Friday, May 18, 2012

Toilet Paper Dolls


I'm not sure how these got started, except that A (age 11) has been making them like crazy for the younger girls, and they are all the rage in our house right now.    I would complain about the waste of toilet paper (a precious commodity in a household of eight), except the number of craft hours they've put into the project has been more than worth the loss of a roll or two of Charmin.

A, was good enough to demonstrate her technique for me.  The Waldorf like dolls are very simple to make.

Start with a longish piece of toilet paper - five or six squares.


Fold it in half, long sides together.


Twist five or six inches worth, tightly at the top...



...and tie it into a knot, being careful not to tear it loose.


The knot will become the dolls head.  The bit above the knot will be the hair, and the bit below the knot will be the skirt.  Figure out how long you would like the skirt to be...


 ...and tear the rest away, to use for another doll.


Fluff out the skirt, and washable markers to add details...


...to bring out the personality of each doll.


It's great to be a homeschooler.

6 comments:

Amanda said...

This is the exact kind of project that my children would go nuts for. We already have piles of dolls made from fabric scraps.

Blessings
Amanda

Joyful Learner said...

Ha ha...love it! K is already making lots of things out of toilet paper rolls...imagine her reaction when I tell her you can make dolls with TP! Of course, my husband won't be as pleased. He's into conserving tps.

Phyllis said...

My boys used to make those on their own a few years ago, but now they have gotten too old for it. I wonder if they could be made more permanent if they were made from cloth.

Christianne @ Little Page Turners said...

Toilet paper dolls! I love it. Do they ever get reused for their original purpose? ;)

An Almost Unschooling Mom said...

Christianne - I don't think all that marker would be good for hygenic purposes :).

Ticia said...

Oh gosh I can just imagine it being reused, GROSS!

My kids constantly use them for "bandages" for their various stuffed animals or blankets.

Then they leave them laying around and it drives me nuts.