How I made a grandpa doll for our dollhouse family . . .

Winston takes a walk in the woods with Grandpa Eustace. Winston is a dog made from cotton
batting and dryer lint. His collar is a tiny red ribbon, his leash a piece of chain from old
necklace. 

        There are certainly many methods used to make little dollhouse characters. I chose to use a traditional wire armature method to craft a grandpa doll for our growing family of six inch people.

        I named this doll "Grandfather Eustace" and although he is partially blind, he helps many dolls to ''see'' the world around them with a bit of wisdom. He is steadfast, faithful to his purpose and our dollhouse neighborhood would be far too lonely without him.

       Our grandfather doll wears sunglasses to protect his eyes from harmful sunlight and to also remind other dolls that he is blind. He also carries a special cane and is always in the company of his a faithful guide dog companion "Winston" who is there to protect him from physical calamity if necessary.

 

Each of my dollhouse doll bodies starts with a few chenille stems, a button and cotton batting.
This method is very old, over 100 years or more. Go here to read about a similar doll making
method related to Grecon Doll body types.

Seven dollhouse doll bodies have been wrapped with cotton batting and now wait to be painted
 and dressed. Because dollhouse bodies are so small, some doll artists prefer to build-up these
 figures from the inside out rather than stuffing a tiny body cavity with filler.

Handmade dollhouse figures. Grandfather doll 6 inches tall.

       Grandfather Eustace glasses are shaped using very fine wire and then embroidered directly onto his head with tiny stitches along with his lips and mustache. His beard and head hair are cut from faux fur and pasted directly onto his head with tacky craft glue. None of his features or clothing can be removed as these are attached permanently to his wire/cotton batting frame. His sweater is sewn from a sock and his plaid pants from a vintage man's tie.  

       Both his ''hands'' and boots are painted on. The hands being constructed into wire loop shapes so that his cane and dog leash may be taken in and out of his holding when he is seated or stored away.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Shaping a Wire Armature Body:

1. Thread the chenille stem wire through the holes of a button and then twist the wires together at the back where these two ends come together. I use the button as the back of my miniature doll's skull.
2. Position both wires just below the button where the doll's chin will be. Twist the wire together a couple of times to make the neck of the doll.
3. Separate the wires apart to form the arms and then bend each of the two wires back at either end where the hands will be implied by a loop. The double thickness of the stem arms will lend them strength beneath the batting. 
4. Now shape the torso and legs doing the same with additional lengths of chenille wire. Twist and wrap all ends around the torso. 
5. Using white school glue and unravelled cotton balls, layer the batting over the wire limbs, torso and button "head." Add more cotton batting wherever the wire armature needs more padding to craft a "fleshed out" figure. The final layer should end with a surface brushed with additional glue. 
6. Once the doll body looks the way you prefer, you can either paint it or sew a layer of felt over the armature. I sew on felt ''flesh'' when I am making a doll that will be dressed and undressed to change it's wardrobe. If I intend to make the doll's cloths permanent, then I simply apply a thick layer of glue, let it dry and then paint the body or seal it with Gesso, prior to sewing it's cloths on permanently. 

More dolls I've made using wire armature:

• Here is a simpler method for making even tinier wire armature dolls.
• Use chenille stems to construct an enchanted fairy doll...
• See how a restored a damaged wire body on a little doll from Piotrkow
• Here is a beaded doll made with wire for a child's necklace

How to make a cute little monkey from a clothespin...

Left, the monkey attachments before painting. Right,
 the finished monkey clothespin doll after painting.

       This little monkey clothespin doll is interpreted from a photo of a chimpanzee. Their are many different species of monkey that young students can study to craft their own versions if they do not wish to copy this one.

Supply List:

• one wooden clothespin
• one chenille stem
• oven-bake clay
• acrylic paints: brown, white, black and pale peach
• hot glue gun and hot glue
  

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. First, unravel the cotton balls to cover the lengths of chenille stem(s) that you will need for the arms and tail of the monkey.
   
2. Spread a tiny amount of the white school glue along the chenille stem and proceed to layer small amounts of cotton on top all the while smoothing the cotton down. Rub this covered wire between the palms of your hands to give it a nice even coating.
3. Take a nail or tack and bore a tiny hole into either side of the clothespin exactly where you will insert an cotton coated wire arm.
4. Add some glue between the center groove of the clothespin and adhere the tail in place.
5. Sculpt the basic nose and mouth from oven-bake clay along with a set of ears. (see photo above.)
6. Bake the clay according to the instructions given by the manufacture of the clay. Let cool and then hot glue these features in place.
7. Using acrylic brown paint the arms and tail. Let dry.
8. Now paint the monkeys facial features. I looked at a monkey online to see where to put the paint colors. 

More About Monkeys: 

• Sock Dolls for Your 18" Doll... - a sock monkey example here.
• Color a vintage monkey doll 
• Ginger and Zippy Dolls from The 1950s
• A Doll Called Curious George
• Chico by Rushton 
• A paper circus monkey for your paper doll collections 
  

Craft your own clothespin dads!

Dad clothespin dolls in all shapes, sizes and colors. On the far left, is the new
version of Mr. Popover. You can read his where his story begins here, 'The Little Red House'

            For this craft, I will be demonstrating family clothespin fathers/dads that are dressed in relatively contemporary fashions and that will also include a variety of skin colors and ages. The shirts are decoupaged and the pant legs painted. Gather together small snippets of fabric for their ties and tiny beads for our wooden dad's shirt buttons. 

Details include, yarn and batting wigs,
tiny buttons, ties, collars, and beards.

 Supply List:

• wooden clothespins
• tacky white glue
• small clothespin doll stands (wooden parts)
• assorted acrylic paints
• decorative papers (tiny prints, plaids, stripes and solids)
• fur and yarn for hair
• chenille stems
• several cotton balls
• flimsy cardboard (cereal box)
• hot glue gun and hot glue

These clothespin fathers
are very simple to make.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

• First paint the flesh of your clothespin doll head any color you choose. I made six samples here to show a greater variety of looks.
• From the waist or hip down, paint the legs of your dad clothespin the color of his pants.
• From the waist or hip up, use white glue to decoupage his shirt made from scrapbook paper.
• Now unravel the cotton balls to cover the lengths of chenille stem(s) that you will need for the arm or arms of your own clothespin dads.
• Spread a tiny amount of the white school glue along the chenille stem and proceed to layer small amounts of cotton on top all the while smoothing the cotton down. Rub this covered wire between the palms of your hands to give it a nice even coating.
• Take a nail or tack and bore a tiny hole into either side of the clothespin exactly where you will insert an cotton coated wire arm.
• Now cut decorative sleeves from the printed scrapbook paper and glue this to the arms to make sleeves. Leave a small bit of wire uncovered to paint with flesh colored acrylics for hands.
• Cut little collars from flimsy white cardboard and paste these around the neck or necks of the clothespin daddies.
• Glue on a bow tie or a straight tie. 
• Glue on seed bead buttons.
• Cut and glue on his or their belts
• Now paint your clothespin doll's facial features and glue on yarn beards and hair.
• For an elderly dad you might wish to twist a tiny bit of wire into a pair of glasses too!

More details, a bowtie, a red beard and drier lint wigs too...

Craft Orthodox Clergy Clothespins

Above are three clergy clothespins: a priest holding a wafer and a Communion cup, a monk
 holding a hymnal and a nun holding a rosary. The wafer is cut from paper and glued to one
 hand and in the other hand I glued a tiny plastic Communion cup filled with wine colored
 paint. This was cut from the inside of a recycled plastic egg carton.

 

        Because Catholic clergy wear habits/uniforms they are easier to identify than Protestants for the most part. I have made here some simple representations of this church for children who would like to include them in their play or craft. They may also choose to change the habits slightly to make Lutheran or Anglican clergy as well. Both of these two churches dressed in very similar fashions at one time and some still do. Many clergy might consider these fashions 'old-fashioned' but it is not unusual for me to dress dolls in vintage clothing here.

Left, details for wrapping cotton batting hoods and tiny
Communion cup with wafer.

Supply List:

• eight cotton balls or white felt
  
• wooden clothespins
• wooden stands
• decorative paper for the stands
• black and brown felt
• seed beads 
• tiny crosses (charms)
• acrylic paints
• white school glue 
• hot glue gun and hot glue
• scrap white paper
• twine
• plastic egg carton
  

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. In making the nun, you may choose to use white felt alternatively to wrap around her head and shoulders. I chose to use cotton batting instead because it is easier to get the cotton onto the doll with a layer of white glue. Simply unravel the cotton ball and proceed to wind it around her figure at the top in order to shape the bandeau, coif and guimpe. 
2. Her veil is shaped from a black piece of felt hot glued to the top of her head.
3. Her black felt skirt is a simple tube wrapped around the waist of the clothespin and glued in place.
4. Paint her head, legs and shoes black.
5. String some tiny seed beads and a cross pendent for her to carry in her hands or as a crucifix to hang about her neck.
6. The monk clothespin is a friar dressed in brown felt. I chose to give him a "tonsure" hair cut using cotton batting and brown paint. This is a very old way to identify his devotion to the church. But there can be no doubt of it and this is why he wears it.
7. The good friar also carries a devotion or hymnal, depending on what he is up to at the moment. Tie twine about his waist and wrap a hood, a capuche, using either brown felt or cotton batting as seen in the above photo with white glue. Paint it brown after it dries. 
8. Then paint the monk or friar's features.
9. The priest may be dressed in traditional black. Paint his wooden legs and shoes black.
10. Wrap a felt coat about the torso and attach it permanently with glue. 
11. I cut a collar from white paper to glue about his neck and glued a cross to the front of his chest. 
12. Take the tip of a toothpick and dip it into gold acrylic to paint on the chain for his cross or crucifix. 
13. Paint on his facial features and hot glue a yarn or cotton batting wig to complete his look.
14. I decoupaged a patterned red and white ''floor'' to the wooden bases of these dolls, to make them look as though they are standing on tiles. Their black shoes are simply painted directly on to the wooden stands.

Links To More Catholic Clergy Dolls and Content:

• Nun Dolls Dressed in Habits
• A Nun Dall Named Sister Marie Cecile 
• Church Catechisms 
• The Shamrock Song
  

DIY unicorn clothespin dolls...

Finished unicorn clothespin dolls.

       Unlike many other clothespin crafts, these unicorns are made by turning the full length of the clothespin to the front, leaving the divided parts turned to the side. On the bottom tips of each pin in the front and back you will need to paint two sets of black hooves.

Supply List:

• oven-bake clay
• acrylic or poster paints
• one cotton ball
• white felt
• white fur
• colorful yarn
• white school glue
• hot glue gun and hot glue
• colorful glitter for the unicorn horn

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Using the oven-bake clay shape the nose of the unicorn by rolling out a ball of clay approximately 1/2''. Press this shape into the head of the clothespin gently to shape the part so it fits snuggly against the wooden pin with glue after it bakes. If you use Sculpey this clay part won't shrink during the baking process.
2. Before baking the unicorn nose, take a small toothpick or pencil and press hole for the nostrils and a smile into the clay. Now bake the clay according to the instructions on the package.
3. When the clay is cool, glue the nose of your unicorn in place
4. Cut ear shapes for the unicorn from the white felt and attach on either side of the animal's head.
5. Sculpt a horn shape from the clay and bake. When this is cool, smear on white glue and dip it into the glitter.
6. Glue the horn just above the nose of the unicorn.
7. Unravel cotton ball and smooth a layer of it with school glue about the nose, ears and horn of the unicorn head. This will help adhere the tiny part together better and make the clay parts look as though all of them are "carved" from one piece of wood.
8. Paint the head of the unicorn white.
9. Glue on white fur to cover the rest of the clothespin body.
10. Leave a bit of the clothespin uncovered at the bottom tips for the painting of four black hooves. (see photo)
11. No paint the facial details like: eyes, mouth, inner ears and nostrils.
12. Hot glue a yarn fringe mane between the ears and down the backside of the clothespin approximately two inches.
13. Hot glue on the yarn tail.
14. Glue additional glitter or gems into the yarn mane. (optional.)

Steps for sculpting oven-bake clay elements of the unicorn clothespin dolls.

Unicorn clothespin cuties from different angles.

Craft Cowpoke Clothespins Ready to Rope!

Cowpoke clothespin dolls dressed in tan felts, trimmed with fringe.

        These two cowpoke clothespin people are a bit more complicated than most... Because each doll is given a sculpted face, they take on even more unique appearances than most! Each doll has also clothing that is fashioned to cover the entire clothespin; only socks and boots are painted directly onto the clothespin. I would consider this clothespin craft better attempted by students in fifth grade and up.

These clothespin dolls have face masks.

Supply List:

• wooden clothespins
• tan, brown felt squares (one each)
• acrylic paints: yellow, flesh, black, tan, red, white and blue
• cotton balls 2 or three
• red yarn for lady's hair
• tan colored twine or brown bag 'twine'
• chenille stems (two)
• needle and thread
• brown embroidery floss
• hot glue gun and hot glue
• oven-bake clay
• face molds (optional)
• wooden stands
• feathers for hats
• braid or ribbons for hats
• decorative scrap paper for decoupaged cowpoke shirts (optional)

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Mold or sculpt your cowpoke's face using oven-bake clay. Then glue this directly onto the head of a wooden clothes pin used hot glue.
2. Paint 'boots' and socks onto the wooden pins at the tips of each clothespin.
3. Cover the chenille stem using white school glue and shredded cotton ball. Let this harden. 
4. Twist the chenille stem arms about the neck of the clothespin and glue it into place. 
5. Paint the armature or decoupage it with printed papers. Which ever you prefer. 
6. Tie a kerchief around the neck of each cowpoke.
7. For the lady cowgirl, cut a half circle from both the tan and brown felt to twist about her waist. I used two pieces of felt for her skirt for extra thickness and to also 'show off' the fringes cut along the edge of her skirt with two colors. However, this is not necessary. You could just use one layer of felt if you prefer.
8. I wrapped this half circle up and around, ending at the waist to further emphasize a particular fashion. Hot glue this in place beneath the wrap to hide the glue.
9. Paint the hands a flesh color.
10. Bend the tips of her chenille stem arms into tiny 'hands' and hot glue the 'rope' twine in place. 
11. I braided red yarn and hot glued it into place on either side of her head for a bun-like hairdo. 
12. Then I shaped a cowboy hat using the lighter tan felt to glue permanently on top of her head.
13. The male cowpoke's legs are wrapped to look as though he wears chaps with a fringe extended down the back length of each leg. This was done by cutting rectangle shapes from felt and gluing them directly onto the clothespin legs.
14. His shirt front and back are decoupaged red and white checkered papers. 
15. His arms were made in exactly the same way as his female companion.
16. He wears a vest fashioned with a darker tan felt. This began as a rectangle shape and a hold cut out of the center. Then cut down the front side only to open up the vest on one side. Glue the vest in place using hot glue and shape the collar by folding it down and off to each side of his chest.
17. His cowboy hat and additional details were then glued permanently on to prevent the loss of them during play.

Lady clothespin dressed in Western cowgirl fashion.

A gentleman cowboy wears a feather in his hat and chaps on his wooden legs.

How to make ballerina clothespin dolls...

Two dancing ballerina clothespin
dolls in coral and lavender costumes.

     These two adorable little wooden ballerinas are made from old-fashioned clothespins. I've made their tutus from pom poms but crafters could make them just as easily from tulle or tissue paper. Their tiaras are made using cut paper but these could also be made from bits of lace as well.  The materials for fashioning clothespin dolls could come from any clean recycled materials really!

Supply List:

• clothespins (wooden)
• pom poms
• acrylic paints
• embroidery floss
• lace notions (optional)
• hot glue gun and hot glue
• a chenille stem
• one or two cotton balls
• white school glue
• wooden stands
• permanent ink pen (permanent)
• embroidery floss for hair

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Paint the heads, neck and legs of each doll with flesh colored paints.
2. Paint the ballerina's torso in a color similar to the tutu that you will be gluing onto the clothespin.
3. Unravel the cotton ball and cover the chenille stem with it using white school glue and pressure from your finger tips. Roll the chenille stem between the palms of your hands to adhere it evenly down the length of the wire.
4. Cut smaller lengths of the stem to craft the ballerina's uplifted arms in an arc shape. 
5. Bore tiny holes into either side of the clothespins where the shoulders would be. 
6. Glue the chenille stem arms in place. tips of the wire inside of the bored holes, allowing for plenty of drying time. You may need to temporarily bend the arched arms forward as these dry and you begin to work on the hair of each doll.
7. Hot glue a pom pom on the top of each clothespin to be the hair 'buns' on the ballerinas.
8. Dab on white school glue around this bun and spin on the embroidery floss to finish off the hair style.
9. Glue on the tiara.
10. Bend the arms up and twist on additional cotton fluff around the place where the wire arms are connected to the clothespin. These will help hold the wire in place and also look like tiny puff sleeves... which is appropriate to a ballerina costume.
11. Paint the sleeves after they have dried in the same color of acrylic that the doll's tutu is made of.
12. Paint the arms the same flesh color as the rest of your doll.
13. Paint on facial features as you like.
14. Now hot glue on five pom poms about the hips of each ballerina. These are the doll's tutus.
15. Glue the dancers inside of their stands and paint on their slippers. 
16. Use a fine tipped permanent pen to make the doll eyebrows and also draw the shoe ribbons of the ballet slippers onto the lower half of each doll's leg.

Details of ballerina clothespin dolls.

More Dancing Artifacts:

• How Misty Copeland Became a Ballerina
• Diaghileff's Russian Ballet, 1916
• Paper Ballerina Finger Puppets
• The Steadfast Tin Soldier and His Lady Love (ballerina) Diorama

DIY Polynesian Dancing Clothespin Dolls

Finished Hula or Polynesian dancing dolls.

       Make these Polynesian dancing sisters dressed in traditional costume that includes: grass skirts, flower leis , Bikini tops, and laurel crowns using traditional wooden clothespins.

Supply List:

• green and or gold felt
• clothespins plus wooden stands
• acrylic paint: red, white, black, brown
• red twine
• tiny flower novelties, buttons or beads
• black or dark brown yarn
• two chenille stems
• two white cotton balls
• brown ribbon for the bikini tops

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Cut simple rectangle shapes from felt and give each a fringe. Hot glue these about the waist of the clothespin dolls.
2. Cut out simple, tear drop, leaf shapes from the green felt to glue to the hip areas of each wooden dancer.
3. Measure and cut brown ribbon then glue this directly onto each clothespin to make the bikini tops for each dancing doll.
4. Fringe more felt to cut a wreath shaped laurel for each doll's head. Glue these wreaths on top of the yarn wigs after cutting and gluing on the yarn for both sisters.
5. Tie a red twine about the waists and knot these in place.
6. Bore a hole into the sides of the doll pins for the arms.
7. Shred the cotton balls and wrap the chenille stems with it and white school glue. 
8. Paint the 'arms' with a flesh color.
9. Glue the arms inside the holes and let the dolls dry.
10. Paint the facial features and glue a tiny bead in the center of each doll's face to add noses.
11. Lastly, glue on tiny ribbon or bead shaped flowers to leis and also to further decorate the laurels.

Two wooden clothespin sisters dressed for a traditional island celebration.

The felt 'grass' skirts are doubled up about the waists. The yarn locks are generous.

Scout Clothespin Doll Crafts

Examples of clothespin scouts, left to right: Brownies, Campfire Girls, Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts
and Girl Scouts of America.

       Scout troops come in all different shapes, sizes and agenda. I have made examples here of clothespin dolls representing vintage uniforms from: Brownies, Girl Scouts, Campfire Girls, Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts of America. Give young crafters plenty of time to add details and character to their clothespin dolls and don't be surprised if they take two or three days to complete them. Remember the more details, the more charming the finished craft will look!

Left, Campfire girl clothespin doll.
Center, Boy Scout with his merit badges.
Right, a Cub Scout clothespin doll.

Supply List:

• acrylic paints or poster paints
• wooden clothespins
• felt: green, blue, brown, red etc...
• tacky white glue 
• hot glue gun and hot glue (optional)
• embroidery floss for hair
• wire for eye glasses
• seed beads for 'patches' and painted noses
• trims like: lace, buttons
• chenille stems for arms
• cotton batting to wrap chenille stems
• masking tape to hold things in place while drying
• wooden stands for the finished dolls (optional)
• Fine tip magic markers (permanent ink only)

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Start this craft by painting the clothes pin figures using the primary colors of the doll's uniform and flesh color. Let dry.
2. Next cut small felt pieces and glue these on for simple fashion details like skirts, vests, kerchiefs, hats and merit badge sash.
3. Make the wigs using embroider floss and attach this hair with very tacky white glue or hot glue.
4. To make the arms this time, I covered the chenille stem with white glue and rolled on the shredded cotton ball over it's surface.
5. Cut shorter lengths to wrap around the neck and glue this wire in place using hot glue.
6. Paint the sleeves and arm portions of the wire. 
7. Using beads, glue on the nose of your doll and let this dry before painting it a flesh color to match the rest of the head.
8. Paint on eyes and mouth. You may need to use the tip of a toothpick to get your facial details tiny enough for the clothespin face. 
9. I use a permanent ink, fine tip marker to draw on the tiny eyebrows of these wooden dolls.
10. The tiny caps, shaped using felt, are permanently glued onto the clothespins so that these won't be lost during play.
11. I use a needle and thread to attach seed beads to the merit badge sashes. Gold metallic beads were also threaded through the kerchiefs for the Boy Scout uniforms.
12. I painted the wooden stands green to look like grass and also added a few tiny clay flowers as well.
13. Lace trim was added to the cuffs of our Girl Scout, Brownie and Campfire girl clothespin doll versions. (An obvious reference to vintage uniforms, I think.)

Crowd of Scout troop clothespin dolls, front to back.

Girl scouting sample dolls, front to back.

More links to dressing your doll like a scout:

• No Sew Scout Vests for Slender 18" Dolls
• Scout Doll photos at Dorsey Dolls
• Send your dolls to Nature Lover's Camp this summer and find crafts to make for them...

Make Raggedy Ann and Andy Clothespin Dolls

       Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls are still reoccurring themes in vintage crafts these days. Below are our interpretations. However, I have seen other versions on the web where these dolls are dressed with red checks, solids and gingham instead. Generally speaking, most Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls are dressed in some sort of red, white and blue combination, according to the decorative materials that are available to the crafter. 

Raggedy Ann and Andy clothespin dolls.

Supply List:

• two very large red pom-poms and two much smaller ones for the brother and sister rag doll hair styles
• One or two white chenille stem
• 3 or 4 cotton balls
• hot glue gun and hot glue
• white school glue
• small scraps of blue felt
• lace trim
• acrylic paints: red, white, blue and black
• scrap decorative papers for Andy's shirt (optional)
• wooden clothespins
• a nail or tack to bore holes in the wood for the doll arms

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Paint the wooden heads of each clothespin doll white.
2. Paint from the neck of each doll down the length of the torso blue.
3. Paint horizontal stripes of red and white down the length of the legs on each doll.
4. Paint the feet black for the 'boots' of each wooden figure.
5. Decoupage a blue and white checkered shirt onto the Raggedy Andy doll as an option to the blue paint.
6. For Raggedy Ann, cut a small rectangular 'skirt' from felt and hot glue this onto her waist. 
7. Hot glue the large red pom-poms onto the top of the doll's heads for their wigs.
8. Bore a tiny hole into each wooden clothespin twice in the spot where their arms should be. 
9. Cover chenille stem arms with cotton batting to shape their stuffed looking limbs then glue these inside the wholes firmly. Let dry over night if necessary.
10. Paint the doll's facial features like those of the actual characters: red triangle noses, shoe button eyes and stitched smiles.
11. Glue a little candy heart onto their outside costumes. The actual dolls have this feature on the inside of their clothing...
12. Add lace trim to Raggedy Ann's skirt where she would have a apron ordinarily.
13. Glue on more details such as: Andy's bowtie, paper collar, red suspenders and additional pom-pom shaped piggy tails on top of Ann's wig.

More Links to Raggedy Ann and Her Friends:

• Raggedy Ann and Andy Dolls
• How to Make a Raggedy Doll - a free 6" pattern
• Read Raggedy Ann Doll Stories and download coloring pages here

DIY Bee or Hornet Clothespin Dolls

        When painting bee clothespins, turn the fork of the pin off to the side. The stripes should be painted down the entire length of the pin. The wings will be glued in a downward position so that the bee looks something like an "arrow." (see pictures)

Clothespins are not attached to the stands. These little
clothespin dolls are painted with black and yellow stripes!

Details of bee or hornet insect clothespin craft.
Make a home for these clothespin bees too!

Supply List:

• wooden clothespins
• black, brown, yellow, white, peach, red acrylic paints
• fine wire for antenna
• gold paper for crown
• yellow tulle (optional)
• wing shaped wooden parts
• wood glue
• black beads
• transparent glitter

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Paint the head of the pin using a flesh tone.
2. Paint the length of the clothespin body a brilliant yellow.
3. Paint black stripes around the clothespin.
4. Glue in the wooden 'wing' shapes between the fork ends of the clothespin. See pictures.
5. Take the sharp end of a nail or pin and bore two tiny holes on the head of the clothespin to insert the wire shaped antenna.
6. Thread on black beads to the ends of the wire antenna and bend these in place.
7. Paint on the clothespin doll facial features.
8. Add a tulle skirt to the females. 
9. Glue on a black pom pom to the top of the head of your 'Queen' bee and them paste a gold paper crown around the pom pom.
10. Smear glue and glitter onto the bees wings. Now you have your own black and yellow insects to play with!

More Craft Related to The Bees:

• Craft faux straw skep hive for a doll's garden...
• DIY a bee hive for your dolls
• Sew a large, generous veggie garden for doll's and toy bees to play in!

Learn to make butterfly clothespin dolls...

Left, front side of clothespin butterflies with swallow tails. Right, backsides.

        This is just one way to fashion clothespin butterflies. Children making this version will need adult help and supervision because of the use of a hot glue gun and nails.

Detail photos of butterfly clothespin craft.

Supply List:

• wooden clothespins
• small wooden wing parts
• black, white and green acrylic paints
• decorative paper
• wire and black beads for antenna
• hot glue gun and hot glue
• white school glue

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Paint the upper half of the butterfly black and the fork shaped extensions green. 
2. Face the pin with it's fork shaped legs towards you while working on the butterfly. After the paint has dried, paint on the swallow tails in the center of the fork extensions, leaving green paint on either side. Use black paint for these tail shapes. (see photograph)
3. Now hot glue the wooden petals to the backside of the butterfly in the shape of butterfly wings.
4. Decoupage the decorative paper onto these wooden wings. 
5. Paint the features of your butterflies face using white.
6. Push a pin or nail into the head of each butterfly to make holes for the antenna. 
7. Twist a small black bead onto a thin wire and glue two of these antenna on top of each butterfly head. 

More Butterfly Crafts:

• How to craft paper doily butterflies
• How to make an enchanted fairy doll with butterfly wings

How To Craft Clothespin Doll Skiers

Finished clothespin dolls dressed at skiers.

   Clothespin dolls dressed as skiers have been crafted by many people to decorate Christmas trees for the past 100 years.    

   I have made two of my own versions here . . . both female and male. They wear the fashions of modern skiers: their coats are made of tiny sock remnants; their warm hoods, ear muffs and scarves are fashioned after the winter sportswear worn on the slopes of Colorado today.

• Go here to see how to make a 1990's jumping-jack skier! - Oh, so adorable! 

Supply List:

• wooden clothespins
• wooden craft sticks
• wooden toothpicks
• scrap cardboard
• baby socks
• chenille stems
• pom poms
• yarn
• two or three cotton balls
• yarn for hair
• acrylic paints for painted eyes
• needle and thread
• hot glue gun and hot glue
• wood glue
• felt scraps

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. First, paint your clothespin head a flesh color.
2. Use a solid bright color like blue, yellow or red to paint the skier's pant legs. Then paint their boots in an obvious contrasting color.
3. Bend a chenille stem about the shoulder area of the clothespin below the neck. Tape and glue this in place. 
4. Wrap the arms and neck of this chenille stem using yarn or twine. 
5. Trim off the arms to an arm length but leave enough to wrap around the end point of a toothpick. 
6. Cover these "hands" with a bit of cotton batting and wood glue. Paint the mittens a color you like.
7. Cut tiny round shapes from cardboard to insert the opposite ends of the toothpick through to make the ski poles. Paint them if you like.
8. Cut wooden craft sticks into the shapes of skies. My skies have traditional pointed tips.
9. Use the wood glue to attach the tiny toy skies to the ends of each clothespin leg. Let the glue dry solid.
10. Use felt scraps to trim a faux fur about the top of the boots if you like. I show the male skier with this trim.
11. Now cut and shape with a needle and thread the coats of each doll. I layered cotton underneath their jackets to make them look bulky. The coats are simple tube shapes. 
12. After fitting the coats to your clothespin doll body, glue it in place.
13. Now use the remaining toe sections of the socks to shape hoods for each jacket and glue these in place, up or down. 
14. I glued ear muffs using pom poms and a colorful chenille stem onto the head of the male skier. He also has a black pom pom between the muffs to act as his hair.
15. I glued a black yarn braid to the top of the girl skier's forehead after gluing her hood on the back of her head.
16. I used a very tiny paint brush to make their eyes. First dab on the white and let this dry. Then add a tiny speck of black for the pupil. 

The clothespin skiers are shown here from different angles so that you can see all the details.

The male skier wears winter ski garments in yellow, grey, red and white. He is quite a fashion plate
 to behold on his way down the slopes, I think!

The girl skier is his younger sister. She is also fashionably dressed in bright blue and hot pink!

Both wooden dolls are ready to conquer the slopes and meet with friends afterwards for hot cocoa.

How to craft a doll using clothespins...

The finished clothespin doll wears a tiny dress made with silk scrapes. Her wire armature has
attached porcelain arms. 

        Little girls have been crafting clothespin dolls ever since their mothers have been hanging out the laundry to dry... The clothespin design we are using here is the modern descendent of a wooden "lathe dog" pin invented by David M. Smith in 1853. This one does not have a 'spring' in it, those variations are normally dismantled and used to craft doll furniture but the pins with round heads have been crafted into hundreds of thousands of dolls during the past 170 some odd years. Present day dolly crafters prefer to glue on an additional turned 'foot.' 

Our sample doll made with a sculpted head.

       You can observe below; I have also glued this version of our sample clothespin doll into one of these modern turned stands. Now the doll must live on to be only a doll, for the stand makes her useless as a clothespin.

       After surfing the web for only a few seconds, you will observe that there are several 'types' of clothespin dolls repeatedly created.

1. A ordinary clothes pin without any additional bead or sculpted clay to the head, with or without a stand attached. This doll usually has a face with simple fainted features; it may have additional yarn hair or a simply painted head suggesting hair. 
2. The second most popular clothespin dolly comes with a larger wooden bead head, wire armature of some sort and a stand.
3. The third type is a clothespin doll with applied features made from oven baked clay and this is the type I am showing readers here. (I will cover the others in greater detail under future posts.)

Seal the finished painted clay doll head with acrylic or 
transparent nail polish to protect the surface from dirt.

        All clothespin dolls, in my humble opinion, are charming because they are normally made by little children for their ordinary play. The doll that I made for this article is loosely based upon a Hitty doll illustrated by Dorothy P. Lathrop. It was requested by a youngish imp who longed to have her very own Hitty to play in the garden with. She will be joined by many fairies, toad stools and other furry critters just as soon as she is dressed and presentable!

 

The wire armature is wrapped just below the neck and fixed
in place using a tacky white glue. Her arms are made of 
porcelain and attached over the wire using a tacky glue.
Let these dry hard before continuing to work on the doll.

Supply List:

• a clothespin with a tube shaped stem and a knob head (wooden)
• wooden stand for clothespin doll
• one chenille stem for the wire armature
• Sculpey oven bake clay
• acrylic paints: black, blue, white, flesh tone, white and red
• two tiny porcelain arm/hands (optional)
• tacky white glue 
• white school glue
• scraps of fabric and a bit of tulle fabric
• tiny bit of flesh colored felt
• needle and thread
• two white cotton balls

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1.  Select a wooden clothespin to start and glue on the wooden stand. Let dry completely.
2. Sculpt a tiny face mask and clay hair features directly onto the wooden dowel. Bake in oven at recommended temp. If you use Sculpey clay, it will not shrink and so you may also layer this directly on the clothespin and bake at same time. You can also sculpt with air dry clay directly onto the wooden clothespin and let it harden over night.
3. Paint the face using whatever shade of flesh color paint you prefer. Let this application dry. 
4. Paint the hair if you are not using yarn for this part of the doll.
5. Now paint the details on the face carefully using a very tiny brush and patience! To paint doll eyes, you need to wait between the layered paint applications for each layer to dry before applying the next. First paint the whites of the eyes. Let dry. Then paint the color of the eyes. Let dry. Next paint the black pupil of the eyes. Let dry. Last, paint the white highlight of the eyes. let dry. Each application should be a dot shape.
6. Highlight the hair with lighter shades of the same hair color.
7. Seal the painted, sculpted parts of the doll with acrylic.
8. Take a chenille stem and wrap it, twisting it just beneath the neck of the doll. Clip it off evenly so that both arms are the same length. 
9. Now you can choose to leave the chenille stem longer and double back to the chest so that the doll has arms and nubby ends for implied hands. Twist these left over length back around the shoulder connections to make the arms stronger. 
10. Alternatively, if you have some tiny doll arms made of porcelain or clay you could just twist the upper arm extensions from the chenille stem and cut these shorter. Glue the porcelain shaped arms onto the end of each side of the wires. Let these arms dry till hard.
11. Apply a bit of tacky glue to the backside of the chenille arms to ensure a tough attachment. Let dry.
12. Now unwind a couple of cotton balls and adhere these around the upper torso to fill it out a little. layer white glue between these wound cotton applications to form the breasts and upper arm flesh. (see picture below)
13. Clip and shape a small bit of flesh colored felt around the cotton batting to seal off the torso. I used a needle and thread to shape the felt over the cotton torso.
14. Cut and gather tulle for a small skirt around the doll's waist using a needle and thread.
15. Paint the wooden stand black and position the doll upside down inside a cup till the paint dries.
16. Now clip, gather and sew the fabric dress on the doll. I just used little rectangles cut from silk to do this. The dress is not removable. 
17. I finished the edges with ribbon trim using a needle and thread, however, a young child may prefer to do this step using a glue gun and guidance from an adult!

Left, the doll's upper torso is filled out with cotton batting
 and white school glue. Right, I gathered and sewed a bit of 
tulle around the doll's waist to make her skirt stand out.

Left, see the stand is painted black through the tulle. Center, the stand attached to the 'feet'
of our clothespin doll so she can stand on her own.

Our Hitty clothespin doll dressed in silks.

More cute examples of clothespin dolls:

• How to make clothespin dolls by thesprucecrafts
• How to make clothespin dolls by Robert and Kin Community
• Make a pom pom ballerina clothespin doll Christmas ornament

  Return to the Doll Guide Index Page 

Collectable Porcelain Avon Dolls

       Avon Products, Inc. or simply known as Avon, is a direct sales company in beauty, household, and personal care categories. Gradually Avon began to carry dolls among other gift items for mothers of young children to purchase or collect during the 1980s and 90s.

• A Collection of Cologne Avon Doll Bottles
• Avon Collectibles by Kate Miller-Wilson
• Dozens of minor discrepancies between Avon lady dolls...
• Thimble Dolls - 8 examples by AVON and several others, dolls the size of thimbles
• AVON 1991 Childhood Dreams Porcelain Doll Series of 7 + 1

Porcelain Collectible Lady Dolls Made Exclusively for Avon

8 examples of Avon's little porcelain lady dolls. I display these in our dollhouses.

1. Rebecca An Early American Settler Doll (women of bygone days collection by Avon)
2. Lupita from Mexico (women from around the world collection by Avon)
3. Charlotte from The Romantic Era, European (women of bygone days collection by Avon)
4. Tasime a Sioux North American Native (women from around the world collection by Avon)
5. Adama from Nigeria (women from around the world collection by Avon)
6. Marie-Elisabeth from The Victorian Era (women of bygone days collection by Avon)
7. Masako from Japan (women from around the world collection by Avon)
8. Colleen from Ireland (women from around the world collection by Avon)

Avon also sold dolls made by other companies:

• Avon Black Barbie Exclusive
• Madame Alexander Dolls Sold by Avon
• Cabbage Patch Dolls sold by Avon

Company's History in Brief:  Avon's American founder, David H. McConnell, initially sold books as a door-to-door salesman to New York homes. In September 1886, he decided to sell perfumes rather than books. He started the new business in a small office at 126 Chambers Street, Manhattan, New York. McConnell changed the company name in 1892. His business partner suggested calling it the "California Perfume Company." His business partner was living in California at the time and suggested the name because of the abundance of flowers in California. On October 6, 1939, the California Perfume Company changed its name to Avon Products Inc.

• Ding-Dong, Avon Calling!
• Classic Commercials for Avon Products
• Avon Commercial from 1980

       The "California Perfume Company, Inc." of New York filed its first trademark application for Avon on June 3, 1932, with the USPTO. Part of the description for goods and services provided to the USPTO included "perfumes, toilet waters, powder and rouge compacts, lipsticks", and other toiletry products. First use and commercial use for Avon by the California Perfume Company was on September 1, 1929. Registration was granted on August 30, 1932. 

       In January 2020 Avon was sold to a Brazilian global personal care company, Natura & Co. The new owners of Avon no longer sell dolls.

  Return to the Doll Guide Index Page