Saturday, November 5, 2011

Worry Dolls

Worry Dolls: I've had this headband ever since traveling to San Antonio, Texas when I was 10 or 12... worry dolls originated in Guatemala, where the Ancient Mayans would make these little dolls out of scraps of leftover fabric and splinters of wood. They're supposed to be put under the pillow as to help aide worry and insomnia in both children and adults.

I found directions to make more, which I'm going to attempt soon!

To make your own Worry Dolls you will need the following:

    * Garbage bag ties (three per doll)
    * Coloured cotton
    * Scraps of paper
    * Scissors
    * Glue
    * Felt tip pen or marker
    * Cloth bag or a small painted wooden box

Each Worry Doll will be about three inches high, a little larger than the traditional type, but they will still work to the same ends. You can of course make your Worry Dolls with splinters of wood and scrap materials like the Mayans if you so wish, the process is much the same.

   1. Twist two of the garbage ties together about one inch from the end. Leave the short ends together for the doll's head, and separate the long ends for the legs.
   2. Wrap the third garbage tie around the other two and twist to make the doll's arms. Cut if necessary for the doll's arms to be the same length. Bend the ends of the ties for hands and feet.
   3. Tie the end of a long piece of cotton around the center of the doll and wrap the cotton around the body and down one leg. Then wind the cotton back up the leg. Wind cotton up and down the other leg and tie off the loose ends.
   4. Wrap the chest and arms of the doll in the same way that the legs were wrapped.
   5. Fold a small piece of paper in half, and trim to a circle shape for a head and face. Fold the head over the twist tie ends, glue in place, and add a face with the pen or marker. Now you have a Worry Doll!
   6. Repeat the steps above five times, and then find a suitable cloth bag or box to put them all in.

Once you have created a complete set of Worry Dolls, use them wisely!

(directions from here)

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