SPOOLIE DOLL NECKLACE
Instructions by Charlotte Sandel Beck
 

In 1994, I designed a sewing-theme necklace that appeared in the Feb '94 issue of Sew News Magazine. The editor stated that the completed necklace was for sale (when I intended the patterns for sale) and I was thrust into production to meet the sales demand for the finished necklaces. In the process, I bought (and imported) 30,000 wooden spools and 33,000 wooden beads, thousands of sheets of ragboard, thimbles, bobbins, buttons, safety pins and floss. I even hired a die-maker to stamp and cut the pieces from a set of dies I designed. Needless to say... it was quite a learning experience. Having a surplus of materials, I also made kits for the spoolie doll whose instructions appear below:

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This project is intended for free distribution. If you make it for resale, please include the following information: Pattern Compliments Of "Ain't That Cute"

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Materials List:
8 small spools
1 medium spool
4 small wooden beads
1 large wooden bead
30" twine or cording
marker or paint for face
yarn or doll hair
scrap of fabric for dress
needle and thread
glue or hot glue
permanent marker or paint for eyes
 

===============DOLL===============

 
String the doll head, body, legs and feet as shown on the assembly diagram above. Tie a knot at the feet and top of the head. Next, tie the center of the 30" twine into a knot around the neck. String the arm and on each side of the body. Do not tie the necklace ends together yet. Make a knot at the end of each hand to keep the spools from sliding up the cord.

 
The size of the dress will depend on the size of the spools you use for the doll body. It should be at least 2 times wider than the doll's outstretched arms. Cut a scrap of fabric for the sleeve, just long enough to cover part of the top arm spool. With a needle and thread, gather the neck edge of the sleeve. Slip the sleeve ofer the doll's arm with the gathered edge at the doll's neck. Pull the gathers tightly, then tie the thread off. Repeat for the other sleeve.

 
For the dress, stitch the two short ends together to form a tube. Either hem the bottom with a narrow hem or pull the fabric threads for an unraveled look. The seam will be the center back of the dress. Cut armhole slits in the dress as shown on the pattern. Turn the arm edge to the wrong side of the fabric. Then turn under 1/4" along the neck edge and make a running stitch, being sure to sew through the folded edge. Pull the gathers on the front neck to measure about 1". Repeat for the back neck edge. Slip the dress onto the doll so that her arms are in the armhole slits. Stitch or glue the front and back neck edges to each other.

 
Cut strands of yarn, wool roving, or doll hair to the length you need. Tie a piece of thread around the center of the hair. Glue to the center of the head. When the glue has set, place a line of glue around the sides and back of the head, and lay the hair over it, arranging it into a "style".

 
Make a dot for each eye with a black permanent marker. Do not leave the marker in contact with the head ball too long or the ink will be soaked up by the wood grain. Another method is to use the handle tip of a small paintbrush dipped in black paint and then touched (or dotted) to the eye spot. Try it on a piece pf paper first. Rub a q-tip in powder bluch makeup then rub it on the cheek area of the face. Anothr "rouge" method is to rub a red crayon on a piece of tissue, then rub the red spot onto the cheeks.

 
Tie a bow of ribbon and glue it to the dress front. A tiny button would look great in the center of the bow. Make another bow for the hair and glue it to the spot that you like best.

 
If the twine or cord unravels or is difficult to thread through the spools, try stiffening it by rolling celephone tape on the tips. A drop of glue or fray-check on each knot will help them stay securely tied.

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Ain't That Cute is also the name of a television program seen in the midwest U.S. which features a different crafting or craft sewing project in each episode. The program has won 2 Philo Awards for best instructional video in a 5-state region and 3 ICE awards for commitment to local programming.