How to Craft Corn Husk Dolls from Early Pioneer Days

A corn husk doll may be one of the first toys a child had back in the pioneer days. They were equally loved by white settlers and native Indians alike. They were very easy to make back then and they are even easier to make today.

You can opt for a corn husks you have dried yourself or purchase corn husks from the store. If drying yourself, just save the husks from the corn you shucked for dinner and dry them several days in the sun. If purchasing your own husks, you can find them at the craft store or the Mexican food and produce aisles at your grocery store.

Things you will need:

Corn husks
String
Scissors
Craft wire
Wire cutters
Ruler
Hot glue gun
Pipe cleaner
Spanish moss
Optional-dried flowers, fabric, and ribbon

Steps to make the corn husk doll:

1. Soak the dry corn husks in warm water. This will make them pliable enough to bend and twist without breaking or splitting.

2. Separate several corn husks into strips approximately a 1/2 inch wide. Roll and wrap the strips to form a ball for the head about the size of a large marble.

3. Trim three corn husks to measure 8 inches long. Roll the corn husks together lengthwise to form the arms of the corn husk doll. Tie string around the ends of the arms a 1/2 inch from each end to form the wrists. If you would like your arms to be poseable, wrap an 8 inch pipe cleaner in the arm husks before tying the wrists.

4. Place one of the corn husk strips over the ball and wrap the ends on one side of the head. Gather the ends under the head and tie with string to form a neck. Center the arms across the neck and tie with string to attach. Crisscross husks on one side of the doll and fold over the arms. Crisscross on the other side of the doll and tie the ends with string below the arms.

5. Hold the doll upside down. Place a 1/2 inch of a corn husk end over the string that is tied below the arms. Add more corn husks and overlap all the way around the body. Continue to add more husks creating several layers for the corn husk dolls skirt. Tightly wrap the ends using the craft wire.

6.Carefully fold the layers of the skirt down and loosely tie a string around the middle of the skirt to hold it in place until the corn husks dry. Once the corn husk doll has dried, remove the string.

7. Hot glue Spanish moss to the corn husk doll's head for hair. Add dried flowers, fabric or ribbon to further embellish your corn husk doll.