I love little wood peggie dolls, and after finding a large bag of wood clothespins at the antique mall for $1, I thought…heck, close enough. The girls and I spent some time painting them one afternoon, just as an experiment. This part of the project could use some practice. I made a few white ones, with hopes they might become faces, should we not abandon this wreck-of-a-craft we began on the kitchen table.
Kelly was quick to take me up on my offer to turn the clothespin into a doll. We’re 8 chapters into “Little House In The Big Woods”, and the girls are fascinated by Laura’s corncob doll. They can’t imagine having so few toys that your only doll is made out of an eaten vegetable; lest we forgot how Laura Ingall’s writing made us all want to live off the land and churn our own butter. There must be some evolutionary or biological reason we’re drawn to her stories about sugar snow and the difference between brown soap and store bought soap. But I digress.
Kelly dug through my scraps and picked the pieces for her doll. You can see the tangles of hot glue that needed to be peeled off of the doll she named Sara. Sara now wants her own clothespin doll, and Kelly asked her to name it Kelly, but Sara is insisting she’ll name it Charlotte, after Laura Ingall’s very first “real” doll. Let the Prairie Games begin. Kelly really wanted to add buttons to the feet. Wait. Kelly really wanted to add the FEET too. I was happy with hands and a dress, but Kelly felt a scarf and feet with shoes would be better. After all, it is winter in the Big Woods. I think I’ll make the next doll’s hair out of yarn. Something less magical anyway, because after carrying this thing everywhere for the past week, Kelly told me tonight that the doll has evil magic and might kill me in my sleep. Active imagination, that one. Sara was quick to cast a spell on…um, “Clothespin Sara”, and turn her evil magic into good magic. Thank God, because I can’t imagine there’s anything more embarrassing than being killed by a 4 inch-50 year old clothespin. Well…other than choking to death in your old prom dress.
As is the way with daughters, now Kelly wants a doll sleeping bag and Sara wants a clothespin doll, and heck if I haven’t started endless crafting here. So actually, the 20 minute doll is the 40 minute doll(s), plus painting and drying. Plus healing time from fingertip burns after you got that bad idea to pleat the skirt with the hottest glue on earth. Plus the time spent in clothespin doll self-defense classes. It’s complicated.
8 responses to “The 20 Minute Doll”
Thanks for the memories!!! My cousin and I used to sit for hours and play with our clothespin dolls our grandmother taught us to make. Grandma used to save all her sewing scraps no matter how small for us to use to make more dolls and clothes. Oh so much fun!!! 🙂 I am going to have see if I can find some clothespins and make some new memories with my great granddaughter. Oh the possibilities…Thanks again I love it
You are so talented, Lori! I love your ideas. And I am totally on board with the fact that you are reading the Little House series. It sounds like both girls are equally into it. I wasn’t sure if my little one would be, but now you have be thinking it is possible.
I am actually thinking about seeing if I could get the series on DVD. Instead of movie night, we could have “Praire Night.” I would be more excited than the kids!!!
Thanks for the inspiration, Lori!
This post is very timely, as today when Cole Aden (2 1/2 yr old Grandson) visited he found some clothespins I had used to hold shirts on hangers…and asked if he could play with them…Of course his were guys and possibly superhero’s and not decorated at all…LOL
~~HUGS~~
My whole childhood was about Little House! I read every book, and I think I saw every episode. I even used to make my mom braid my long brown hair and put little blue ribbons at the end like Laura!
Little House brings back double braid memories for so many of us. I had no idea if the girls could follow the story at 3 and 5, and the first chapter took some discussion. Sara kept saying, “I just don’t understand!”; so we had long talks about a life without electricity, cars, stores, or schools. Then they slowly came to understand that this book is REAL. AND THEN it came to life. Little House in the Big Woods is the best starter because it’s filled with short, really engaging tales about Pa attacking a tree stump when he thought it was a bear, and the time Pa got in trouble for sledding on a Sunday. It’s more action for little kids to follow, less about relationships.
Kelly’s clothespin doll is adorable! And even better than she named it Sara! 🙂 And Sara not wanting to name one she makes Kelly sounds a little like me and my sister Kelly growing up! Too cute!
What a fun project! I love the idea of connecting books and activities. We have made muffins with a moose and cupcakes with kitties. Most of our crafts center around food at this age. Will have to keep this idea in mind as Alexa gets older.
Wait until you see what we came up with today…ai ye ye! It’s getting busy in the house!