DIY master class on the Zhelannitsa doll with photos and videos

A doll for good luck is an ancient Slavic amulet that helps attract joy and luck. It gained popularity due to its interesting features and simple manufacturing method. Made of fabric, the motanka was lightweight, and its small size made it possible to carry it in a bag or directly in a pocket.

Today we will tell you how to make this amulet of happiness with your own hands. You will learn how to properly make a doll, adhering to the beliefs of the Slavs, how to charge it and use it. After which you can please your loved ones with this talisman.

History of the doll Happiness

The origin of the doll's amulet is revealed by the appearance of the bereginya. A funny braid, a big head and small feet in shoes - this is not a chaotic image that came to the mind of the first manufacturer of the amulet. Each element of the doll contains the Slavs’ idea of the universe and human life.

Despite its short stature, the Happiness doll is a strong amulet, and its power is concentrated in its hair. The Slavs have long had a special cult of hair. It was believed that they were imbued with the vital energy of their owner. It was not for nothing that women did not go bare-haired; they braided their “precious” hair into braids and hid it under their headdresses so as not to lose a single hair, and with it their feminine strength.

If in pagan Rus' a person's hair was cut off, this was one of the most terrible punishments. It was believed that with the hair of the owner, the energy of life was deprived, and with it, independence. Her power is hidden in the rag doll's thick, long braid that rests on the ground. It is from Mother Earth that “little Happiness” feeds its sacred energy in order to find grace for its owner.

The little legs of the amulet helper are ready to run around the Earth in search of happiness, and her hands reach out to the Sun, which, according to legend, personified joy and grace. The doll was dressed up in shoes for a reason; with their help, the “girlfriend” made of rags trampled the path straight to happiness for her mistress.

Features of using the doll

When using the amulet, you must also follow special rules:

Dress up the doll periodically. It is necessary to present her with gifts in the form of beads and bright threads. The more elegant the Successful Woman is, the more effective she will be.
If the matter is long and takes place in several stages, after each one the Successor must be thanked. To do this, she needs to be presented with coins, sweets, and candies.
The doll can be positioned in different ways. If a person does not want to talk about his business, he places it in a secret place where prying eyes have no access. If the matter is common, the Successful Woman can be placed in a prominent place.

Periodically, the Successful doll needs to be dressed up.
This is an unpretentious doll that will help solve any problems, find a way out of any situation, and achieve success. But it is only suitable for doing one thing, and in the future you will have to say goodbye to it.

The meaning of the amulet

A little mischievous girl with a long braid is a girl’s amulet that protects her mistress, helps and brings happiness. Despite the fact that the toy baby easily fit in the palm of the hand, people considered the doll to be lively, strong, evasive, and called her nothing less than Happiness.

The main purpose of the amulet is to make its owner happy, and what is needed for this, the owner of the doll shared with her in secret. It was customary for women to talk to a toy mascot, tell their innermost desires, preen the baby, and “delight” her with gifts. And in response, the lucky talisman brought:

well-being of all family members;
maintaining health, getting rid of diseases;
long life;
help and good luck in business;
harmony in family relationships;
mutual understanding with other people;
good harvest and wealth.

The girls, braiding the doll’s hair, “weaved” their desire into it. While working on the amulet, it was customary to keep the main dream in mind, so that the motanka would absorb the energy of its purpose and tune in to the right wave. As a rule, girls asked for a good, kind groom, quick matchmaking and a fun wedding, healthy children and an easy life.

Despite the fact that the doll was a woman’s personal talisman, it helped in business, protected from misfortune, and brought joy and prosperity to all family members. From time immemorial, this has been the happiness of a woman - in the health and well-being of her family and friends.

The purpose of the reel

They could dangle the Makosh doll not only for themselves, but also for a loved one. In this case, it is good if you tear the clothes of the future owner into shreds, or “give” the doll some little thing that belongs to someone who needs protection.

Depending on the purpose of production, materials of different colors were selected for the doll:

to attract wealth - marsh, bright yellow, silver;
to protect yourself from dark forces - white;
golden shades helped to become wiser;
attract the groom - pink;
for a rich harvest they took green;
red to enhance attractiveness.

If they made Makosh for themselves, they often took the motanka in their hands and talked, gave small gifts, and told how good it would be for her. They kept the doll in the best place - in the corner by the table, near the baby’s crib.

Magic properties

The lucky charm doll occupied a special place in the life of its owner. According to the rules, it was rarely kept in the house, but was always carried with them. Therefore, they made her tiny - 5-6 cm, and those who liked the amulet larger - no more than 15 cm. Being next to the hostess, Lucky was not just a talisman, but an assistant-girlfriend, continuously exuding magical energy, capturing the mood and desire of the hostess.

Sometimes the baby was called Dolya, in honor of the maiden of fate, the youngest daughter of the goddess Mokosha. But in folk descriptions there is a ritual motanka with the same name, but having a different “appearance”. The basis of the Dolyushka amulet doll is bright threads, and its image is significantly different from the Lucky One.

Meanwhile, a doll for luck even today helps a woman find her purpose in different areas of life:

in work - a rapid career, success in business;
finances – stable income, prosperity;
love – reciprocity, harmonious relationships;
family - well-being, mutual understanding;
health – absence of illness, activity, freedom from fatigue.

There was no doubt about the magical abilities of the amulet for good luck; the baby could be offended and “turn away” from the mistress.

Activation and use of the amulet

Among the dolls created by the Slavs, there were many that bestowed prosperity on the entire house. They attracted all good things to him and his residents - joyful events, lucky breaks, money and the like.

But a doll for good luck is not a family amulet, but a personal one. And it works a little differently. Its main task is to bring concrete happiness to its owner, not abstract happiness. She will not guess what is required of her until you convey this idea to her in words.

This request will be a kind of activation, a trigger that will help the pocket amulet recharge with energy and begin to move in the right direction.

To activate the talisman for good luck, formulate your wish very clearly and whisper it in the doll’s ear.

Tell the amulet what your goal is. Is this wealth? If yes, then how much would you like to receive and how soon? Or maybe you want to win some kind of competition, get the main prize? Or perhaps you dream of finding love? Formulate your request very clearly and whisper it in the doll’s ear.

To give the little figurine some extra energy, let it stand in a sunny place for a few hours. It was not for nothing that the Slavs made her a pigtail and her arms up - they believed that in this way the amulet received power from the heavenly body.

Appearance of Lucky

In the old days, Slavic women made many amulet dolls, but the Lucky amulet was not like the rest. If the appearance of other motanki resembled mature women, then the Happiness doll is a baby in a bright sundress and an elegant fabric headband.

The main difference between the lucky toy is the long braid that reaches the ground and curls, aiming for the sky. Sometimes it is directed not only upward, but also forward, as a symbol of the pursuit of a dream. The lively little one asks for happiness for the owner with her little hands, which are traditionally directed to the heavens.

Lucky is the only motanka who has shoes. Bright bast shoes on legs themselves run along the path of happiness, carrying the owner along with them. But the Dolya amulet doll has only a fluffy skirt made of multi-colored threads and a long braid, most often directed upwards.

According to tradition, the little amulet did not have a face. Instead of facial features, the craftswoman left a blank canvas or made a red sacred cross on its surface to protect the reel. In the old days, rag dolls were considered alive, subject to the influence of spirits. It was believed that a baby with defined facial features could be noticed by dark forces and possessed by the talisman.

According to other beliefs, the needlewoman, by embroidering the eyes, mouth and nose, gave the toy the image of a person she knew. She did this not on purpose, but not subconsciously. But in any case, with the help of such a doll, an unkind person could harm its living prototype. Therefore, the doll of Happiness, like other Slavic doll amulets, was left faceless.

Rules for making a toy mascot

In order for the talisman to be effective, it was necessary to prepare for its creation. Only a woman could make it, and the process of making the Lucky One was a sacrament. No one was allowed to observe the manufacturing process, and men were sent out of the house while they were doing needlework.

For good luck, the doll had to be made in one sitting; work was not supposed to be put off. An abandoned winder could lead to trouble, so the hostess selected a day off from work, except Friday and Sunday.

Materials for little Lucky were selected in advance. They made a talisman from white and colored scraps of fabric, natural threads, decorated with natural semi-precious stones, beautiful satin ribbons, and embellished with lace and beads.

The scraps for the doll were torn, the threads were bitten off or torn off during the work. The doll was made in a special way - the fabric was twisted, tied and wrapped with threads. At the same time, they made sure that there were an even number of knots and turns. They tried to make the knots less often, but there were more turns. It was believed that the more a woman winds the reel clockwise, the stronger the talisman will be.

The doll was not cut with scissors, pierced with needles, or pinned, and sharp objects were not allowed to be used when working on ritual items. Slavic women knew that Lucky could be offended, and sharp objects could disrupt the integrity of her happy energy.

You need to start work with joyful thoughts, good intentions, without offense or anger. The needlewoman must be in good health and well-being. In the process of “birthing” the motanka, the craftswoman herself must become a source of positive energy, so the woman plunged into a kind of trance state of detachment and inner harmony.

How to make a doll of Happiness - master class

To make Lucky you will need:

2 square pieces of plain white or beige – 12x12;
2 pieces of red fabric for foot paws – 4x4;
bright fabric with a small print for a sundress – 22x4;
2 ribbons, braids and a belt;
beautiful lace for a headband;
yarn, tow, flax fiber or other material to make hair;
red threads.

Step-by-step description of actions:

Roll one of the light flaps into a tube - these are the legs of the pupa. Wrap it at both ends with colored shoe fabric and tie it to the legs with red thread.
Fold the twist in half so that the shoes are at the bottom. Make a large ball for the head from flax or tow, wrapping it around the bend of the legs.
Lay out the second white flap in the shape of a rhombus, place the leg blank with the head in the center. Wrap it in fabric, forming a head, using a red thread to mark the neck of the doll.
Make handles from the side parts of the fabric. To do this, bend the raw edges inward and tie the edges with a red thread in the “wrist” area on one and the other hand.
Tuck the bottom part of the material and wrap the legs with skirt fabric, tying it at the waist.
Tie linen, yarn or tow for hair in the middle with a strand or thread of the same color. Place them on your head, straighten them so that there are no gaps, and carefully tie the hair at the “neck” with a matching thread.
Braid loosely falling hair into a tight braid, tying it with a thread. If the braid is braided tightly enough, it will curl upward on its own.
Then you can start decorating the baby. Tie a beautiful bow of satin ribbon onto your braid. Tie a lace bandage on your head. It can be decorated in advance with a small flower or bead. Tie a belt around your waist, don’t forget to raise your arms up - the amulet is ready.

While winding up with the Happiness doll, you need to talk, while braiding the braid, and make wishes. For decoration, use only light ribbons of positive shades, because happiness is never gloomy.

Secrets of creating textile dolls

If you do not want the doll to get cellulite, then it is best to stuff it with holofiber in balls. First fill the part along the entire length, and then compact the filler with a pencil or wooden chopstick. The thinner the fabric, the looser the doll needs to be stuffed. The body, neck and head should be as dense as possible, without folds or creases.
If you use tresses - artificial strands - for your hair, the hair will look like real hair. To do this, draw circular lines on the head with a pencil along which the strands will be located. The tresses are glued with superglue, starting from the back of the head, and temporarily secured with pins. The last strand is twisted, the tip is coated with glue, and placed in a hole prepared in advance in the center of the head, then it is sewn up.
Attic dolls, snowballs, pumpkinheads, waldorfs and reggedianns all wear yarn hair. How to make a doll's hairstyle from knitting threads is shown in detail in this video
A cardboard or plastic bobbin of sewing thread inserted inside will help give the neck strength.
Sew all the parts of the doll's body from the same fabric so that they look the same and neat.
Sew the doll slowly, preferably by hand. A sewing machine, of course, speeds up the process, but there is a high risk of ruining everything with careless stitching.
It is best to paint rosy cheeks with a pastel pencil, and eyes, eyebrows and mouth with acrylic paints.

When to say goodbye to your doll

They part with the amulet when their wish is fulfilled. It is believed that the doll ceases to function as an amulet if the goal is achieved. If you ask a baby for new happiness, it was believed that the person was being greedy, so for a new dream they made a new Lucky Girl.

They heartily thanked the old assistant and gave her a treat in the form of sweets. It was customary to say goodbye to the talisman without a shadow of regret. A rag doll should not be thrown away, much less buried in the ground.

The doll was carefully disassembled, untying the threads, trying not to tear the shreds. After which all the details were burned, and the ashes were scattered near the house, thanking that the long-awaited happiness had come to them.