Materials needed:

A pair of scissors
7 pieces of yarn, 6” in length
1” Styrofoam ball
Cornhusks
Bowl of water (to soak the cornhusks)

Before you start:

Soak your cornhusks in water for at least five minutes.

Step 1

Take two pieces of cornhusk out of the water. Take a piece of yarn and tie the cornhusks together at the top. Tie the cornhusks together 1” down from the top (every time you tie in this project, tie twice and tie it as tight as you can!) Take the styrofoam ball and place it right below the knot you just tied. Fold down the top portion, and fold one of the corn husks over. This will completely hide our first knot and the styrofoam ball. Take a piece of yarn and tie right below the styrofoam ball. This is what makes the cornhusk doll’s head. Set the head to the side.

Step 2

Grab another corn husk and fold it half, top to bottom. Rotate the corn husk sideways and fold it in half one more time. Then roll the corn husk really tight. Take a piece of yarn and tie the roll together on one end about ½” from the end. Turn the roll around and do the same thing to the other side. This will be the arms for the cornhusk doll.

Step 3

There are two cornhusks below the head, spread these apart and place the arms up in between the cornhusks. Take another piece of yarn and tie right below the arms. This will make the cornhusk doll’s waist.

Step 4

Grab about five corn husks from the water. Add these corn husk around the waist we just created. You want the top of the corn husk to be at the neck of the doll. When adding more corn husk always rotate which side you are adding onto. Take a piece of yarn and tie these corn husks at the waist of the doll.

Step 5

Take two pieces of corn husk out of the water. This will be the shirt for the cornhusk doll. Take one of the corn husks and fold it in half. Lay this across the cornhusk doll, over the shoulder and across the back. Take the other corn husk and fold it in half. Lay it across the cornhusk doll the opposite direction of the first corn husk, over the shoulder and across the back. These two corn husks will now look like an “X”. Take a piece of yarn and tie these corn husks in place.

Step 6

Now that you have your completed cornhusk doll, it is time to trim the bottom. Flatten the bottom of your cornhusk doll’s dress and cut some husk off the bottom in a straight line. This will make your cornhusk doll stand up straight. Let her dry completely and you have your very own Cherokee cornhusk doll. Remember the Cherokee people never put faces on cornhusk dolls. If you would like to find out why, please watch the video above that includes the story.