ACCESSORIES FOR A PEDDLER DOLL (Part three: Odds and Ends) In the last two columns I wrote about about making some specific items for a peddler doll; bottles and books. This time I'd like to tell you various ways to use a single item to make several different things. That item is a toothpick. Now, we're not talking about ordinary flat crummy toothpicks here. I use a very specific type of toothpick in my dollmaking (and on my table!). That is the ornately turned Japanese hardwood toothpick, which you can find at most oriental food markets. It is made from very hard wood, so you can carve and sand it to very fine dimensions. The blunt end is turned on a lathe to create a lot of interest, and the very end is stained a darker color. I realize that makers of larger dolls will not find as many uses for these tiny items, but for my one quarter scale dolls, and especially for dollhouse dolls, they are indispensable. I used them in several ways for the peddler doll's wares. The first and most simple use for them is knitting needles. All you have to do is wrap some fine sandpaper around the toothpick and reduce the width from the point up to the last ridge. Turn the toothpick constantly while sanding to make it nice and round. Then finish with a wax, varnish or polyurethane product to keep it smooth. That's it! Easy enough. The second item to try is an ornate paper fan. Find some decorative paper, or a pretty picture in a magazine that would make a nice antique fan. Cut it out and paste it to some light cardboard or stiff paper. Press it under a heavy book to make it dry perfectly flat. Then, while the glue dries, carve a toothpick flat on one side, down the whole length of the toothpick. Lay some fine sandpaper, grit-side-up on a flat surface, and rub the flat side of the toothpick back and forth to smooth it completely flat. Simply glue this to the paper cutout, and you have a simple but authentic looking fan. Tie a length of embroidery thread around the handle to hang it up. Display these in a group, hanging from your peddler's belt. Another type of fan you can make is the folding fan. You will need a Dremel(R) motor tool with a tiny drill bit. Flatten both sides of two toothpicks to create a flat front and back for the fan. Drill a hole in the blunt end of each toothpick. Cut some pretty wrapping paper in a fan shape, fold it in accordion pleats and glue the toothpicks to each end of the paper. Insert a brass wire through the holes and form a ring. Make a tassel from some embroidery thread and hang it from the brass ring. If the fan will always be displayed open, you can glue a piece of lace to the paper, but if it is to be folded, then it is best to keep the paper layer as thin as possible. I also used toothpicks and tiny drills to make arms and legs for the peg wooden doll. The main part of the doll was carved from a wooden peg and painted with acrylic paints. Then holes were drilled in the shoulders and hips and brass pins were inserted and glued in the holes to attach the limbs. The final use for toothpicks on the peddler doll was in the washboard. I bought the washboard with a corrugated tin insert (from a craft supply store). I carefully removed the bottom plank of the wooden frame, removed the metal insert, and replaced it with toothpicks cut to size. All these uses for toothpicks may seem incidental, but the overall result is a more authentic look for a character from another time. Combined with all the baskets, the yarn and embroidery thread, they help to accessorize a cloth doll using natural fibers and materials. Well, that's all my tips for making Peddler's wares. I'm sure that once you get started, you will think up all sorts of things to make for your doll. (Frankly, It's hard to stop!) Back to Workbook Forward to next Article URL:peddleracc2.html