How to amuse yourself and others : $b the American girl's handy bookBeard, Lina
General
How to amuse yourself and others : $b the American girl's handy book
Beard, Lina
Amusements -- Juvenile literature; Handicraft -- Juvenile literature
Provide yourself with the husks of several large ears of corn, and from
among them select the soft white ones which grow closest to the ear.
Place the stiff ends of two husks together, fold a long, soft husk in a
lengthwise strip, and wind it around the ends so placed as in Fig. 111.
Select the softest and widest husk you can find, fold it across the
centre and place a piece of strong thread through it (as in Fig. 112),
draw it in, tie it securely (Fig. 113), place it entirely over the
husks you have wound, then bring it down smoothly and tie with thread
underneath (Fig. 114); this will form the head and neck. To make the
arms, divide the husks below the neck in two equal parts, fold together
two or more husks and insert them in the division (Fig. 115). Hold the
arms in place with one hand, while with the other you fold alternately
over each shoulder several layers of husks, allowing them to extend
down the front and back. When the little form seems plump enough, use
your best husks for the topmost layers and wrap the waist with strong
thread, tying it securely (Fig. 116). Next divide the husks below the
waist and make the legs by neatly wrapping each portion with thread,
trimming them off evenly at the feet. Finally, twist the arms once or
twice, tie, and trim them off at the hands. The features can be drawn
on the face with pen and ink, or may be formed of small thorns from
the rose-bush. Fig. 117 shows the doll complete, minus its costume,
which may be of almost any style or material, from the pretty robe of
a civilized lady to the more scanty garments of its originator, the
Indian. The doll is represented in full Indian costume in Fig. 118. The
war-paint and tomahawk are not necessary here, as he is smoking a pipe
of peace. His apparel is composed of one garment, which is cut from a
broad, soft corn-husk, after the pattern given in Fig. 119. A narrow
strip of husk tied about his waist forms the belt.
[Illustration: Head, Arms, and Body.]
[Illustration: Finished Doll.]
His head-dress is made of small chicken feathers stuck at regular
intervals into a strip of husk. The corn-silk hair is placed on his
head, and on top of that one end of the head-dress is fastened with a
thorn.
A small twig is used for the stem of his pipe, and two rose-bush thorns
form the bowl. Instead of using a thorn for his mouth, a round hole is
punched in the face and the stem of the pipe inserted.
[Illustration: A Real Indian Doll.]
[Illustration: The Indian’s Dress.]
=Mary Jane.=
Here is another way of making a doll which is very easy and simple.
First find a young ear of corn, one on which the silk has not turned
brown; then with a crab-apple for a head and a leaf of the corn to
dress her with, you have your material. Cut off squarely that end of
the ear where the husks are puckered, to join the stalk, and carefully
take the silk from the other end, disturbing as little as possible the
closely wrapped husks.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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