Saturday, March 27, 2010

A Doll in Your Pocket Makes the World Go Right

I've been wanting to make Waldorf dolls for the kids forEVER, but they're so complicated, and I'd have to get my head around crafting with new wool, and blah blah blah the time just never seemed right.

With the help of however, I've decided to at least start. Start small, perhaps. And the kids, for some reason, have lately been taking it in turns to seriously balk at going to school. We're talking tantrum-at-the-door balk. So the first project detailed in Making Waldorf Dolls, a tiny little pocket doll, SUPER tiny to fit in small hands and to hide in small pockets, seemed just about right.

Instead of the gauze called for to make the doll's head, I used a tan tie-dyed T-shirt. Instead of new wool rolled into a ball to stuff the doll's head, I used a pompom from the children's craft stash. Otherwise, it went like this:

Circles for the head:
Stuffed and tied:Little doll bodies:With yarn for hair:I gave the kids one each, for now (there might be more hiding in Easter eggs in little woven baskets next weekend). They ADORE them. They take them everywhere, and pull them out all the time for just a few minutes of play anywhere they happen to be, not unlike the way I pull out my notebook and pen to write for a minute or two wherever I happen to be. I need to make them little necklace pouches or something, in fact, because they are very disturbed when they're not wearing an outfit that has a pocket for the doll, and they've taken to tucking them into their underpants in such circumstances.

Handy, of course, but the fishing around in public is a bit of a problem, as is, of course, sanitation. 

The little kid's doll, especially, tends to accompany her the majority of the time, no matter what she's doing:I didn't tell her, in so many words, that the doll was meant to comfort her in times when she needed me and I wasn't there, but I think she's figured it out for herself.

P.S. Want to follow along with my unfinished craft projects, books I'm reading, cute photos of the cats, high school chemistry labs, and other various adventures on the daily? Find me on my Craft Knife Facebook page!

4 comments:

cake said...

heartbreakingly adorable.

julie said...

I'm actually going to make them full-size hard-core Waldorf dolls, too, but I have to wait for the sheep to grow some wool for me, first.

The Mummalady said...

Absolutely DO make your girls little pockets to wear around their neck that dolly sits in! They will be well received - believe me! And about balking with going to school - I am VERY LOUD about home education (natural, unrushed, unschooling, free-style, call it what you will). Very healthy for children. Ask me if you have any questions. Regards Debbie www.willowcottage.co.nz

julie said...

You're so sweet! It was lovely for me to get a chance to re-read this old post, back from when the kiddos were still at Montessori, especially since we've been homeschooling for--goodness, it's been three and a half years now!