MAKE CORN HUSK DOLLS
Out of the garden, the fun can continue. don’t put your husks on the compost pile after having sweet corn for dinner! use them to make corn husk people instead. it is so much fun – once you’ve made one doll, you will want to make a whole family.
YOU’LL NEED
• 1 ear of corn with the husk attached per doll – see note
• soft string (embroidery thread is ideal)
• scissors
Note
In this instance, fresh isn’t best. The husks need to be soft and pliable. Put your husks aside until after dinner or leave them until the next day. If you find the husks have become a little too hard and crispy, soak them in warm water for a couple of minutes. Dry them off and then they are ready to use.
HOW TO DO IT
Step 1 Take four pieces of husk and cut off the base.
Step 2 Gather the ends together and tie with the soft string as tightly as you can, about 1cm from the top.
Step 3 Turn the husks inside out as if you were peeling a banana. The string should now be on the inside. Mould it into a round head shape and tie it with string as tightly as you can to make a neck.
Step 4 Take two pieces of husk about 12cm long and roll them together lengthways. These are the arms. Tie the ends with string to make the hands.
Step 5 Separate the husks below the neck to give you a front and a back. Put the arms in the middle between the front and the back and tie the string around the belly just below the arms as tightly as you can.
Step 6 To make the shoulders, take two husk strips about 2cm wide and fold them over the arms on the diagonal so they cross the chest. Tie them in place around the belly with string.
Step 7 To make the skirt or pants, take three pieces of husk for the front and three for the back and arrange them so the pointy tips are facing up.
Step 8 Tie them together around the belly as tight as you can.
Step 9 Fold the husks down like you did for the head and arrange them nicely so they cover the bottom half of the person.
Step 10 For a skirt: wrap a long piece of husk 1.5cm wide around the top of the skirt to hold it in place and tie it in a knot at the back. Cut off the bottom of the skirt so it is even.
For trousers: Separate the husks down the middle to make two legs and tie them off at the ankles as tight as you can. Trim the pointy ends of the husks to make feet.
Kids: Have fun but get a grown-up to help you with the knots if you’re finding them a little tricky.
Grown-ups: Help alleviate any frustration if the kids aren’t very good at tying knots.