How to Make Corn Husk Dolls Clothes

Fashion dried corn husks into dolls you can dress.

Corn husk dolls are as old a tradition as growing corn. American Indians have been making these dolls for centuries. While each culture has its own style of dress for the dolls, clothes generally are made from scraps of fabric. In some cases, the dolls wear traditional garb, including bead work and shoes. The dolls do not have faces, regardless of the manner of dress. It only takes a few items to make clothes for corn husk dolls, and the project often takes just a few hours.

Things You'll Need

• Corn husk doll
• Fabric
• Fabric marker
• Scissors
• Needle
• Thread
• Embellishments
• Fabric glue

Instructions

Dress

1. Place the corn husk doll on a piece of fabric folded over on itself. Trace around the doll with a fabric marker, leaving an extra half-inch for a seam allowance. Make the dress as long as you like.

2. Take the doll away, and cut out the dress pattern. With the right sides together, sew together the sides of the dress. Leave openings at the neck, arm holes and bottom. Turn the dress right side out.

3. Decide which is the back of the dress and which is the front. Cut up the middle of the back of the dress, and put the dress on the doll.

4. Cut a piece of the same fabric to use as a belt. Wrap it around the doll to cinch the dress at its waist and keep it neatly to the doll. Tie the belt in the front or back.

5. Embellish the dress with beads, sequins or ribbon. Create a belt with ribbon instead of fabric. Attach the embellishments with needle and thread or with fabric glue.

Pants

1. Place the doll on a folded piece of fabric just as you did for the dress. Trace up and down the legs of the doll with a fabric marker, leaving a half-inch seam allowance.

2. Cut out the pants and sew the inner and outer legs.

3. Slide the pants onto the doll. Tie the pants on if they are loose.

Tips & Warnings

• Create a shirt just like you did the dress but make it shorter.

• Sew or glue snaps on back of the dress if you like.

References

• Manataka: Oneida Crafts
• Snow Owl: How To Make Corn Husk Dolls
• Village Volunteers: How To Make Corn Husk Dolls