How Penny is Made

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Are there days when you would like to wear a tag like this around your neck?  It stands for ” Please be patient, God is not finished with me yet!”  Or maybe tag it on the people around you?  We all require a lot of patience!

 If you are interested in making a clothespin doll like Penny, here’s how….

One body needs:

        – one 1″ wooden bead (for the head)

        – four round wooden clothespins

        – 1/2″ length of a 1/4″ thick wooden dowel (to attach the head)

        – wire for joints (you can use a heavy duty paper clip unbent)

The illustrations above will guide you as to where to cut the clothespins.

One clothespin is cut down its length to provide for two arms, then each are trimmed to 2 1/4″ long.

The two legs are cut with two different lengths to allow for the legs to swing:  3″ on the outside and 2″ on the inside.

The body part is cut 1/4″ below the clothespin head so that the remainder will be thick enough to drill with a 1/4″ drill bit, then trimmed to 2″ long.

The head bead will also need to be drilled to accommodate the 1/4″ dowel.

I use a 1/16″ drill bit to make the holes for the wire hip and shoulder joints.  My wire is 19 gauge steel wire.

Fold over one end of the wire with pliers in a tiny twist, to hold the shoulder and hips, then turn it down flat against the clothespin so they do not stick out.   Be sure and leave all the joints loose so that the limbs will swing freely, remember that once the doll is dressed, it will be harder for the arms to swing past the hips, etc.

This is how I have been attaching the head, using a 1/4″ dowel glued both into the head bead and into the body.

Once the body is assembled, I add the face and paint on details for socks and shoes.

I am on the lookout for fine yarn to use for natural looking hair.  I wrap it to fit over the head at the length I want, then sew a seam with a sewing machine where a part would be on top of the head, and hot glue it into place.  It is fun to trim the length and glue it into a hairdo that fits your doll.  This is the point where you suddenly see a personality looking back at you and you fall in love with what you have created!

Here is a sample of dolls that I have made, I will be posting soon on how to make clothing!