freebiegrl22

This is soooo totally cool. I'm going to do this with my nephews for their mom's b-day. She likes dolls.

Apple head dolls are an early American
Folk art whose roots may belong to the
Iroquois Indians. The doll like figures
were thought to have been used in sacred
rituals. They are still being made today
as a reminder of a time before dolls were
mass produced.

Supplies needed
1 large apple
paring knife
peeler
lemon juice
16" wire
salt
newspapers
doll body
hair
hat
cloves
clothing etc

To make 1 doll start with a large apple.
Peel it leaving some skin around the stem
and blossom ends. Make as smooth a surface
as possible.
Starting with the nose use the point of a
knife to make a triangular cut in the middle
of the face about 1/4" deep. (wide base down)
Cut a flat plane on either side and below to bring out the nose.
Gently soften the lines of the nose by
scraping it with the knife.
Deepen the areas that will become the eye cavities to create a brow and make a
horizontal slit for each eye. Scraping three lines out from the eyes will make laugh lines
or crows feet.
Just like you did for the eyes cut a slit for mouth about 1/8" deep either straight or
curved upwards in a smile. As it dries it
will open up. To make the lower lip scrape a parallel shallow line below the mouth.
If you want the apple to remain light color immerse in lemon juice for a few minutes.
Poke a wire through the apple from the bottom
to the top and bend over one inch from each end. Hang to dry out of direct sunlight. Sprinkle it heavily with salt to hasten the drying process and prevent mold formation. Place newspapers underneath to catch any drips. After one week
the apple will become pliable and you can pinch added character to the cheeks and nose if you like.
In 3 - 4 weeks you'll have a head to add to any doll body. Cloves can be pushed in for eyes.
Eye glasses can be formed with wire and pushed into the hair and head. Add fleece hair, a hat, clothing, and whatever embellishments will add
to his or her character.

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HaveKids,LostMind

Well, I thought this sounded cute from the subject, but I read it and found out you have to let the apple rot for a month! EWWWWWWW! yuck-o!

And after letting it sit for a week I dont think I would like to pinch some cheeks into it.

I wonder who thought this up in the first place. Maybe someone who peeled an apple then forgot about it for a month, and in the mean time lost the head to their favorite doll, then found the old apple and decided to attach it to the body of the doll?
You Freebiegrl22 or anyone else tries this, let me know how it turns out.

And thanks for posting!

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freebiegrl22

This was made by Indians. I too thought it sounded bad when I read the whole thing (It's my mom's recipe) I would still like to try it though, just to see, ya know!

__________________
The Lizard Queen sees and knows all. Do not tempt her wrath!

HaveKids,LostMind

With my luck, my crazy kids would actually try to eat the things! A month old rotten and all!

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crystel_rose

I know this sounds like a gross craft, but I actually made them in grade school and they're not all that bad. I remember thinking it was totally cool at the time and it was a big hit with my entire class. Thanks for the post!

RedRidingHood

I did this years ago when I was a teen. It turned out great ... The apple looked just like a little ole lady.. It was great.. Thank you freebiegrl22 for the memory. and I think I am going to try this with my daughter. she will love it

Red

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BUT Grandmother what big Samples you have.

Missysmom

Just Bumping this, I've seen these made up before,
they are really cool!

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allyoop42

These are cool, I remember making these years ago. Thanks.

Electric Chameleon

My sister did these years ago. I however have never tried them and wanted too. I am having a small problem though, I need a visual aid. Does anyone have a finished picture? Or a step by step picture site?

Maybe I am just brain dead today, but it sure would help me.


EC

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WORLD PEACE, IS THAT SUCH A HARD THING TO DO?