English Garden Dolls

Country Craft Projects - English Garden Dolls

Size: About 12"' tall.

Equipment= Scissors. Wire cutters. Waterproof felt-tipped brown, marking pen.

Materials= Heavy weight florist's wire. Waxed floral tape. Dyed millinery leaves, petals and flowers in coordinating colors; millinery fruits and nuts. Wooden beads in various shapes and sizes, Such as 1" round and 1/2"-wide oval; tubular plastic beads, about 1" long. Sobo glue. Millinery stiffener

Edible Crafts: Make Candy Bouquets and Centerpieces For Fun & Profit.

Directions: These dolls are designed to look as simple and lighthearted as possible; do not burden them with too many details or the effect will be lost.

Start by cutting a 12" length of heavy florist's wire and wrapping the entire length tightly with waxed floral tape; always stretch tape before wrapping so stem remains slender (wrapped stem is indicated by solid line on diagrams). To "dress" doll, start a little above center of stem for skirt, and work from the waist down. Bind five petals or leaves onto wrapped stem with floral tape, following Diagram 1.

Measure about 1-1/4" below first layer and bind a second layer in same manner. Continue for one to three more layers, varying spaces between them for an airy effect; bend leaves down as shown in Diagram 2. If desired, bind small bright leaves, clusters of fruit, or single fruits to stem just above skirt for belt.

For body, slide one small, then one large bead onto stem from top; you can also use nuts, pods, cork, or any other material desired. If beads are too loose, remove them and wrap stem with a few more layers of floral tape. For arms, bind two leaves at least 3" long to stem above body; insert wires into hole of bead or nut as shown in Diagram 2. If desired, glue small tubular beads or clusters of flower centers to tips of arms for hands. Bind collar of small leaves or flower centers onto stem above arms if desired; slide tubular bead over collar for neck. With brown pen, mark happy face on bead or nut; slip onto stem. Make hat from leaves, petals, beads, whole flowers, or a combination of the above; insert wire through hole in bead head; glue to secure. Spray finished doll with millinery stiffener to preserve the shape.

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