One of the things I am doing with the kids for Lughnasadh this year is making some corn dollies that we can use to decorate the house. Traditionally these dollies were made from grain such as straw or wheat sheafs but they can also be made from corn husks. Corn husks are by far the easiest thing to get a hold of where I live so that’s what I’ll be using today.

Corn dollies are a pre-Christian tradition and have been found all over the world from Europe to Egypt and beyond. These dollies can be simple or quite intricate and don’t often look like dolls at all. Tying of the grains into delicate and beautiful patterns is an art form within itself.

Today I’m making mine a little more simply and less traditionally. These corn dollies will be little harvest goddesses that we’ll hold on to throughout the 3 harvest festivals. 

Supplies:
Corn husks (if yours are very dry and fragile soak them in water for a few minutes and pat dry with paper towels before starting)

Jute Twine

Scissors

Hot Glue (optional but makes it a little easier and more sturdy)

I encourage you to experiment with the corn husks. Twist them, pinch them, cut them…give your dolly some style all your own.

Getting Started

I like to start by making the hair and arms. To make the hair cut 5 or 6 strips of twine in equal lengths and tie in the center with another piece of twine. Keep the tails long on the piece that you use to tie in the center. You can make the hair as long or as short as you’d like by changing the lengths of twine that you use.

For the arms take 3 equal lengths of twine and braid them, tying on each end. I like to make them longer and then trim once the dolly is finished.

Next we will create the head.

Make a stack of 5 or 6 corn husks. In the center of the stack layer the hair that you just created. The hair should face the large end of the corn husks and the tails should come out of the short end. Take a small piece of twine and tie a tight not about 1/2” down the stack, just below the knot for the hair.

Once your knot is tight and secure grab the end of the corn husks that you just tied and carefully peel the husks down around the 1/2” section. Split them so that the hair ends up on the top of the head. Fold them all the way around and tie another section of twine about 1” from the top. Be sure the tails from the hair come down through this section. This creates the head.

I like to glue the hair strands down to keep them from being all over the place, but do what feels right to you.

Now for the arms and torso.

Take your braid and slip it up into the center of the corn husks below the head. I like to tie the arms in place using the tails from the hair that is now in the center of your doll.

Once your arms are attached we will tie another section of twine to create a waist. This is just like we did to create the head. Be sure to get your knots tight.

The dress.

This is my favorite part. You can either be finished with the dress here or decorate her further. For this example I created a crossover bodice with a wide waist band. I cut one husk into 3 long strips to create this effect. I achieved this with a dot of hot glue on the back to hold them in place, but it could easily just be held on with twine. 

To add a little something extra I cut another corn husk into a few smaller strips. From there I cut fringe on the wider ends and twisted each one with my fingers to make it stand out a bit. I glued these pieces under the wide belt.

Next I tied a small length of twine around her waist to create a thin belt.

The Arms.

I like to gather the braids in front of my dolly and tie them together. Cut them to the length you’d like before you tie. My dolly is holding an extra piece of wheat I have from making a flower arrangement for my altar.

The last thing I suggest is to trim the layers along the bottom of your dolly if you’d like her to stand up. Sometimes it works, sometimes she’s just too top heavy, but it’s easier to get her to stand if her dress is all the same length.

Now you have a beautiful dolly to use on your altar or as a centerpiece for your Sabbat feast.

Blessed be the Witches!