Make a Yarn Voodoo Doll
by rhonda 
The other day I was walking out of the grocery store when I happened to glance up at the gumball machines near the door. I stopped dead in my tracks and stared slack-jawed for a moment before grabbing my wallet and madly digging for quarters. I mean, seriously, who can resist a gumball machine full of voodoo dolls?? I ended up going home with this cute li'l guy in my pocket:
I took a close look at it and thought, "hey, I could make one of these!" (This is especially true in light of my massive yarn stash that never seems to shrink no matter how many hats I crochet.) I came up with this version:
Project estimate:
- Yarn, on hand or $1 and up
- Buttons, on hand
- Small foam balls, $1
- Glue, on hand
Total: $1 and up
Glue the end of the yarn to a small foam ball. (Mine came in a variety pack of sizes that I found at Dollar Tree.)
Wrap yarn around the ball until it is completely covered. Use a dab of glue to secure the end.
Figure out the length you want your arms/torso/legs pieces to be. Loop a piece of yarn to that length several times. (Mine are about 5 inches long.)
Starting at one end, wrap the yarn around the looped lengths tightly until you reach the other end. Glue the end of the yarn to secure. Repeat to make a second piece the same length.
Cut several lengths of yarn and tie them securely around the yarn-wrapped ball.
Lay out the pieces as shown, with the long pieces bent to create the arms and legs and the ends of the yarn wrapped around the head going through what wikll become the torso.
Tie around the armpit area tightly with a long piece of yarn. Create the torso by wrapping down toward the feet, then wrap back up to where you started to make a double layer of wrapping.
Make the last couple of wraps in an "X" shape, passing the yarn between the arm and head. Glue the end of the yarn in place on the back of the doll to secure.
To make eyes, find a pair of smal buttons that each have 4 holes. Use black thread or embroidery floss to make an X on each button. Glue the buttons to the doll's head.
Voodoo dolls make great gifts for:
- a friend with a particularly cruel boss at work.
- anyone going through a nasty divorce.
- people who have a morbidly offbeat sense of humor.
You can give the voodoo doll by itself, or you can:
- place it in a box with a package of straight pins and a lighter to make a complete kit.
- glue a pin to the back side of its torso to make a wacky brooch.
- attach a string to the top of its head to turn it into an ornament.
What else could you do with a voodoo doll?
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How strange that this was posted. A friend of mine was given one of these little guys on her birthday and I’ve been trying to hunt them down to get one of my own ever since. I’m going crazy trying to find one that’s just plain white. Maybe I’ll just try making my own!
He he he, LOVE this!
Fun project with the kids.
I may “re-brand” them as mummies and make them with my kids next halloween!
[...] can make a Voodoo doll out of yarn. I think it has a Sackboy-esque quality to [...]
So cute, love it!
I’ll be making some with bunny ears and tail.
you could also go for a reverse voodoo doll. make it to represent someone you love (or yourself!!) & do nice things to it, like give it money & presents. generate some good karma instead of bad :)
[...] at Paper, Plate, and Plane. (Wouldn't they make a great companion project to go with today's voodoo doll tutorial??) She used faux metal contact paper to make her blades, which is a little pricey but has a [...]
I like the old SNL sketch about voodoo acupuncture – someone sticks a pin in the right spot on a doll of you, and your arthritis clears up!
[...] How to make a yarn voodoo doll [...]
ooh, your doll is cute and cool, and even a little spooky!
[...] Greene of “Mrs. Greens” blog made this adorable Voodoo doll and it is featured on “Dollar Store Crafts. I think this is a project the children could handle and enjoy making with a little help from [...]
How cool are these!!??? My daughter has been collecting the gum-ball machine ones for years, and here, they’re $2 a pop! I’d been searching for a tutorial just like this one to make her some special ones, and to try making them with all her little friends at her next Bday party. You rock! Thanks for posting the tute!
How much yarn does each one take? And how much time? :) Going to make these for media kits for a Voodoo-themed events
@Amy – I’d say maybe 10 minutes or less each, they go pretty quickly once you get wrapping. For me, the most tedious thing was waiting for the glue to dry on the ends of each piece. The amount of yarn depends on the size of the doll you’re making and the yarn weight; I used worsted weight and probably went through about 8 or 10 yards total to make mine, which was a few inches tall. (I say *was* because, even though I thought it was safely out of reach, it became a cat toy. I hope that someone somewhere wasn’t mauled by a lion because of it…)
Instead of using a small foam ball, you can also use aluminum foil crumpled into a tiny ball, then smoothed out. As I have no patience to go out and by my own supplies, I use what I need. This is a very simple project, but if I take my time, this takes about an hour. But sooo worth it! They’re so cute! I’ll be making a ton of these before the year ends.
Love this! So cute! I also put together a Thai string doll tutorial which uses pipe cleaners and embroidery thread. I’ve done this project a bunch of times and is totally kid friendly. You can see my version here: http://www.the4yablog.com/2010/09/thai-string-dolls-tutorial.html
[...] vibe. So far I’ve not had any problems! This year we’re also going to be making mini voodoo dolls – no spells included. Should be [...]
If I give mine money, and it’s me… Will I get more, and more and more?
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