Motanka doll is a special type made from fabric with different fillings using the winding method. Hence the name. Rag dolls became an important part of Slavic culture. They were made to protect themselves from visible and invisible evil, to become luckier, richer, happier. There are a huge number of traditions associated with dolls that have survived to this day.
This article will tell you a lot of interesting things about this type of amulets, teach you to distinguish motanki by external signs and select spells for activation. This information will be very useful when you decide to make a fabric doll with your own hands.
Motanka dolls appeared a very long time ago. According to historians, this happened at a time when people learned to process flax, turning an ordinary plant into fabric for clothing.
Initially, dolls, now considered a children's toy, had a completely different purpose. They were created with the goal of warding off bad energy from a person, as well as attracting good energy. Some motanki embodied the faces of deities, others symbolized a good spirit, and still others depicted the person himself, helping to fool evil spirits, diverting attention to themselves.
The Slavs made amulets in the form of takani dolls to protect themselves from visible and invisible evil, to become luckier, richer, happier.
The Slavs made dolls from a variety of materials. Ash, vines, tree branches, and fabric were used. The latter material took root best in Rus', because fabric amulets, unlike herbal ones, can be refreshed by washing or unraveled, making new ones out of them. Slavic amulet dolls contain many ancient traditions associated with superstitions, holidays, customs, fears and hopes of our ancestors.
How to use a fabric doll
Amulet dolls made of fabric were used by the Slavs everywhere. They were made for a whole family or for an individual. Motankas were received as gifts by people of any age and status. Children, women and men - everyone could receive their own amulet, traditionally made by a relative. Sometimes it was a sister, in other cases the eldest woman in the family, and sometimes even relatives of the husband or wife.
The reasons for making them were very different - for a holiday, for good luck, for protection from damage and the evil eye, for the fulfillment of desires, or as a talisman for a certain personal event.
Folk rag dolls had unique external differences and were not only popular, but also revered. Family amulets were treated with special reverence - they were placed in the most visible and clean place in the house, regularly cleaned of dust and accumulated negativity, and also passed on the reels from generation to generation.
Usually this fate awaited dolls who attracted positive energies. But protective dolls were burned to get rid of the evil that the rag amulet had taken upon itself. It was customary to carry personal protectors with you - in your pocket or bag. Among these, for example, and. Some of them were allowed to be touched only by the owner and the craftsman who made the amulet.
Types of motanka dolls and their meaning
Motanka dolls, like Slavic dolls made from other materials, are divided into three types:
- gaming;
- ritual;
- amulet;
The first dolls made by our ancestors had a sacred meaning. But then some of them began to be used as toys for children. Ritual dolls were made for important holidays: Maslenitsa or Ivan Kupala.
But the Slavs sought to receive the blessing of the gods not only on holidays, but also on ordinary days. That is why the most popular type of dolls has become protective reels. Fabric, as the cheapest raw material, was available to people of any income. This influenced the fact that rag dolls, called motankas in honor of the manufacturing method, were made most often in Rus'.
There are quite a lot of types and names of motanka dolls, which is explained by their popularity. Each has its own purpose, manufacturing rules and special properties. Let's get acquainted with the most popular ones.
One of the most common reels has become. A rag female figurine was filled with various herbs. Most often, they have healing properties or the ability to repel evil spirits. The pagans believed that evil spirits were capable of bringing misfortune and illness to a person, so in some cases they used herbalism, combining different plants for enhanced protection.
The herbalist could become a family amulet or personal protector. In the latter case, the doll was made during illness, placed in the bed of the sick person, and when he recovered, the motanka was burned.
Some fabric figurines were filled not with grass, but with cereals. A doll with such contents was called Zernovushka or . Her task was to improve the well-being of the family. But she did not care about money, but about the presence of well-fed dishes on the table.
Each protective motanka doll has its own special task. The dolls Krupenichka and the peasant Bogach take care of the availability of well-fed dishes on the table.
There was a special tradition of filling Krupenichka with buckwheat after the harvest. It was also stuffed with rice, pearl barley and oats. Each of these grains had its own significance, but the overall purpose of creating Zernovushka was to provide food. The doll also helped improve the harvest. The best grains collected that year were hidden in a rag amulet and the fields were sown with it for the next year.
Dolls often appeared in Slavic homes. They were given to newlyweds as a wedding gift to protect and strengthen the union, and to wish happiness in family life. To attract good news, they used a motanka, and to fulfill wishes, they made a special doll for good luck, which fit on half of the palm.
Features and secrets of the amulet
A rag doll amulet must be made in accordance with the special rules that guided our ancestors. Many people ignore these parting words, thinking that they arose out of superstition. But these rules are ancient traditions handed down to us by relatives from the past, they should be respected.
If you want to make a correct and strong amulet in all respects, you should not forget about these rules.
For a fabric doll to turn into a talisman with magical properties, be sure to follow the rules for its creation.
Here are some of them:
- Motanka dolls are created without the use of sharp objects. No scissors or needles. It is difficult to make such a talisman without a needle at all, but the rules allow preliminary preparation of materials. Before making the doll's body, prepare the clothes - sew and cut everything you need, and then put the tools aside.
- Finished body parts cannot be sewn together. Just fasten with threads. Natural, of course. Any artificial element will spoil the natural energy of the amulet.
- Motanks are not given faces - noses, lips, eyes should not be marked on their faces, otherwise evil spirits can enter the doll’s face and cause harm to its owner.
- The doll's head must have a headdress. Nowadays women rarely wear them, preferring to show off their hair. But Slavic women hid them under a scarf, because they believed that loose braids contributed to the outflow of energy, which would be taken away by unkind people or dark forces.
- The color of the thread used to create the reel is also important. According to tradition, the elements of the trap figurine were held together with red threads. It was believed that this color could protect a person from evil and give him vitality. The shades used in the clothes of the dolls played a similar role. For example, green often appeared on the clothes of healing dolls, red on amulets for family happiness, and yellow on motankas that lured well-being or granted wishes.
Knowing these secrets, you can put them into practice when making your amulet. But the main difficulty lies not in following the established rules, but in believing in the amulet. Only sincere faith and a positive attitude can charge the doll so much that it will turn it into an attribute of good luck and a powerful protective artifact.
DIY fabric amulet doll
On the pages of our website you can find detailed master classes on making motanka dolls. After familiarizing yourself with them, you can make your own Herbalist, Krupenichka, Podorozhnitsa, Bell and other wonderful dolls according to all the rules.
Here we will focus on these same rules that need to be followed during manufacturing:
You only need to start creating a motanka aucerge doll with your own hands in a good mood.
You cannot start working on the amulet if you are feeling unwell. This way you will fill it with your negative emotions - pain, anger, disappointment, fatigue. Can an object with such energy bring happiness?
- Creating a motanka doll should occur in one stage. No putting off work until the evening after watching any TV program, and especially not shaking the amulet during lunch. When you sit down to reel, concentrate on your work, getting rid of all irritants.
- Most often, motanki are made during the waxing moon. This helps to additionally charge the doll with energy. However, if the doll is made not to attract something new, but to preserve the old, then it will be better if its production falls on the day of the full moon.
These rules do not require much effort, but at the same time guarantee the correct operation of the amulet, so do not forget about them.
Reeling Rules
There is one more manufacturing rule that relates specifically to reels. It is not used for dolls made of other materials, as it is related to the method of winding the threads.
Having chosen natural threads and chosen the color, do not think that this is enough. You need to think in advance and measure the length of the threads so that when tying the doll’s arms and legs to the body you no longer need to use scissors. Separately, it is worth mentioning how to wind the thread correctly.
The Slavs paid attention to the direction of winding threads and the direction of the rays of solar amulets. There are only two types of direction - with the sun and against it. The latter was sometimes used to create body amulets, but never when creating reels. They need to be wound only according to the movement of the heavenly body, that is, clockwise. This will help charge the doll with life-giving energy and give her strength.
Decorating a motanka doll
You can enhance the magical properties of the motanka doll by decorating it with special protective symbols in the form of embroidery on clothes.
Very often, motankas contain ancient symbols, their meaning complementing the properties of the pupa. Now some craftswomen hang small wooden pendants with signs carved on them on their dolls. But before, such symbols were embroidered. Usually embroidery decorated the apron of the motanka, and at times - her knapsack or even her scarf. On men's motankas, embroidered patterns and symbols appeared on shirts.
Almost never did needlewomen apply one single sign to the fabric, leaving the space around it empty. Most often these were combinations of symbols and curlicues, complementing each other. Even the smallest, insignificant details had their own meaning. The shades of the thread complemented it. A knowledgeable person could at first glance, by the color of the embroidery and its motifs, determine the capabilities of the amulet.
How to make a talisman magical
The finished rag amulet will remain a cute craft if you do not activate it. To charge amulets, the Slavs used natural elements or spells. The best way to make a motanka doll magical is to combine these methods.
A special spell is read over the motanka, and then it is left in a sunny place or, if the weather is cloudy, the sun is replaced with candles. This must be done carefully, because a small flame can instantly ruin the reel.
The finished rag amulet will remain a cute craft if you do not activate it.
Our ancestors used a variety of conspiracies. Their meaning boiled down to what a person wants to get from the amulet. The Slavs asked the motanka for protection, a good harvest, healing from illnesses or the fulfillment of desires. So you can find a conspiracy that suits the occasion and pronounce it.
For example, like this:
(Doll’s name), keep the light, protect me, drive away the darkness.
This plot is well suited for a personal talisman with protective functions. And the next one is for family protective reels:
Be a support, be a shield, protect your family and home, take trouble and the evil eye away from us.
Any of the conspiracies can always be replaced with your own, unrhymed request. Be sure to clearly formulate it by writing it down on a piece of paper and read it to yourself several times before voicing it in front of the reel.
Dolls– these are not just toys that little girls love to play with! Dolls are magical objects, if you fall in love with them once in your life, you become their slaves for life!
Since ancient times, Voodoo shamans used dolls to perform their terrible magical acts, actors made spectators cry and laugh in their theatrical performances, and in Rus' they used dolls as amulets to protect their homes!
Nowadays, various rituals are coming back into fashion - amulets, the main character of which is a doll - a motanka, a herbalist and many others...
Modern designers have also put their hand in this direction - thanks to their efforts, Dolls have become a necessary accessory and piece of furniture in some interiors. Let's consider several options, which, with great desire and perseverance, you can make yourself at home.
From ancient times the mysterious and all-powerful Motanka doll came to us. With the help of amulet dolls, our ancestors protected themselves from evil spirits and called happiness, prosperity, a good harvest, health and longevity into their homes for each family member. The color of the clothes and threads used to make this amulet played a very important role in the creation of this doll. To protect the home, blue and light blue colors were used, and to attract fertility (children, crops...) Motanka was made in red tones.
The main condition for creating a Motanka doll is not to use piercing and cutting objects when making it, such as... a needle, scissors, and not to draw the face of the Doll - the ancients believed that this could attract evil spirits into the home!
Here are some options:
To make a doll we take HAY. We select two beams. We bend one bundle in the middle, twist the upper part and tie it tightly with threads, this is the Doll’s head.
We tie the second smaller bundle at both ends with threads (separate the palms), thread it through the first bundle of straw in the area of the body - we get hands.
At the waist line we tie it tightly with thread again - the amulet is almost ready!
Now she needs to dress up! To do this, the Doll's head was tied crosswise with bright threads or braid, a scarf was tied on top, and a shirt made of linen scrap and an apron were thrown on.
To do this, you need to take a small piece of paper and roll it tightly into a tube, then fold the resulting tube several times.
Place the resulting rectangle in a white cloth—this is the head—and wrap it with thread at the bottom.
Now you need to complete the first elements of the amulet. Take threads of different colors (blue, red, yellow) and, in turn, wind crosses across your entire head with each thread (one next to the other...), first with one color, then with another and finally with a third.
We bend the longer tube in half and wrap the top tightly with woolen thread.
We insert the arms prepared in the same way into the hole formed and wind the thread very tightly along the entire length of the body so that the arms do not move up and down.
The next task is to attach the head to the body using scraps. To do this, we wind a thread tightly at the bottom of the head - this is the neck, and using scraps and thread we wrap the head and neck to the body.
All that remains is to put on the made amulet in a shirt, a wide skirt, tie an apron, and decorate it with beads. In order to decorate the doll's head, simply tie a scarf for her; another option is to weave braids from flax or woolen threads and tie them around the head.
By following these instructions, you can create a variety of doll amulets and give them to your friends for a wedding, birthday, Christmas and other holidays.
Some of the most beautiful dolls that you can actually make with your own hands are frame dolls. In the manufacture of these “toys” for adults (and not only), both the latest and generally accepted techniques, such as papier-mâché, are used.
Having decided to make such a beauty. You must carefully think through her image in your head, down to the smallest detail. A piece of paper and a pencil will help you with this! Take and draw various images, use your imagination and choose the one you like best.
To work on a frame doll you will need the following materials:
- Steel wire;
- Pliers;
- Scissors;
- Plasticine;
- Newsprint;
- PVA glue;
- Toilet paper;
- Paste;
- Stacks and board for modeling;
- Batting, synthetic padding or cotton wool;
- Acrylic paints;
- Fine sandpaper;
- Nail polishes;
- Satin ribbons;
- Fabric for covering the body (knitwear, calico and other soft fabrics);
- Beautiful scraps of fabric for clothing.
When starting to work on the product, first of all, let's pay attention to the doll's frame. It is better to take steel wire, as it is particularly strong and will allow our toy “madame” to take various poses.
Twist the pieces of wire so that the neck, torso, arms and legs are outlined. Be sure to leave an extra wire on the neck 8 cm long, and 5 cm on each arm (to the hands);
Mark the location of the knees and elbows on the finished frame;
Now you will have to use the papier-mâché technique to transform the plasticine blank into a future doll head. For this purpose, cover the plasticine head with newspaper scraps in several layers (6-8). Each layer must dry well. When the head has hardened, sand it thoroughly with fine sandpaper. When the head becomes smooth and pleasant to the touch, cut it and take out the no longer needed plasticine. Cover the head again along the seams with newspapers and let the paper dry;
To make legs up to the knee and arms up to the elbow, use the same papier-mâché technique and sand the dried legs. This technique is used when you want to add hardness and smoothness to exposed parts of the doll. If your doll beauty is “dressed” in a long closed dress, then another option for making hands will be suitable.
Take copper wire 0.7-1.5 mm thick, cut it into pieces that would be enough to make fingers and palms with a small wire reserve. Now you need to cover each wire with a thin cloth and, using threads, collect everything in your palm. Remember how we left 5 cm of margin on each hand? Now it will be very useful to us - with its help we will screw our palms to the frame of the future hand. Which option suits you best – decide for yourself;
Now let's start sculpting! It’s time to thoroughly work on our “lady’s” head; we need to complete the work and express the small facial features with the help of paste and toilet paper - showing her individuality. Having kneaded a certain mass from paste and toilet paper, similar in structure to tight dough, using the stacks we sculpt the final relief of the face. After the mass has hardened, we again resort to the help of PVA glue and newspaper - we cover new places with newspaper, let it dry and sand again;
The turn finally came to the formation of the body of the pupa. A suitable material for this purpose may be synthetic polyester, batting, or even ordinary cotton wool. We wrap the selected material around the wire frame, compacting it where necessary, and expanding the doll’s body where necessary. To keep the seal in the position we gave it, wrap it with thick threads;
The shape of the doll is given. The next task is to further secure the shape of the body and smooth out its relief with the help of fabric. To do this, take knitted fabric and sew pieces of it around the doll’s arms, legs to the knees and torso;
It's time to start priming the doll's face and legs using acrylic paints. When the face is dry, it will be possible to begin painting it;
We take the same fabric that we used to make the doll’s palms and sew pieces from it on the hips and soft legs. This fabric will act as "skin". From it, make the neck, shoulders and arms of our “lady”;
Let's make a dress for our beauty. Various scraps of beautiful fabrics are suitable for it. Use pieces of fur, beads, various laces and ribbons! Create a unique image for your creation. Dresses may or may not be removable. You will need to make the removable one separately, and then dress your beauty in it, but the one-piece one is simply sewn onto the doll in separate pieces;
Our “lady” is dressed, but her face has not yet been drawn!!! Disorder! It’s time to finally tidy up the doll’s face and carefully paint the lips and eyes with acrylic paints or tempera. If you wish, you can “apply” decorative makeup to your beauty. To make paints waterproof, add a little matte varnish to them. This will give your creation resistance to dampness and mechanical damage. Painting your lips and eyes with clear nail polish will add extra shine to these parts of your face. Eyelashes for our fashionista can be sold in the store, just buy and glue them on;
Do the legs - the same technique as the face. Acrylic, varnish...;
Every woman has her hair decorated. Our beauty is no exception and needs a chic hairstyle. We can create it from satin ribbons of the desired color. We cut the ribbons to the same length, unravel each ribbon, not reaching 0.5 cm to the end. We glue the ribbons in strict rows to the head with the remaining edges - the hair is ready. Style them in your hair;
Our lady is dressed, with her hair done... What else is she missing to complete the image? She needs sandals! And in heels! L. Gurchenko said: “...What kind of beauty can do without stilettos?”, now we will sculpt chic sandals for our stealer. The material for shoes can be pieces of leather, exotic fabrics, laces and polyurethane heels. Show persistence and imagination, the sandals will come out top class.
Such a frame doll will fit into any interior and become its highlight, with all this, you can change her poses every day, rearrange her to new places! It's original, beautiful, unusual! You made it YOURSELF!
A characteristic feature of this particular doll is a soft rag body, a bright blush on the face and small dotted eyes. Tilda appeared in 1999, thanks to the designer from Norway Tone Finnanger. This toy was so simple and unusual that it was precisely because of these qualities that it fell in love with doll lovers.
Tilda is not difficult to make with your own hands. You just need to stock up on all the necessary materials and patience. Now, using the example of Tilda’s “Vintage Angel” doll, we will analyze all the stages of creating this simple masterpiece.
So, prepare:
Cotton or linen fabric;
Colorful fabric for dress;
Thin and light fabric for the wings of our Vintage Angel;
Ribbons, lace, ribbons - to decorate the doll’s clothes;
Synthetic padding, cotton wool or any other filler for our product;
1. Using paper patterns, we will cut out the details of the doll from fabric. For the body - overlap and sew linen fabric with the fabric from which the Angel's dress will be made so that you get a rectangle. Fold the resulting rectangle in half and, overlaying the patterns of the body parts with the head, cut them out.
2. Cut out four pieces of legs and arms from linen fabric. Don't forget to leave seam allowances when cutting out;
3. We proceed to stitching the resulting parts together. To do this, fold all the parts in pairs with the front sides facing inward. Sew them, but leave the bottom of each part unsewn - through this hole we can turn the workpiece onto its face and stuff it with synthetic padding;
4. When all the parts of the body are sewn, turned inside out and stuffed with synthetic padding, you can begin to form the silhouette. To do this, carefully sew the arms and legs to Tilda’s body;
5. It’s time to work on the doll’s head. Let's start with the hair. Wool thread works well for this purpose. We will beautifully place the “hair” thread in a circle all over the head and secure it with a thread and a needle. We insert pins on both sides of the head and twist a woolen thread around them, forming curls. We stitch everything again and secure it;
6. Face - distinguishes Tilda from other textile dolls. The eyes are made using a special French knot, but if you are not familiar with this technique, sew on a regular bead and the eyes are ready! An obligatory feature of Tilda is also the bright cheeks of this doll; draw them with blush or lipstick!;
7. The textile doll is ready, let’s start dressing it! To do this, we again turn our attention to the dress pattern. We cut out the details of the yoke and sleeves, in the right places we gather the sleeve with a thread and sew it to the yoke. All seams are made on the wrong side of the dress. After this, we proceed to the skirt of the dress - folding the fabric in half. We attach the bottom pattern, cut it out and we get a piece of fabric twice the size of the pattern. That's how it should be! Now we pull (gather) the upper part of the fabric onto a thread and sew it to the yoke. We trim the bottom of the dress with lace and sew the ties to the yoke - our dress is ready and we can safely dress our “fashionista” in it!;
8. But our “fashionista” is called an Angel, which means that it’s time to start working on the wings! For the wings, take a light fabric and cut out four wing pieces. We sew them inside out in pairs, turn them inside out and stuff them with synthetic padding. Now carefully stitch the wings with a needle, highlighting the feathers, and sew them to Tilda’s back right through the dress! If necessary, also sew a loop of braid - suddenly your Tilda - Angel wants to “fly” somewhere under the ceiling or on the wall!
Having familiarized yourself with the production of such various dolls, you will probably want your family and friends to have similar handmade “masterpieces”!
Motanka dolls, which received their name due to their execution technique, are still popular today. Such magical products are endowed with powerful energy and deep sacred meaning, thanks to which they are able to help their owners avoid troubles, various problems, and negativity. The first mentions of such crafts appeared more than 5 thousand years ago, when various handmade artifacts were very common. Since then, the technique of its manufacture has changed over the years, but the basic traditions have not changed. Read more about them, as well as how to make amulets dolls with your own hands.
The tradition of making original magical amulets in the form of motan dolls has come to us since pagan times, when people worshiped deities who caused various natural phenomena and mastered handicrafts. Since those times, the technology for creating such amulets has been passed on from one generation to another, providing us today with unique opportunities to make magical protective gizmos ourselves.
Initially, motanki were primitive rag toys with decor from scrap materials. Such crafts carried great sacred meaning to help a person achieve a wide variety of goals.
Depending on what the future owner of the magical toy wanted, the process of its creation involved the use of specific objects. The main condition that had to be fulfilled regardless of the components or technique of making the amulet was winding the doll. A specific technique, which is the basis of the entire ritual, is the key to creating an effective magical item capable of causing certain events in the life of its creator, owner.
Thus, various motanka dolls were made, the action of which had a clear direction. According to beliefs that came to us from ancient times from our ancestors, an unusual doll made of fabric could protect and protect a person from:
- troubles and various problems;
- evil spirits;
- evil eye, damage or envy;
- diseases;
- misfortunes and troubles;
- failures, etc.
The custom of making amulets in the form of a motanka doll is still relevant in some families. As a rule, such magical toys are made in order to protect oneself, one’s family and home from all misfortunes.
The simplest version of such a talisman is a red thread wound around the wrist of the right hand. Since ancient times, each family member was “marked” with such a talisman, and the red thread itself was considered a powerful magical tool.
Types of amulets
Motanka dolls were called amulets because they protected a person from various misfortunes. First of all, they acted as talismans that erected an energy shield around the target. Such protection could be placed not only on adults and children, but also on homes.
Consequently, all magical toys of this kind can be divided into three types:
- Beregini dolls in different interpretations, designed to maintain harmony, comfort and well-being in the home. With their help, you can not only protect your home from troubles and accidents, but also attract all kinds of benefits to it. The most popular are fabric products - Herbalists, Zhelannitsy, Ten-handed, Lovebirds (to protect the newlyweds’ family), Paraskeva, etc.;
- Diapers are designed to protect babies from diseases and various types of adverse magical effects (evil eye, damage, etc.). Only expectant mothers had to make them with their own hands. After childbirth, such wound products were placed in the baby's cradle or hung at the head of the crib;
- Brides are dolls-amulets for brides, which were made by the girl herself. Such crafts helped single women attract a betrothed, and allowed recently married ladies to more quickly adapt to a new lifestyle.
The tradition of making dolls-amulets woven from fabric was popular until, with the development of industry, toys made of plastic and wood came into fashion. And some features of the technology for making magic products were lost. However, the basic traditions of such rituals have survived to our times. We will talk about them below.
Rules and features of the technology for making amulets
The procedure for making amulets in the form of winding dolls is a specific ritual. Like any other magical ritual, it requires preparation and adherence to a set of rules. Such nuances are a guarantee that as a result the author of a hand-made masterpiece will receive not a simple toy, but a powerful magical amulet.
As for the rules for creating original fabric crafts in the form of toys, the main ones can be presented in the form of a list:
- The process of making a motanka doll must be started any day of the week, but only in a good mood. A good mood is the main component of the effectiveness of such a talisman. By starting to create a magical product in a good mood, the author will be able to fill it with favorable energy, which will subsequently become a key source.
- It is strictly forbidden to use sharp objects (stabbing or cutting). The use of such tools will negatively affect the product itself and its further impact. To make a traditional motanka doll, each operation should be performed only with your hands. If a piece of fabric is required, it should be torn off, etc.
- When winding the threads on the product, always leave an even number of knots. Having wound the thread, it should be tied an even number of times. To enhance the magical power of the knot and the amulet itself, you can pronounce different words or wishes regarding the purpose of the craft. It is advisable to use only red thread. It is believed that it has magical powers and is able to ward off evil spirits from the master and owner of the difficult toy.
- The decor should be beautiful. A doll made from fabric and additional materials must be beautiful in appearance. To do this, you can use colorful scraps of fabric, beads, satin ribbons, etc.
- According to the traditions of creating such amulets, dolls should remain faceless. It is traditionally believed that a folk doll is a toy without a face. This feature of the product lies in the fact that, while remaining faceless, the reel will be inaccessible to the influence of unfavorable spirits through it. In other words, evil spirits and other matters will not be able to enter the product and, accordingly, will not be able to harm its owner.
What can be used in the process of creating a complex toy?
A special point in the process of making traditional amulets in the form of fabric toys is the selection of materials. The power of this amulet will depend on what will be used to create a man-made magical masterpiece.
When creating a motanka doll, it is advisable to carefully select the necessary materials. First of all, the raw materials that the author planned to take to create a talisman doll must be of natural origin. In addition, it should give pleasure not only when looking at it, but also when in direct contact.
Traditionally, to make motanka dolls with your own hands, our distant ancestors preferred to use:
- natural fabrics;
- linen or wool ropes;
- branches of trees, bushes;
- herbal preparations;
- coals;
- straw and much more.
Currently, in the absence of such materials, others can be used. But you should remember the origin of the raw materials. Give preference to natural materials if you want to end up with a product endowed with magic and emitting favorable energy.
An example of performing magic toys
There are a huge variety of motanka dolls that you can make yourself at home, even in the modern world. By selecting the necessary materials that meet the basic requirements of the manufacturing rituals, you can create a strong protective magical amulet without leaving your home. An example of how you can make a difficult doll yourself is given below.
Classic craft
The most important woven amulet doll is considered to be Bereginya. She, as the keeper of the hearth and a symbol of the feminine principle, has not only protective properties, but also the ability to cause favorable changes in life.
In order to be able to make such a complex toy, endowed with magic, you just need to prepare the following materials:
- wooden sticks;
- scraps of fabric of different sizes and colors (white - for the head and body, colorful - for a skirt, scarf, apron, etc.);
- natural red threads;
- cotton wool, but a herbal mixture is better - to fill the head.
At the beginning of the handicraft process of making the amulet, you should make the base of the doll - a cross. This symbol has long been considered a powerful sacred sign, which is intended to serve for the benefit of man. Having placed two sticks in the form of a cross, they need to be tied tightly with a red thread, leaving an even number of knots. The resulting body-base can be wrapped with pieces of fabric so that you can determine where the arms and head will be.
To make the head, you need to take a square piece of white fabric and, having filled it with a collection of dried herbs (cotton wool), form a ball and tie it with a red thread. Next, the head is wound to the body base. Then you can shape the doll itself. 
By wrapping it with colorful fabric cuts, you can do:
- shirt;
- skirt;
- apron;
- handkerchief.
The final stage is the decoration of Beregini. By decorating the motanka doll as you wish, you can “revive” it. In order for the amulet to serve the master for a long period of time, providing only favorable 
influence on its owner, you should do the following:
- take the finished product in your hands;
- having tuned in to the right mood, you should decide for what purpose you made the reel;
- then you need to voice your desire and praise the doll.
Thus, you can make a powerful amulet for yourself at home - a motanka for the Bereginya home. In order for it to act, protect from misfortunes and attract positive events, the doll can be placed in a prominent place. In addition, it is recommended to pick it up periodically to fill it with energy and remind you of its purpose. 
This way Bereginya will be able to gain strength and protect her owner.
As you can understand, motanka dolls are the simplest, but very effective method to protect yourself from various kinds of misfortunes. Both previously and now, amulets in the form of dolls wound from fabric are considered powerful magical products, the power of which is inexplicable scientifically. But this only increases interest in amulet motankas, which can be seen from the newly in demand requests for such folk dolls.
