Once or twice a week I am happy to assist Class 6 and 7 with their Waldorf doll making project. Making a doll is a long-term project when you are a child!
The initial enthusiasm subsided a little after a few weeks spent on cutting patterns and sewing (by hand) the legs and the body of the doll. However, the making of the doll’s head brought back an expected interest. A couple of points were to be made: where are the eyes situated in a human head? “Certainly not in the middle of the head” was I told; “the nose is!” Jordan took out his ruler, measurements were taken and force to admit: the eyes are in the middle of our head!
First, the children filled a tubular cotton bandage with wool, quite tightly, forming a pear shape knotted at its extremity. Then, the children had to help each other with tying lengths of thin rope around the head, first to delimit the neck and then the eyeline and finally, the chin. This exercise demands quite strong hands and some agility to knot the rope without letting it slip away.
Once a rough head is formed, one has to decide whether or not the doll should have a nose. Most of the class decided they wanted a nose. It is made of a ball of wool and sewn just under the eye line in the middle of the face.
Then, the entire head had to be covered with the doll’s skin made of cotton knit.
At last, the fun part came: embroidering the eyes and the mouth. How far apart should the eyes be? What colour, which shape? And the mouth how big should it be? Which shade of pink or red?
From there on, the doll definitely comes to life. Its character starts showing. Making the hair gives it the final touch: should it be long, short, gathered in ponies, have dreadlocks, be curly, straight?
Toni, the expert in hairdo decided that his doll will get the latest trend which will require a professional haircut. Jordan wanted dreadlocks. Nevada and Calista voted for ponies and Rebecca, Aidan, Arthur as well as teacher Elizabeth choose to have a head full of separate hair.
One must realize how much chatting goes around these subjects. After all, the children are about to become teenagers (or are already there) and their looks are very much part of their interests as well as their place in the society. They cannot help but projecting a little of themselves in the doll.
Anyway, there are many techniques to implant hair on the dolls. They are all time consuming especially when it implies to fix the hair one by one!
The class is now sewing the doll’s arms except for Nevada who has almost finished her doll.
Next term these dolls will get dressed. It will conclude a year of work and an exceptionally out-of- the-ordinary time for me.
In front: Rebecca and Nevada
At the back: Jordan, Xavier, Toni and Aidan
Arthur was hiding away. Xavier could not join us in making dolls but had to learn to knit
Calista was not present on the day we took photos, sorry Calista!
the village waldorf school 