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Pipe Cleaner Dolls

Total Time Needed:: 1 Hour

With posable bodies and wigged-out hair, these futuristic action figures are a welcome diversion on a rainy day.

Materials

3/4-inch round wooden beads (with a 5mm center hole)
Smaller wooden beads
Felt scraps

Pipe cleaners
Embroidery floss
Markers

Instructions

HAIRSTYLING: Cut the embroidery floss into 20 pieces that measure twice the desired length. Fold a 6-inch pipe cleaner in half over the midpoint of the collective strands. Feed both ends of the pipe cleaner through the center of the large bead. Slide the bead up the pipe cleaner until the fold is hidden in the bead center. Then separate each strand of embroidery floss to fashion a thick shock of hair. For curls, dampen the strands with a few drops of water, wind them around a pencil and let them
BODY BUILDING: For arms, place a 5-inch length of pipe cleaner crosswise just below the bead head. Twist each end once around the doll's trunk (the portion of the first pipe cleaner protruding from the bead). Next, bend up the trunk about 3/4 inch from the bottom to form a hook. To form legs, fold a 5-inch pipe cleaner in half and hang it on the hook. Secure the legs by twisting the 3/4-inch trunk ends around them.
PANTS: Begin by folding a 6- by 1 1/2-inch piece of felt in half, so that the shorter edges meet. Starting from the fold, make a 2-inch cut up the middle, stopping 1 inch from the open end. Make a 1/4-inch waist hole 1/2 inch from one top edge. For foot openings, make a small slit through the felt fold at the bottom of each pant leg. Slip both legs through the waist opening from the front. Then, push the pipe cleaner tips through the foot openings and match up the short felt edges behind the dol
SKIRT AND SHIRT: Cut a 4-inch hourglass shape out of felt. Make a waist hole in the center to slide the doll's feet through. For a shirt, use a 2-inch felt square. Cut two small armholes 1/2 inch apart and 1/4 inch from the upper edge. Wrap the shirt around the doll's chest and over the top of its pants or skirt. Wind a 3-inch pipe cleaner belt around the doll's waist to secure the clothes. To keep the pants side seams closed, twist a 2-inch piece of pipe cleaner around each
For hands and feet, slip a smaller bead onto the end of each limb. Bend the pipe cleaner tips to keep the beads in place.
Finally, draw on a face with fine-tipped markers, testing the colors on a spare bead first.