for they are always the funniest ones and the most suggestive of comical action.
Cut the long neck down in proportion to the rest of the body and trim the arms and legs off to the proper length. Remember that one inch of the neck of the dolls must be inserted in the head and allow for that in cutting the long stem.
[Fig. 136] gives a branch as it looks when taken from the tree, and the black bands on the twigs show where they should be trimmed off to bring the little figure into proportions. The parts left white or in outline, below the bands, are to be cut away. There are two legs to this branch and three arms, one of which must be dispensed with. The left arm must remain and it matters but little which of the right arms is selected. In this case the lower one is marked to be cut.
Now comes the making of the
Heads, Hands, and Feet
These must all be double, for, to hold them on, the twigs are pasted between the two halves. In some cases, where the neck is quite thick, you will find it best to shave off a little at front and back to flatten it, so that the neck may lie easily between the two parts of the head and not push the face out of shape ([Fig. 137]). This is seldom necessary, however, unless the doll is unusually large.
[Figs. 138], [139], [140], [141], [142], and [143] give the heads of all our little troupe sufficiently large to be copied. [Fig. 144] shows the hands and feet.
| Fig. 138—Daffy-down-dilly. | Fig. 139—Little Miss Muffet. | Fig. 140—Jack-be-nimble. |
| Fig. 141—The Little Crooked Man. | Fig. 142—Peter White. | Fig. 143—Doctor Foster. |
Use a heavy brown wrapping paper for the heads and draw the faces simply with pen and ink in broad lines, or, if the children want to color them, they can use water-colors or colored pencils. In any case the features should be strongly marked, that the character of the face may not be lost.