Make these Christmas Chenille Doll decorations - as inspired by vintage chenille figures from the past.

(click here for a larger Christmas Chenille Doll image)

Materials

1. Vintage images, (Free Adobe PDF download) printed on heavy matte photo paper.
2. Bump chenille rods, 1 1/2 rods for each doll and 1 for the pine tree. (White for the snowman, red for Santa Claus, green for the pine tree)
3. Chenille rod, brown for the trunk of the pine tree.
4. Plastic berry basket.
5. Ultra-fine glitter, clear or white.
6. Glitter glue, light blue.
7. Star-shaped bead, yellow or gold (see Tips).
8. Tacky craft glue (like Aleen's) or hot glue gun.
9. Gold or silver lamè braid or ribbon (optional).
10. Lapel pin back (optional).
11. Spray paint, white.
12. Spray varnish or other clear coating.
13. Scissors (small, for cutting detail).

Instructions for Christmas Chenille Doll

1. Cut two 12" bump chenille rods into four 6" pieces. You will need three pieces to make one doll.
   
   
2. Bend two of the chenille pieces in the center into a "V" shape.  These are the legs and the arms.  To form the body, bend the center of the third chenille piece around a pen (or your little finger) and twist the ends twice.  This loop is the figure's head.
   
   
   
3. Connect the arms and legs by linking the pieces in the center and twisting them together two or three times. In this photo, the head and body are at the top, and the arms and legs are below.
   
   
   
4. Place the arms and legs on the center of the body (with the head at the top). Bend the ends at the bottom of the body between the legs and up over the shoulders, pinching firmly to attach.  You should have a cute little figure with a hole for a head.
   
   
   
5. Cut out the heads from the vintage images with small scissors. If you wish, apply craft glue to Santa's beard and hair with a small paint brush, and dust him with clear, ultra-fine glitter.
6. To make a hanging ornament, tie a loop of gold cord through the chenille head loop. To make a lapel pin, glue a pin back to the back of the figure with a hot glue gun.
7. Glue the heads to the chenille bodies.  Clamp with clothes pins over a small piece of wax paper until the glue is dry.
   
   
8. For Santa's Christmas tree: Cut three bumps from the green bump chenille rod. Place them side by side, then twist the top and bottom ends together. Wrap one end several times with a short piece of brown chenille rod, to form the trunk. Place a star-shaped bead over the top end of the tree (see Tips). Twist Santa's hand tightly around the trunk of the tree to secure it.
   
   
9. For the the snowman's snowflake: Cut the bottom from a small plastic berry basket (like photographed). With a marker, mark out a snowflake pattern that radiates symmetrically and geometrically from the center. Snip out the design with scissors.
   
   
10. Spray paint the snowflake white on the back, and let it dry. Spray paint the front, and sprinkle with clear, ultra-fine glitter while the paint is wet. Let it dry. 
    
    
11. Apply small dots or lines of blue glitter glue, to accent the snowflake design. Let dry. lightly spray the snowflake with varnish, to secure the glitter.
12. Twist the snowman's hands around opposite sides of the snowflake, so he is holding it.
13. Bend the tips of arms and legs of yoru Christmas chenille doll to form hands and feet.

Tips

• Standard chenille rods are 12" long. "Bump" chenille rods are chenille rods with fluffy "bumps" every 3", or four bumps per rod.
• We used a yellow star-shaped bead with a large hole on top of the chenille pine tree. You can use what you have on hand: stick-on gold stars, a felt cut-out star, a snip of tinsel garland, a button, etc.
• Here's some ideas: Attach your Christmas chenille doll to a special package. Pin one to your coat or hat. Hang them on the Christmas tree, a swag of evergreen, or a house plant. Wire him to your door knocker. Make one for each guest at your holiday dinner table - holding a place card!