The Karen Laura Miller's "Love You" Doll™ Kit includes a cloth doll body. However, you may want to make a Twig Doll Body as the beginning point for your "Love You" dollmaking. Here are some instructions:
First, set an intention of finding twigs that will come together into a doll body that you will be happy with. You may want to meditate or pray or think pleasant thoughts about the person who will be receiving the doll.
Gather two twig pieces, one for the torso and arms, and the other for torso and legs. The piece for the legs will look something like an upside down "Y," although there are many options, as noted below. The piece for the arms will look like a right side up "Y" with a small "neck" piece at the center. Later you can attach a "head" to the neck piece--a large button, a little round mirror, a photograph reduced to fit, a head made from a polymer clay mold, etc.
Measurements are flexible, but figure the finished doll body to be 10" to 20" long from the top of the arms to the bottom of the feet. Twigs are somewhat fragile, so be sure to pick ones that don’t break too easily. Here are some ideas for shapes to select:
Straight stick arms reaching up and out, or curving arms, curving torso
Straight stick legs, or those that appear to be kicking outward, or perhaps swaying in a dancing position, or even poking out in a hoop skirt fashion
Let your imagination guide you in selecting twigs that will form a body for your doll!
You may want to leave the twigs just as they are. Or you can use your fingers to brush away loose bark. You may also want to trim the ends (just break with your hands, or whittle with a knife) to have roughly equal lengths for each leg or arm. This doll body looks best when it is rustic, so don’t worry about being perfect!
Next, match up the torso for the top and bottom, and tape the pieces together. Masking tape works well, but you can also use scotch tape, or twine, or wire.
Gather some tacky glue (or a glue gun), scissors, cotton batting (or strips of cloth), and two cotton balls. The batting or cloth will be used to add depth to the body, and the cotton balls will create the appearance of hips.
Glue two cotton balls to the backside of the doll where the hips/buttocks will be. (For male dolls, you may want to skip this step.)
Finally, wrap strips of cotton batting (or cloth) around the torso until you have created the desired girth. Glue the ends. Be sure to cover the cotton ball buttocks as well! No need to be too neat as this body will be covered during the dollmaking process.
Time to embellish. Imagine the possibilities...! You can return to your "Love You" Doll™ Kit, and follow the process using your twig body in place of the cloth doll body provided. Or, gather yarns, fabrics, ribbons, feathers of your own and attach them as you wish! For an especially meaningful experience, be sure to mark the heart of the doll with your loving intentions...
