My passion for dolls has been there since I can remember. I simply love them in all sorts, shapes and sizes. I think it was during my two years in studying the Russian language and its history that the Babushka (meaning ‘granny’ or ‘elderly woman’) doll moved into my (now uncountable) ‘have to make’ list.
In the beginning of the year I saw raw wood dolls in a craft store and thought this my chance to have my own, painted by myself. They stood in my studio for a year up till now, but I wanted to add something unique to them. My daughter (6) came up with the idea to wrap them in fabric.
That was a clever idea – the bottom part could be fabric, and upper part painted. We gathered all the red (my favourite colour) bits and pieces of fabric, lace and anything that could add a sparkle to the dolls.
To transform the dolls, I cut strips of fabric that will cover the doll’s bottom half in circumference as well as height. Then I paint the bottom half of the dolls with acrylic gel medium (Modge Podge is a suitable alternative) and wrap the fabric strip over the glue.
Rub all the air bubbles out with your fingers and let it dry. As soon as it’s dry, cover the fabric with one or more layers of acrylic gel medium. You can either glue the lace in the same way with the acrylic gel medium, or glue it with wood glue that dries clear.
Paint the upper part with matching craft paint. I mixed the red until it matched the fabric colour. Paint 2-3 layers and let it dry. Draw face circles with a white pencil and paint with a light cream craft paint. Again paint 2-3 layers and let it dry. Paint the cheeks pink and draw the eyes and mouth with a permanent marker.
You can add some polka dots or patterns by using a white pencil. Glue all the glitter, flowers or sequins and let it dry.
Now you can add 1-2 layers of spray varnish and let it dry completely (also between layers).
It is a simple but enjoyable project to share with your daughter!
A HankiDori Day 
Clever idea, and great results.
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