Introduction: Mabon Apple Dolls

We made apple dolls to celebrate our beautiful, bountiful Mabon harvest!

Supplies

  1. Apples
  2. Paring knife, vegetable peeler, and/or toothpicks    
  3. Lemon juice
  4. Salt
  5. Measuring cup and measuring spoons
  6. Small bowl
  7. Paper towels
  8. Parchment paper
  9. Baking sheet
  10. Oven, preheated at lowest setting
  11. Wooden dowels, popsicle sticks, tongue depressors, etc.
  12. Pipe cleaners (optional)
  13. Pillow stuffing or cotton balls (optional)
  14. Felt, fabric, ribbons, little items for decorations
  15. Scissors
  16. Stapler
  17. Glue
  18. Yarn for hair
  19. Markers (optional)

Step 1: Prepare Apples

  1. Peel apples.
  2. Carve faces with paring knife and/or toothpicks.  

Step 2: Dry Apples

  1. Mix 1 cup lemon juice and 1 tablespoon salt in a small bowl.
  2. Place apples in bowl and pour lemon juice/salt mixture over apples. If apples are not fully immersed, prepare more mix. Soak apples for 30 minutes.
  3. Remove apples from lemon juice mixture and dry off apples with paper towels.
  4. Place on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
  5. Bake apples at lowest setting on oven (170°F for my oven) for 90 minutes, turning every 15 minutes to prevent soft spots from forming.
  6. Remove apples from the oven and allow to dry out for 2-3 days. 

Step 3: Design Doll's Clothes

  1. Draw clothing on fabric or felt.
  2. Double over the fabric to create a front and a back for each article of clothing.
  3. Cut out clothing. You should have 2 shirt pieces and 2 pants/skirt pieces.

Note: you can be as creative and complicated or simple as you like with your doll's clothes. Have fun with it!

Step 4: Build Doll Body

  1. Place apple head onto wooden stick. It may be necessary to use a knife to pierce the apple first.
  2. If using pipe cleaners, create arms and legs for the doll.

Step 5: Build Doll's Clothes

  1. Place bottom layer of clothing on a flat surface. If using stuffing, place a small amount on top of the fabric.
  2. Place doll over bottom layer of clothing. Add more stuffing if desired.
  3. Place top layer of clothing over doll. Staple edges together.
  4. You can fold over the ends of the pipe cleaners to create hands and feet.

Step 6: Decorate Doll's Clothes

  1. Use glue, ribbon, markers, etc. to decorate clothing. 
  2. Slide pieces of clothes up dowel and glue to dowel.
  3. Glue head in place.

Step 7: Finish Doll Head

  1. Cut multiple pieces of yarn for hair.
  2. Glue hair onto apple doll head.
  3. Use markers to draw details on face, if desired. 

Step 8: 1. Voila! Mabon Apple Dolls!