Do-it-yourself rag doll. Manual magic. Scheme for making a spin doll

Master class on making dolls - spinning.

Completed by: student of 4th “A” class Usina Arailym

Purpose: play doll for a child; amulet; handmade gift; decorating your favorite corner in the room.

Target. Extracting beauty from ordinary, seemingly waste scraps and scraps of fabric edges.

Tasks.

1. Teach how to make a rag doll in a seamless way, showing imagination and creativity.

2. Arouse interest in folk art. To restore and preserve for new generations such a phenomenon as a folk traditional doll.

3. Strengthening labor skills in children: folding, folding, twisting, wrapping, tying.

Materials.

2 squares of white fabric (20x20) for the body and blouse;

One square (20x20) and two strips of colored fabric for a sundress;

A rectangular patch for an apron and a triangular one for a scarf;

White threads;

Cotton wool for volume;

Braid

Hand-made dolls have accompanied the life of peasants for centuries. They were carefully kept in chests and passed down from generation to generation. Mothers, older sisters, grandmothers sewed dolls for small children, “...despite all the incredible busyness, they found time for this. The child was specially taught traditional techniques for making a doll, and from the age of five, any girl could make a simple rag doll.” Girls began to be taught how to make dolls from the age of three.

The main feature of the doll is that it is made without a needle and is faceless. For a child, a doll will be a toy-friend and a talisman at the same time, so it is useless to prick it with a needle, and according to popular beliefs, it is forbidden to make a face, since such a doll can gain a soul and become dangerous. A “faceless” doll is considered an inanimate object and cannot harm the child. A doll made with love with your own hands will be a source of pride for its craftswoman.

The doll is just a sight for sore eyes,

To the surprise of all the children,

If you want to learn

Make this doll

You will have to not be lazy

And put in the effort!

Preparing for work.

Pupa manufacturing technology

B Take one square of white fabric and fold the edges inward, as shown in the photo. Where the wider edge is folded (on the right) there will be a base. It will be thicker so that the doll is stable.

We put cotton wool (sintepon) in the middle so that our doll is not too thin.

Perform a tight twist.

The result is a twist - a roll. This is the “body” of our doll.

We tie the twist with thread at the level of the neck and waist.

We take a second square of white fabric, place a twist and a piece of cotton wool in the center to make the head more round.

Tie with thread at neck level.

Straighten the fabric. Let's try to remove excess folds from the doll's face.

We form the arms: determine their length and wrap the excess fabric inward. We tuck the edges of the sleeve into the middle.

We measure the size of the palms and tighten them with thread. We tie the loose corners around the body with a thread on the belt, trying to distribute the fabric evenly.

The base of our doll is ready. But the outfit is your imagination and creativity. We take two narrow colored strips of fabric and place them crosswise across the shoulders on the chest and back. We tie it with a thread at the waist.

Fold the square of colored fabric in half, placing the thread inside. We tighten the thread, apply the fabric to the belt, evenly distributing it around, and tie it.

We tie a scarf on the doll, tie a belt and the doll is ready.

But my doll is sad: I have someone to dance with.

Make friends for her, the doll will have more fun.

Master Class

"Folk rag doll - twist"

Master Class designed for middle-aged children.

Purpose: play doll for a child; amulet; handmade gift; decorating your favorite corner in the room.

Target: Preservation of folk traditions.

Tasks.

1. Teach how to make a rag doll, showing imagination and creativity.

2. Arouse interest in folk art. To restore and preserve for new generations such a phenomenon as a folk traditional doll.

3. Strengthening labor skills in children: folding, folding, twisting, wrapping, tying.

Today you can buy any toy in a store, but there are simply countless dolls. But what is a doll in the understanding of our grandmothers? Since ancient times, a doll has been not only a toy, but also a talisman. Children got their first doll immediately after birth. Mom or grandmother made a doll in the form little baby and put him in the cradle with the baby. It was believed that this would not only protect the baby, but also contribute to the development of his fine motor skills.

What was the spinning doll like? It was made from various scraps and threads. The doll was decorated and dressed in accordance with the traditions of the region. Such dolls were given for holidays and, of course, for weddings, so that the newlyweds would have a happy marriage. Playing with dolls was a must. When you play with her, there will be goodness and prosperity in the house. Dolls were given special places in the house - boxes, caskets or chests where the dowry was kept. They were revered and made in large quantities.

When creating a doll, several rules must be followed:

The fabric for the doll was only torn by hand. No sharp objects or needles were used. Since the doll is a talisman. So to speak, your girlfriend, but they don’t stick needles into a girlfriend!

If thread was used to wrap parts, then the number of wraps must be even.

The doll's face was not painted. All the dolls were faceless. It was believed that if you draw a face on a doll, a soul will be infused into it. And the soul could be bad, so all the dolls were made with a white face.

And today in my master class I will tell and show you how to make a spinning doll with your own hands.

We will need: Three scraps of fabric. Two light colors for the body and arms, and a bright patch for the dress. Knitting. Ribbons

Step 1 Making the body for the doll. We take a large white flap and roll it into a tube along its short side. As in the picture.

Step 2 Making hair from threads for a doll. In order to make hair for our doll, we take thick threads and lay them one on one in several rows. As in the picture.

Step 3 We make the head and face of our doll. We bend our workpiece in half and use a thread to form the doll’s face. We wrap the thread an even number of times and tie it tightly. This way we will have a head, face and hair.

Step 4 Making hands for a doll In order to make the arms of our doll, we take a smaller light flap and roll it into a tube in the same way as we did the body. Then we wrap it with thread on both sides, outlining the hands.

Step 5 We attach the arms to the body. We put our hands into the body. As in the picture. Using a thread, we pull the torso tightly in the chest area. It is advisable to make the constriction in the form of a cross.

Step 6 We make a dress for our doll with a twist. We use the remaining colored flap for this. Fold it diagonally to form a triangle. And in the center of this triangle we make three cuts - for the head and arms.

We dress our doll in a dress You can tie it with a ribbon to secure it.

In our century, dolls are children's toys, but in ancient times the Slavs treated them differently.

The dolls were amulets, each of them performed its own functions. The dolls of our ancestors carried a good beginning.

Making a doll was a purely feminine task.
It was believed that the fate of the family and clan depended on the quality of the housewife’s work. Before starting such a responsible work, the woman prepared herself and read conspiracies.

The most beautiful dolls made by hand were kept in a chest and were part of the dowry.

Dolls were made on the occasion of national holidays, for example, for Maslenitsa or Midsummer Day, as gifts or family events, for a wedding or the birth of a child, and were also simply made as guardian companions of peace, health, prosperity, and love.

Life was built on the cycles of nature.

There were a variety of dolls, not only from fabric - they were made from clay, from straw, even from ash.

In ancient times, dolls had a different purpose: they were protection for people from diseases, misfortunes, and evil spirits.
As a rule, the most protective were dolls made without needles and scissors. When making dolls, they tried not to cut the fabric, but to tear it (sometimes the dolls were called “torn”).

Even before the baby was born, a doll was made and placed in a cradle so that the doll would “warm” it for the unborn baby.
When the baby was born, the doll did not part with him even then.
In order for the baby to sleep soundly and peacefully, the mother would say: “Sleepy-insomniac, don’t play with my baby, but play with this doll.” The doll distracted evil spirits, protecting the child.

The mother gave a rag doll-bereginya, made with her own hands, to her daughter before the wedding, blessing her for marriage.

The amulets were given to a son who was going to serve in the army, and to a husband on the road.

Peasant families had a lot of dolls, they were treasured and taken care of.

Why does a folk doll have no face?

Traditional rag doll with no face.
The face, as a rule, was not marked and remained white. A doll without a face was considered an inanimate object, inaccessible to the instillation of evil, unkind forces into it, and therefore harmless to the child.

She was supposed to bring him prosperity, health, joy.
It was a miracle: from several rags, without arms, without legs, without a designated face, the character of the doll was conveyed. The doll had many faces, she could laugh and cry.

Home Maslenitsa

During Maslenitsa week, such a doll was hung outside the window. This was a sign that the mother-in-law was expecting her son-in-law and daughter to visit for pancakes.
Most often, such dolls were made from straw and bast.

The face was covered with linen cloth and dressed in traditional attire.

Ten-handle

This is a ritual multi-armed doll “Ten Hands”.
It was made from bast or straw on October 14, Pokrov, when they sat down to do needlework.
In production, red threads are used, which is a protective color.
9 red strings-bows are necessarily tied in a circle to the bottom of the sundress.

The doll was intended to help girls preparing their dowries and women in various activities, such as weaving, sewing, embroidery, knitting, etc.
Traditionally, after production, it was burned almost immediately.
We suggest hanging the doll in a prominent place in the room where the woman spends time working.

Spiridon-Solstice

Saying: “Spiridon-Solstice carries a wheel in his hands.”
The holiday of Spiridon is a holiday of the winter and summer solstice, a holiday of the emerging or departing sun.
It took place with the participation of this doll in the rituals.
During the festival, rituals dedicated to the sun were performed.
They rolled the wheel down the mountain and burned it along with other symbols of the sun, saying: “Wheel, burn, roll, return with red spring!”

At the end of the holiday, the doll was burned without clothes, the clothes were put away for the next doll. They burned with old things that had a round shape, as if the doll was supposed to take away everything old and unusable from people and release strength for a new life.

This doll was made to bring about the desired changes in life.

Spiridon, by turning the wheel, can completely change your life, directing it in the right direction.

Spiridon-Solstice was traditionally made from bast, without a needle, with red thread.
When creating a doll, coiling and knots are used - symbols of male and female energy, thereby harmonizing these flows within oneself.

Although the Solstice was not included in the official holidays, no one started serious work on this day, except that the housewives tried to look into the chicken coop one more time to feed the chickens with buckwheat from the right sleeve.

They say that this made them lay faster and better, without running into neighboring yards and not “littering” eggs anywhere.

And the men stocked up on cherry branches on Spiridon, guessing from them about the future harvest. To do this, you had to put a “cherry bouquet” in the water, place it in the “front” corner and wait for Christmas.

If there are more flowers on the branches than there are leaves, there will be no need for garden fruits; they will certainly bear fruit.
And if the twigs wither or there are significantly more leaves on them than flowers, it turns out that they did not hope for a good harvest.

GOAT

The goat was usually portrayed by one of the guys.

They put a sheepskin coat on him, with the fur turned outward, his face was smeared with soot, and any hat was put on his head, to which horns made of straw were attached.

The “goat” guy sat astride the arch - so the carolers carried him from hut to hut.
At the same time, the goat danced and her retinue sang.

In some provinces there was a Goat doll, which had the same functions as a caroler dressed as a goat. It is based on a wooden cross, and the muzzle, horns, and beard are made of bast or straw.

The Goat was dressed in a special bright dress, on top of which were attached ritual objects: pipes, barrel organs, tambourines, horseshoes as a gift for good luck, bells, bells, wooden beads, earrings, bags with gifts, wreaths of prosperity with small red bags with cereal grains, a wooden a block as a gift to a bachelor, as a reminder of the need to get married.

Krupenichka

The “Krupenichka” doll (other names “Zernushka”, “Pea”) is a talisman for satiety and prosperity in the family (for housekeeping). Traditionally, this doll was filled with buckwheat grain or wheat. This is the main doll in the family.

The first handfuls of grain when sowing were taken from a bag sewn in the image of this doll.
The grain in it symbolized the saved strength of the Earth's Nurse.

After the harvest season, the pupa was again filled with selected grain from the new harvest. She was dressed up and carefully kept in a visible place in the red corner. They believed that only then would the next year be full and there would be prosperity in the family.

In times of famine, they took grain from the pupa and cooked porridge from it. It was believed that this porridge conveys the powers of Mother Earth.

A guest entering the hut could determine from the doll whether the family was living well.
If the doll was thin, it means there is trouble in the family...
And today this doll will help you have wealth in your home.

Kubyshka-Herbalist

To keep the air in the hut clean, they made a useful doll called “Herbal Pot”. They hung it where the air stagnated or above the child’s cradle.

This doll is filled with fragrant medicinal herbs.
You need to crush the doll in your hands, move it, and the herbal spirit will spread throughout the room, which will drive away the spirits of illness. After 2 years, the grass in the pupa must be changed.
This is exactly what our ancestors did.

Kobyshka the Herbalist still makes sure that the disease does not enter the house.
Warmth emanates from her, like from a caring housewife.
She is both a protector from the evil spirits of illness and a kind comforter.

Kolyada

All Christmas carols were sung with Kolyada. This doll is a symbol of the sun and good relationships in the family.
She was a portly woman, dressed in everything new and elegant. On her behalf, the carolers wished happiness and prosperity.
They sang joyful songs glorifying the owners.
In some areas, carols ended near the fire with wishes for good to themselves and loved ones and the burning of Kolyada.
With her arrival, happiness, peace and harmony between family members will settle in the house.
The Kolyada doll is made from cut wood.
Bags suspended from the belt contain bread and salt.
A broom is tucked into his belt, which Kolyada uses to ward off evil spirits.

Bell

The Bell doll is a doll of good news.
The birthplace of the doll is Valdai. That's where the Valdai bells came from.

The ringing of the bell protected people from the plague and other terrible diseases. The bell rang under the arc at all the festive troikas. The bell is dome-shaped and resembles a sun on top.

The doll has three skirts. Man also has three kingdoms. Copper, silver, gold.
And happiness also consists of three parts.
If the body feels good, the soul is happy, the spirit is calm, then the person is completely happy.
This doll is cheerful, perky, and brings joy and fun to the house.
Amulet of good mood.
By giving a Bell, a person wishes his friend to receive only good news and maintains a joyful and cheerful mood in him.

Cabbage

It’s not for nothing that they say that children are found in cabbage.
This doll was made by a girl when she gained the desire and strength to get married, continue the family line, and give birth to children. I put it on the window, and the guys knew that they could send matchmakers.

Such a doll was made in different places in Russia. Among the Vepsians living on the Volga, it is called Feeder, Cabbage, and
in Siberia, Rozhanitsa. She carries within herself the image of a mother-nurse.
Her large breasts symbolize her ability to feed everyone.

Girl-Baba

People call her Changeling, Vertushka. It can be called a doll of dolls, because it contains 2 heads, 4 arms, 2 skirts.

The secret is that when one part of the doll is visible, for example, the girl, then the second, the woman, is hidden under the skirt; if you turn the doll over, the woman will reveal herself and the girl will hide.

The girl is a beauty, a bird who will fly away from her parents' house, carefree, cheerful, playing on the street.
But the woman is economical, sedate, she has all the worries about the house and family, she does not run into the street, she has a different state. She looks more inward and protects her home.

The Girl-Baba doll reflects the 2 essences of a woman: she can be open to the world and give beauty and joy, and she can be turned to herself, to the unborn child, and preserve peace.

Stonefly

In many Russian fairy tales there are dolls to whom the heroes entrust their sorrows and joys and share their thoughts.
And little helper dolls do not leave their owners in trouble.

Vesnyanka is a cheerful, perky doll that young girls made for the arrival of spring. Traditionally, she is very bright, with unusually colored hair.
Girls gave such dolls to each other.
Springfly is a talisman of youth and beauty. By giving such a doll to a man, you wish him to remain young and cheerful for a long time, and for a woman to always be charming and attractive

Sunny horse

In many Russian fairy tales there are dolls to whom the heroes entrust their sorrows and joys and share their thoughts. And little helper dolls do not leave their owners in trouble.
A horse is a person’s friend and companion in life.
He is the conductor of human souls into this world.

In ancient times, much of people's lives depended on the horse. Neither sowing, nor a trip, nor a wedding could do without this animal. Everywhere the man was accompanied by a faithful horse. Since those times, the expression “to be on a horse” has been preserved, meaning success and good luck.
Place the Sunny Horse in your home, and he will bring happiness and good luck.

Fatty-Kostromushka

Tolstushka-Kostromushka (Female Essence) is a talisman against loneliness.
His task was to restore fertility to a woman, to lure the soul of a child. If a woman did not become pregnant within a year after marriage, they made a doll and put it in a visible place from the door.
Her female relative sewed: sister, godmother, mother or grandmother.
When a child appeared in the house, the doll was taken to the women's quarters and hidden.

Fatty-Kostromushka carried the image of a girl who combined several ages at the same time: 8-9 years old - a nanny girl, 10-12 years old - a teenage girl.
From the nanny the doll has plump cheeks and a figure, and from the teenager - developing breasts. On the one hand, she knows how to get around, on the other hand, she can be an adviser to her younger sisters and brothers.
It’s as if she’s saying: “Everything is fine with me, but I’m missing a brother or sister!”

Vep doll

Russia is a huge multinational country.
About one hundred and fifty peoples live in its vast expanses. Since ancient times, outside the borders of Russia, it has been customary to consider as Russian all those who accepted Orthodoxy and submitted to the authority of the Moscow princes.
And rightfully, the Vep doll, which has preserved the name of the people who created it, is placed among the traditional Russian dolls.
Today the Vepsians are a small people living in the territory of Karelia, Leningrad and Vologda regions, which have preserved their traditions and rituals, many of which are similar to northern Russian ones.

The Vep doll is an image of a married woman.
The doll's parts are not sewn together.
It is made from scraps of worn-out clothing, and threads are pulled out of them to tangle and tie together the doll’s parts.

Kuvadki

Today, few people know the “couvade” ritual.
In the middle of the 19th century, it, like a half-erased trace of ancient antiquity, still existed in the Oryol and Kostroma provinces.

In the beliefs of our ancestors, the birth of a new life was perceived as the mercy and disposition of divine powers.
On the other hand, the process of birth itself was associated with something sinful and unclean. The labor pains were seen as the intervention of evil forces tormenting the defenseless woman in labor and the baby.

The man, the father of the child, was given an active role. He was present at the birth of a child and provided protection from evil spirits by performing magical ritual actions.
These rituals are called “kuvada”: a basket with chicken eggs was placed in the dressing room. The man sat on a basket, pretending to hatch eggs (according to legend, the egg was the fundamental principle of life). With loud, frantic screams, imitating the cries of a woman in labor, the man lured evil spirits into the dressing room.

To prevent deceived and angry spirits from returning to the woman in labor, ritual dolls were hung in the dressing room.
They believed that these first inanimate images of people that caught the eye were inhabited by evil spirits. The baby itself was hidden in a closet, and a swaddled doll was placed on the man. After childbirth, the dolls were burned during a purification ceremony.

By the end of the 19th century, the origins of the ancient ritual were completely lost and forgotten, but the dolls remained. But the direction of their magical action changed: now they were hung over the cradle after the baby’s baptism, still protecting him from the countless machinations of evil spirits.

In some provinces, two weeks before the birth of the child, the expectant mother placed such a doll-amulet in the cradle. When the parents went to the field to work and the child was left alone in the house, he looked at these little dolls and played calmly. As a rule, these toys were small in size and all of different colors, this developed the baby’s vision.

Usually there are from 3 to 5 dolls made of multi-colored fabric in the crib.
Bright and cheerful, they replaced rattles.

Pelenashka

In an ancient Russian village, peasants believed that evil spirits were trying in every possible way to harm defenseless people.
To confuse the evil spirits, a swaddled doll was placed in the baby’s cradle, where it remained until the child’s baptism, in order to take upon itself all the misfortunes that threatened the child unprotected by the cross.
Only after baptism, which confirms the baby’s human status, was the doll removed from the cradle. The doll was kept in the house along with the child’s baptismal shirt.

This doll reproduced the peculiarities of the worldview of Russian peasants.
It was believed that restricting movement would make the child invisible to evil spirits, so the baby spent almost the entire first year of his life tightly swaddled in the cradle.

The rules for making the Pelenashka doll are based on the traditional peasant understanding of the universe.
In it, using the simplest manufacturing techniques, the main features of a human likeness were reproduced: the body, head and center of vital force, which, according to legend, is located in the navel area.
The doll was made from a piece of worn homespun clothing, which absorbed the warmth of the hands that made it. It was believed that a piece of vitality was transferred to the doll with native, homemade material.

The diaper, or baby doll, has a talismanic design. The doll is placed in the child’s hand as a natural massager, and when guests arrive, it is inserted into the folds of the child’s handkerchief, and then the guests, so as not to “jinx” the child, say about the doll: “Oh, how good the doll is!”

The birth of a child was dangerous both for himself and for the mother. It was believed that evil spirits try in every possible way to harm defenseless people. To deceive the evil spirits, numerous maternity rituals were performed. Immediately after birth, boys were wrapped in their fathers' unwashed shirts, and girls in their mother's blankets.

In this way, with old things, they tried to transfer part of the parents’ vitality to the babies. Then the child was hidden in a stable or in a closet.
The woman in labor was dressed in her husband's clothes, and he himself changed into his wife's dress and took her place in bed.

A swaddled doll was placed in bed with the moaning husband. It was believed that in this way danger could be warded off from the woman in labor and the newborn. Rituals accompanied not only the birth of children.

They tried to use magic to ensure the conception of a child. So, in some places, during a wedding, after the bride moved to the groom’s house, a swaddled doll was certainly placed on the newlywed’s lap.

It was believed that after this maternal strength came to the young wife. To confuse the evil spirits, a swaddled doll was placed in the baby’s cradle, where it remained until the child’s baptism, in order to take upon itself all the misfortunes that threatened the child not protected by the cross. Only after baptism, which confirmed the baby’s human status, was the doll removed from the cradle.

The doll was kept in the house along with the child’s baptismal shirt.

Moscow doll

Another name for the doll is “Seventh Me” (family).
The doll has six children tied to a belt or fastened with a belt.

The history of the doll goes back to the formation of the Moscow principality, which annexed new lands. Moscow is the mother, the new principality is the new child.
In the doll, this historical process stopped at the number 6.
This doll is a symbol of maternal care and love.

plantain

This little doll, called the Plantain, is a faithful keeper on the road and is given to someone who goes on a trip.
She is only 5-6 centimeters tall.
It won’t make your bag heavier, but will always remind you of your home or an interesting trip.
In her bag she carries either a handful of earth or a little ash, and you can also add a piece of bread or grain there so that the traveler is full.

You can write (or better yet, learn) a protective spell, as you know, the word helps.

Crossing himself, blessing,
I'll go out of the house and out the gate,
In the direction where the hunt is.
I won't go astray
And I won’t face trouble.
I will avoid evil
And I will find goodness everywhere.
I won’t stumble, I won’t hurt myself,
I’ll return to the house with good luck!”

Wedding doll based on the folk doll Murashenskaya couple

An important event in the life of our ancestors was a wedding. This event was significant not only for one family, but also for the entire community, clan, since the consequence of the wedding was the birth of a new life.

Shortly before the wedding, the bride's friends prepared a talismanic ritual wedding doll, which is amazing in its essence in terms of content.

The bride and groom, the future husband and wife, are girded with one belt - the thread of life. The doll was supposed to distract any negativity from young people and protect future spouses.

When making such a doll, girls read certain conspiracies for a happy married life and fertility of the bride and groom.
It was believed that the more sincere the wishes, the faster the bridesmaids themselves will get married and their family life will be happy.

Lovebirds

The Lovebirds doll is a symbol and amulet of a strong union, therefore it is done as if on one hand, to go through life hand in hand, to be together in joy and trouble.

Currently, the tradition has been preserved.
Now, like hundreds of years ago, you can make dolls with your own hands and give them from the bottom of your heart with the wish to never be separated.
These dolls were very symbolic - the feminine and masculine principles were combined into an inextricable whole.

Metlushka

When the owner of the house decided that the house was “clogged” with negativity (quarrels, evil eyes, damage, illnesses, bad deeds and thoughts of residents and guests), she took a Broom doll and clockwise, moving from the edges to the center, swept away the “garbage”-negativity in one pile (on a rag or piece of paper), after which the rag or piece of paper was collected into a ball and thrown away or burned.

Typically, the cleansing ritual is performed on the waning moon (ideally before the new moon). Before the ceremony, the house had to be cleaned.

After the ritual of cleansing the house, you immediately feel a decompressed atmosphere, it becomes easier to breathe and relationships between family members become harmonious.
The ritual can be carried out every month - then negative emotions will not accumulate in the house.
energy.

Twist-up doll with button

A twisted doll is the best amulet against damage and the evil eye.
This amulet is so ancient that now no one can say who and where first twisted a rag doll. Twist dolls are amazing creations that require only a few scraps, pieces of braid and thread to make.
A twisted doll is made without using a needle or scissors.

This is a small twist doll with a button, made in the form of a brooch.

Grove

The Grove doll is a symbol and amulet of the family, the unity of united clans, where the roots are the ancestors, and the branches are the new family and its descendants.
Previously, this doll was used to decorate a wedding loaf; in the center stood a stuck birch slingshot, decorated with dolls.

Like other magical wedding attributes, the spear from a wedding loaf had a deep symbolic meaning - it is a figurative tree growing from the ground, and the newlyweds together will need to cultivate the land - life, raise crops - children.

The doll is made on a spear, the meaning of which is also symbolic: this is the merging together of two destinies, two genera, now becoming a single whole, stronger than two separate branches.

The base of the doll is made from dried birch rods approximately 15 cm long; the birch bark is not removed. The rods are carefully broken out without using a knife.

Zhiva is embroidered on the apron - the goddess of life, spring, fertility, birth, life-grain.
Goddess of spring and life in all its manifestations; the giver of the vital force of the Family, making all living things actually alive.

She is the goddess of the life-giving forces of nature, spring bubbling waters, the first green shoots; patroness of young girls and young wives.

For luck

In the Happiness doll, the main thing is the hair, it contains feminine power.
The braid twists upward and serves as a support for the doll, making it stable.
Few traditional folk dolls can stand on their own.
The doll for luck has peculiar little paws that help it on the path to finding your happiness, because the path can be long.

She touches and touches everyone who sees her for the first time.
You can play with it without fear that it will unwind, as in the version of folk dolls, which should only stand in a place of honor.
You can wear such a doll for good luck as a talisman as keychains on bags and mobile phones.
It can be placed on your desktop or bedside table.

A doll for good luck is a funny cute doll, a talisman, your assistant on the way to achieving your goal, and hope for the most wonderful future.

Feminine essence

In a house where they really expect and desire a child, there was this doll.
They placed it in a prominent place in the bedroom. The purpose of this amulet was to restore fertility to a woman.
It was believed that the doll had the ability to lure the soul of a child with its long braid.

The doll should demonstrate a well-fed, rich life, and should be smartly dressed. Her legs are very thin, she always wears shoes, her hands are in mittens, her body is plump (a well-fed girl). The obligatory part of this doll (in fact, why it is called “feminine essence”) is the hole left at the bottom.
From which the filler sticks out - moss.
On the apron is embroidered the Woman in Birth - Lada giving birth to Lelya.

In addition, the sign of Ognevitsa, burning female diseases, Vseslavets, symbolizing a strong family, and symbols of the Sown Field were used.

Stolbushka is one of the simplest folk rag dolls. It is also called a spin doll. From the name it is clear that the basis of such a doll should be a “column”. You can make such a column from anything: birch bark, a round log, a stick wrapped in a rag. You can simply use thick linen fabric rolled into a thick roll - as in our master class. You can dress the column in any outfit of your choice. You can make a pigtail on your head - then you will get a young lady column. After all, only unmarried girls could go bare-haired. And if you tie a scarf, you will get a respectable auntie. The size of the spin doll may vary. It is more convenient for children to make this medium-sized rag doll - about 15 cm. The folk rag doll column was primarily a play doll, that is, it was made for children's games. This purpose is also relevant for modern children. Make this rag doll with or for your daughter and play together!
How to make a folk rag doll, a pillar.
1. For the base, take the fabric and roll it tightly to form a tight column. The bottom of the fabric can be folded inward, then the bottom of the doll will be thicker and the doll will have a more stable twist. The height of the post will determine the height of the rag doll. Our base column height turned out to be 12 cm.

Using threads (you can take red floss or iris threads), we tie the column in the middle and on the neck of the doll with a twist.

2. If necessary, to make the twisted doll’s head more round, wrap the head with a piece of padding polyester or a rag.
3. We make the head and shirt of a rag doll. We put a square piece of white fabric 15x15cm on the doll’s head and tie it with a thread under the neck. Try to immediately make the doll's face without wrinkles.

The opposite two ends of the fabric are the doll's hands. We turn the corners of the fabric inward, bend the edges and, stepping back from the edge about 1 cm, tie it with thread.
We tie the shirt at the waist with thread. At this stage, you can change the position of the doll's hands: you can make the hands look down or to the sides.
4. Making a skirt for the folk doll Stolushka. We tie a piece of fabric (13x10cm) to the doll’s body in a reverse manner.
We also tie an apron on top of the skirt using a reverse method.
5. We put a bandage and a scarf on the head (a right triangle with a leg of 13 cm)
The folk rag doll Stolbushka is ready.

Nowadays, dolls are ordinary children's toys, but in ancient times the Slavs treated them completely differently: dolls were amulets, and each of them performed its own functions.

Initially, the dolls of our ancestors carried only a good beginning, they protected the mistress and her house from evil spirits and evil spirits, and making dolls was a purely feminine matter, it was passed down from mother to daughter. It was believed that the fate of the family and clan depended on the quality of the housewife’s work. Before starting such a responsible work, the woman got ready, read the spells, and during the action she talked to the doll and did not allow herself to be in a bad mood.

The quality of the doll was used to judge the craftswoman’s readiness for marriage, so only the most beautiful of the dolls were kept in the chest and were part of the dowry.

The Komi people know many different dolls, but according to the method of production, the traditional type of rag Komi doll is the twist doll (twist). This amulet is so ancient that now no one can say who and where first twisted such a doll. Twist dolls are amazing creations that require only a few scraps, pieces of thread and braid to make. Previously, it was made without using a needle or scissors.

We decided to give you a master class on this wonderful amulet.

To make a twisted doll we will need:

• Thick body fabric;
• White cloth for the head;
• Fabric for dress;
• Apron fabric;
• Fabric for two scarves;
• Threads;
• Belt braid;
• Scissors.

It is better to take natural fabrics, preferably cotton or linen. For a dress you need to take one color of fabric, and for scarves some other color, so that the doll’s clothes are not boring. Previously, of course, there was no such choice: dolls were made from what was left over from old clothes or sewing new ones.

• First we need to make the base of the doll. To do this, take a thick fabric (ours is linen) and cut a small square of about 20 by 20 centimeters.

• Perform a tight twist. The result is a twist - a roll. This is the “torso” of our doll.

• We tie the body with thread, roughly dividing the doll into 3 parts.

• We make the doll's face: take a square of white fabric, place a twist in the center and tie it with a thread at neck level. We straighten the fabric to remove excess folds from the doll's face. The faces of the dolls were not drawn - it was believed that then the doll could put the evil eye on a person.

• Next, you need to make a scarf for the doll - take a piece of colored triangular fabric and tie it at the back, as shown in the picture.

• Now we need to dress up the doll: take a beautiful fabric (about 15 by 25 cm), at waist level, on top, apply it with the reverse side, add an apron under the bottom, make folds in the dress and tie it all with a thread.

• Now all that remains is to tie the scarf, tie the belt, and the doll is ready!

The twist doll is made in different ways. Some people do them with hands (in this case, the white fabric for the head should be made larger, also tied at the neck and then, on both sides, pull out the arms, tying the palms together); some add padding polyester to the body or head to make the doll fuller; sometimes you can find a body made of paper or a branch; but the one we made is the oldest and simplest version of it. Such a doll could either be given to a baby or placed in a chest with the bride’s dowry. This doll protects its owner from all troubles and misfortunes.

Inessa SPARWASSER