The Sacred Hearth

Corn as we know it, or maize, is a Native American grain. Traditional corn dollies were elaborately woven affairs made of other grains, which were referred to as corn before maize took over the name and they weren't always person-shaped either. Of course, modern times calls for modern adaptations and I personally don't have the hand-eye coordination required for a proper corn dolly. We can use corn husks instead and make a reasonable dolly as follows.

You will need

string
scissors
dried and cleaned cornhusks, soaked in water

Arrange four cornhusks into a flat overlapping bundle with the wider ends near the top and the narrow parts toward the bottom.

Tie a bit of string firmly around the bundle, about an inch from the wide end. Trim and round out the edges of the wide ends, then flip the bundle upside down. Fold the pointy ends of the cornhusks down over the trimmed ends. Tie another bit of string around the bundle to form a head. The folded over part is the top of the head.

Take another husk, flatten it and roll it into a tight cylander. Tie each end of the cylander with a string. Slide this under the cornhusks beneath the head. Tie another bit of string beneath the arms, to make the waist.

Drape two more cornhusks over the shoulders in a crisscross pattern. Take a few more and bind them at the waist, this makes the doll's dress.

If you prefer your doll to have legs, gather equal sized bundles of the cornhusk that made up your skirt and bind with string at the ankles and knees.

You can color your doll with markers, or dress it up however you like. Enjoy!