Voodoo doll construction ideas

A voodoo doll is a magic prop to achieve specific effects on one’s own life or the life of another human being.

The creative tinkerer has a more direct access to self-made dolls and the rituals are thus accompanied by an intimate connection.

Instructions for a string doll

To make a string doll you need a little straw, wool in the color of your choice, buttons or small beads, some thread, a needle, some wool and fabric scraps, feathers, some leather or leather band, possibly hair or small items of the influenced person, glue or a hot glue gun and maybe some glitter powder.

From these materials you can – concentrated on the purpose of the ritual or the person you want to influence – creative craft a body. To do this, for example, start with a bundle of straw cut to about 15 cm, which you tie off with the yarn to get the head, body, arms and legs. This basic body you refine with the desired ingredients – pull your voodoo doll in the colors that match your ritual, decorate it the way it intuitively feel good and decorate the face with buttons, beads or embroidery. Do you want to influence yourself, give the voodoo doll the facial features that you like at yourself. If the ritual should influence another person, the voodoo doll should look like this person and you probably can use a few hairs of the person or any small objects that belong to him.

Instructions for a voodoo doll made of cloth

Voodoo dolls can also be made of cloth in order to use them as charms or as decorative items. Sketch the outline of the doll’s body on the linen fabric twice. This outline is carefully cut out with about a half inch seam allowance.

Stack these two figures with the outside inside and stitch them together except for a small opening. Now turn around the sleeve of the doll. Due to the small opening you can fill the doll with as rice or cotton wool.

Then stitch the small opening. At best the opening is at the top of the head as you can use it for attaching wool, raffia or other fine materials as hairs. Sew a pair of pants, shirt or jacket from other fabric remnants. Two small buttons or flat beads can serve as an eye. Equally well you can draw the eyes, nose and mouth with a fabric marker.

Instructions for a voodoo doll with a molded clay bowl

Original voodoo dolls often have a head made of dried or fired clay. You can also use self-drying modeling clay instead. Shape it into a character head fitting your ritual best. Then, insert a crochet hook in the bottom of the neck region of the head and fasten down straw or a forked stick in the total length of the voodoo doll with a little “mud” from the clay. From the crotch of the stick the legs can be formed. Now let the whole thing dry very well. Later you can bind the arms to the body of straw or attach them with the hot glue gun. Made of fabric scraps and all kinds of accessories you can now produce clothing and other accessories for dressing the voodoo doll. Complete the expressions with color now – waterproof markers or paint pens are well suited for this purpose.

Instructions for a wax figure used for voodoo rituals

In many regions voodoo dolls are simply formed from wax. They are very stylized and simple. Such a voodoo doll can be made very intuitive if you just concentrate on the influenced person or the meaning of the ritual when forming the doll. The produced voodoo doll can be decorated with ornaments that will be sticked on with superglue. The superglue has to be applied very thin on both sides. Let it dry a short time and then press firmly to lock. This succeeds easier without deforming if the wax body is previously chilled completely.

Instructions for a little voodoo doll made of self-drying clay

A voodoo doll can also be manufactured from self-drying clay. As well as the wax figures it has the advantage that you can stylize the body shapes and facial expressions very well or work out detailed requirements. Depending on your creativity, you can dress the voodoo doll or it stays as it is. You can carve the name of the person to be affected as long as the ground is still soft. Self-drying modeling material can be painted both with pencils and paint with poster or model paint colors. Similarly, you can glue glitter or sequins and many more things. You can also personalize such a voodoo doll very easy putting hair on the head directly into the soft clay.