My grandmother could entertain children all day with a button, a handkerchief, and a piece of string. When I was little she taught me how to make a doll from a handkerchief. All you need is a friend, a handkerchief, and a ring or small piece of string.
First, stand or sit opposite your friend. Each person take two corners of the hankie and roll them towards each other to meet in the middle as shown below.
When the two sides meet, rotate the hankie 90 degrees so that each person now holds two corners that are touching.
One person then folds his or her corners down about one third of the length of the hankie. These corners will be the feet of the doll.
The other person then folds his corners up leaving a little of the hankie showing above the corners. These corners become the hands.
The last corners that were folded up (the hands) then get crossed through the loop formed when the first corners were folded down. Each person then tugs a little on the corners in their hands to stretch the arms and legs.
Last, slip a ring or tie a string just above the arms to shape the head.
Now you have a finished doll. If you want to use the hankie or make another doll just remove the ring or string and shake it loose.
About the author: Lynn has loved crafting for as long as she can remember. She tries to teach her children where things come from and how things are made in an attempt to make them wise and environmentally friendly consumers. She loves to do all kinds of needlework and always has several portable projects in the works to take along on her journeys. Find out more about Lynn at her blog – The Little Red Hen.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
That’s the sweetest thing ever!
My grandmother gave us dolls like this to play with during church services. Seeing this post took me back to those times.
my opa used to make his hanky into a mouse for me to play with during long dinners. he would make it jump out of his hands. it slipped my mind until just now – thanks for reminding me. on my way to look it up!
My daughter and I tried to make one out of a washcloth during her bath the other night. It ended up looking like a turkey ready to go in the oven! The washcloth was too thick.
My Grandpa used to make me a bunny out of his hanky and somewhere i learned to make twins bundled up together……btw……wutz the button for?
oh
looks like a voodoo doll!
My grandmother had other projects that used a button. I remember she would take a string and run it through both holes in a large two hole button and then tie the string in a loop. She would slide the button to the middle of the loop and then put one hand through each of the loop ends. Then, she would twirl her arms to get the button spinning. Then, she would pull her arms apart and back together to keep the button twirling around.
She knew LOTS of string tricks.