Make a voodoo doll with a course

Heini, the service and administration manager at Helsinki Adult Education, visited our Make a Voodoo Doll course.

What are the little voodoo dolls made of? Beads and silver wire, copper and shells, chains and threads. And of course, a flight of imagination and a relaxed state of mind. At least that's how it was for me.

The Make a Voodoo Doll Jewelry course appealed to my sense of humor, even though voodoo itself is not one of my interests. My first thought was whether such courses really exist. I had to test it out of sheer curiosity.

A voodoo doll doesn't have to be negative.

The course didn't spend any time thinking about voodoo, spirits or black magic. Instead, we immediately got into the swing of creative work. I was very happy to hear that a doll can also be positive. I had secretly decided when I came to the course that I was going to make just those, because even though I approach superstition with humor, I do believe in the power of positivity. There is also no one in my life who I would even theoretically like to poke with a needle, and even if there was, I still wouldn't be able to do it.

At first, the teacher talked about the options and techniques and introduced different dolls. The supplies were spread out on the table ready for you to admire and choose from. The material fee was quite reasonable and was determined by the supplies used. The doll's body was mainly made of various metal wires, from which you could twist shapes that were pleasing to your eye. You could add beads, thread, chain, even tassels, or even create a head to hang around your neck or a bracelet. The day before, I had dug out all kinds of craft and sewing materials that I had collected over the years from the back of the cupboard, the main purpose of which seemed to be mainly collecting dust. Now they were almost literally given a new life.

Only your imagination is the limit

Silence quickly descended on the craft room as everyone focused on their dolls. I enjoy tinkering with my hands, and since there were no particular goals or objectives, I did whatever came to mind and tried different techniques. So I started winding wire and beads without thinking about anything else. I didn't need to look for inspiration, the beauties spread out on the table took care of that, and time passed in a flash. I put a chain around my doll's neck to hang. Since only the sky and imagination were the limit, the other day I got inspired to wind a summery, bright bracelet out of silver wire. I also sawed small squares of gold-colored metal with a jigsaw for my jewelry and added a pile of pastel-colored glass beads.

“The atmosphere during the course was relaxed and playful, even arranging dolls to dance with each other. Sometimes we focused on tinkering while music played in the background. Soili Rautanen was a helpful and inspiring teacher. He also developed ideas further if he had a chance to express his imagination. Making voodoo dolls was a fun and relaxing activity.”

Heini

Service and Administration Manager, Helsinki Adult Education Institute

I must admit that my own jewelry has become like the craft supplies I collected earlier: they have been left gathering dust in the back of a box. That is perfectly acceptable, since you can also make a doll to put directly in the back of a box. When summer is in full swing, I plan to dig my plush bracelet out of the box to sparkle and compete with the sun. Exactly for the purpose I intended it to be used for that March weekend.

Text: Heini, Helsinki Adult Education Institute

Photos: Kelly Sikkema and Mojor Zhu, Unsplash