How To Make Bender Doll Angels

Christmas Tradition

by Jeannine Carroll

I wrote The Christmas Gift because I love this simple tradition and wanted to share it with other families. I, also, believe there is no greater gift we can give children than helping them to know the real meaning of the Christmas story. 

 The story and tradition, shared in the book, focus's on Christ's birth and sharing God's love through acts of kindness.  At the beginning of the Christmas season, the family puts out the empty manger and bag of straw. With each good deed, they put a piece of straw in the manger. By Christmas morning, the goal is to have a full manger and give baby Jesus the gift of a warm bed, filled with kindness. But, we also know that Jesus is the very best Christmas Gift of all!

I'm sharing this tradition, just in case you don't have the book set yet, to let you know that I have added an angel to the set!  In the book, there is an angel on each page. She is watching over the family as they do their good deeds.  

When my niece, Ashley, who is a young Christian mother, read the book, she suggested that I add an angel to the set.  Parents could move the angel to different places each day, during the Christmas season, to remind their children that God's loving care is always watching over them - And sometimes He uses angels! 

Since I have put all the sets together and paint each baby Jesus, I wanted to find an angel that I could make  I found the Bender Dolls and I love them!  I came up with angels dressed in white and angels dressed in Christmas colors.  After many parents asked for a boy angel, I now have one!

Boy Angel-Afro-American

Boy Angel in my Etsy Store

  

I have put this tutorial together so that parents have the option of making their own angels for their sets.  I have never made a tutorial before so, please, feel free to ask for clarification as needed! Of course, you can add your own creativity!  I'd love to see what you come up with! 

  

 Bender dolls are made from pipe cleaners, yarn and 3/4 inch wooden beads.  I like to paint the bead with a flesh colored paint before I start.  It looks better if you are going to paint a face on the angel. I use a permanent marker to draw the eyes, nose and mouth.  I paint the eye white and then add a 

brown/blue circle to finish it.

I use a pipe cleaner that is the same color as the hair so that it will blend into the hair (yarn).  Fold the pipe cleaner in half and stick it up through the hole in the bead.  Open the part of the pipe cleaner that comes through so that you can put the hair (yarn) through the opening.  

Pull the pipe cleaner down and it will hold the hair in place.

I like to use two pipe cleaners for the arms and two for the legs so that they are sturdy.  You only have to wind them around once because the yarn will hold them in place.  I start by wrapping the yarn around the neck. Note:  I have Tacky glue available to use whenever I need to secure the yarn.  After going around the neck, cross over and under the arms.  Oh, I cut each arm to about 3 inches, measuring from the torso out.  At this point in the picture, I cut each leg to 4 inches from the torso. You can decide on the size of the doll you like!

L

After you have the torso covered start going down the arm.  Keep yarn tight.  Go almost to the end of the pipe cleaner and then back to body and back to hand, again.  Bend the end of the covered pipe cleaner and secure it with your yarn.  I put a few drops of glue on the hand to keep the yarn in place.  Don't go all the way to the end of the hand.  Leave about 1/4 inch so that the yarn won't slide off the end.  Work back down the arm and cross over to the other arm and do the same thing.

If you aren't changing yarn colors, you can keep going down the legs. If you want to create the look of tights, you can use two colors of yarn at the same time.  Use the same process you used on the hands. You might notice that I cut the brown pipe cleaner a little shorter than the white.  This helps when I bend the pipe cleaner to make the foot.  It isn't quite as thick.

Angel with Colorful Hair

                                 

                              Your dolls can have many different looks.                             I'm still trying to perfect mine!

Felt is great for making clothes because you don't have to finish the edges.  I simply sew two identical pieces of felt together to make the wings.  The dress has a small slit at the back of the neck to make it easier to put on.  I just use the easiest stitch, the whip stitch I think it's called, and sew up the sides of the dress. Then attach the wings to the dress with a few stitches. The dress can be removed to change outfits.  Have fun!

Christmas Angel

Colorful Angel

I use a pipe cleaner to make the halo and secure it with glue under strands of hair. 

             Please let me know if you have any questions as I'm sure this                could have been clearer!!  If you use this tutorial to make a doll,                         would you post a picture of it on my Facebook page:                         Secret Good Deeds or here on this blog?

                                                    Thank you!                                                                                                                                                                                   I am on Etsy, too!  You can find my book at My Etsy Store.