How to Fold the Paper Skirt on a Victorian Fortune Telling Doll
Traditional Victorian fortune -elling dolls feature an intricately folded underskirt made of leaves of paper that when unfolded foretell the "fortune" of the reader written within. The skirt sometimes may comprise up to 200 fortunes, but a simpler version can be made using brightly colored paper sewn into an "underskirt" for an existing doll in Victorian costume.
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Things You'll Need
- Doll (height of 12 inches) in Victorian costume with crinoline-style skirt
- Plain card
- Colored paper sheets A4 X 50 (craft paper is best)
- Tape measure
- Scissors
- Sewing needle
- Thread
Instructions
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1
Remove the crinoline-style skirt or dress from the doll. Measure the length of the doll's skirt from the waist to the hem. On a 12-inch doll, this is approximately eight inches.
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2
Make a template for each skirt pleat by drawing a shape on the card. The shape resembles a narrow teardrop measuring approximately 12-by-3 inches at its widest part, round at the bottom, and tapering to a point at the top.
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3
Cut out the leaves. Trace around the template onto the 50 sheets of colored paper in turn. Carefully cut out the teardrop leaves.
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4
Write fortunes on the bottom of each leaf. Keep the phrases simple and brief; include fortunes suitable for both sexes. Turn up the bottom of each leaf, enfolding the written fortune so the total length of the leaf is eight inches. Fold each leaf lengthwise to make an elongated triangle.
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5
Thread a needle with a double length of sewing thread measuring 20 inches and knot one end to stop the leaves from sliding off. Insert the needle into the narrow pointed end of each leaf, creating a long string of folded leaves. Trim the thread so there is at least 4 inches of excess at each end.
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Tie the "leaf skirt" around the waist of the doll, securing the ends of the thread with a double knot. This creates a stiff paper skirt. Slip the doll's dress on over the paper skirt. Pin it up on one side to reveal the skirt beneath if desired.
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Tips & Warnings
A fortune-telling doll can make a great children's party game by number coding the paper leaves and rolling a dice to select which fortune must be read.
Use an alternative version with forfeits instead of fortunes.
Dolls in witch costumes for Halloween may be created using bright orange or black paper for the leaves, and white or silver ink to write the fortunes.
Do not allow children unsupervised use of scissors or needles.
References
- Photo Credit tissue paper image by Christopher Hall from Fotolia.com cutting image by Du...¡an Zidar from Fotolia.com
