Tutorial & Giveaway!
All this week, I'm doing a toothpick doll tutorial, & at the end of the week, I'll give away my finished doll. To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment on any of the Tutorial blog posts. Since there's a new post every day this week, you can enter every day! I'll announce the winner on Monday, Dec. 8. Enjoy the tutorial! Oh, & take some pictures of your dolls - I want to see them!
Today is All About the Shoulders
Shoulders are tricky, fair warning! I'm going to give you some tips to make them easy & beautiful.
Start your shoulder at the back of your doll, about 1/2 down from the neck. Glue the end of the thread in place between the arms.
Now flip the doll over & put a light line of glue down both arms from the bottom of the shoulders up to the neck, like in the picture above. If you want a little added security, put a line of glue on the front as well. Don't get too glue-happy here - you don't want glue squishing out between the threads. Your doll will appreciate your restraint. 
Take your time & start wrapping the thread around to form the shoulders. Wrap up toward the neck. Try to get the wraps as close to each other as possible. The glue will go a long way towards making your thread stay in place, but you may need to press it in place some with your finger as well. Go slow, take your time, don't stress. If you end up with a messy spot on your shoulders, we'll stick a bow on it at the end. Oh, the wonderful power of bows!
Keep wrapping up until you get to the neck. Wrap a couple times around the neck, then end the thread. Tada! You have shoulders! Go you.Tomorrow: Turning the Spindly Head into a Real Head
Leave a comment to enter the giveaway!
You can leave as many comments as you like, asking questions, making astute observations, etc., although your name only gets entered once every day you leave a comment. Yes, you can go back & comment on past days if you missed some!
Just start wrapping the thread around the doll, going toward the feet. Try to keep your wrapping pretty close together, so you don't end up with gaps in the doll's dress (how embarassing!)
To end off, just clip the thread & glue it down. I've ended mine shorter, because I want to add a stripe to the bottom of the dress. Now don't get too fashion-designer on your first doll, but go ahead & add a stripe or two if you'd like.
To do the arms, start the thread at the pointed end & wrap down to the hand. NOTE: You don't have to start the thread at the very tip of the point - you'll see I started about 1/4" down. That part will be covered by the shoulders, so save your eyes & patience! When both arms are done, glue them on.
Pull out your ruler, toothpicks, scissors (BIG PAIR!) & pencil.
Congratulations! You have a body! Now don't touch it again until all that white glue turns clear. You wouldn't want crooked legs!
Here's the third member of the worker elves' party. The prince has stepped out of the shot for this one & no wonder - her hat isn't finished yet! It still looks a little odd, & the prince is a little too worried about bad press to be seen with her quite yet. 
There! Hat done, shoes tipped, she's ready for work, if you can convince her to leave her flowers for a moment. There's a certain question she's been asking the daisies for a while now, & I'm afraid we're not going to get any work out of her just yet! Oh, look - the Prince has come back. You may want to cover your ears, though - as he may begin to serenade, as he's heard that all princes are supposed to do. 
