks serene or annoyed.  Here are some of my other doll making ideas for the kids: yarn dolls, corn husk dolls, pipe cleaner fairies, jointed paper dolls with brads,  spool/bead dolls, gingerbread man/lady cookies to decorate, wooden spoon dolls, wool roving angels, kachina dolls made from sticks, storyteller dolls made from clay.  If anyone has any suggestions for successful doll making projects for kids (aged 7-13...yikes!), I'd love to hear about them.