DIY bell doll: master class on making a talisman

Origin story

The Bell doll is a talisman that protects the house and its inhabitants from bad news.
The doll appeared in Valdai, the birthplace of small bells, which were customary to be attached under the arches of horse-drawn carts. Being a smaller copy of church bells, they were considered amulets capable of driving away evil forces and diseases.

Ringing merrily, the Valdai bells kept the coachmen delivering letters from falling asleep during the long journey and drove away wild animals with their noise. They announced the approach of the cart, bringing good news to those who were waiting for news from loved ones. In addition, bells were always used to decorate festive troikas during folk festivals.

Wanting to bring joy and good news into the house, Slavic women began to make dolls from scraps, hiding bells in their fluffy skirts. Gradually, the amulet became associated with the brownie’s wife, Domakha, who protects the house from bad news, the evil eye, curses and damage.

History of appearance and use

Since ancient times, the bell doll was used by our ancestors as a talisman . Over time, they gradually began to forget about it and stopped using it to protect their homes. The dolls were replaced with Chinese counterparts, which became more accessible and popular.

Nowadays, the popularity of amulets dolls has begun to grow again. This is due to increased interest in their history and the history of their ancestors. Nowadays it’s not difficult to find any doll in stores, but if you want to create a real amulet that will protect your home, then you should make a bell toy with your own hands.

The birthplace of this doll is Valdai . It was from there that the famous Valdai bells came from. Since the time of our ancestors, their ringing has been associated with the holiday. Bells were fastened under the arch of a horse's troika and hung on doors in houses and significant places.

The bell doll has three skirts, which symbolizes the kingdom of gold, silver and copper. The happiness that they protect also consists of three components: good for the body, calm for the spirit, joyful for the soul. Our ancestors decorated the carts that brought parcels and letters with Valdai bells. It was believed that they would help attract good news and protect against bad news. Over time, bells began to be attached to dolls, creating home amulets.

Appearance of the “Bell” doll

“Bell” is a motanka, which can be easily distinguished from other Slavic amulets. She is dressed in bright clothes, designed to bring joy to those who are nearby.

Meaning

The protective doll has a special meaning:

Bell shape. It is achieved thanks to fluffy domed skirts that fly out under a thin waist. This form symbolizes the Kingdom of God and the feminine principle.
Number "3". The doll is dressed in 3 fluffy skirts. This number in Orthodoxy symbolizes the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The ancient Slavs also treated the troika with reverence, since it reflected the trinity of Rule, Reveal and Navi - the worlds of gods, people and spirits.
Bright outfit. When looking at the doll, you should get the impression that she is having fun, spinning in a dance. The brighter and more elegant the motanka looks, the more joy and celebration it brings to the house.
Sound. If you pick up the protector doll, it will ring. Our ancestors believed that the noise it makes drives away bad news, illness and evil spirits.

The protective doll has a fluffy dome-shaped skirt.

Peculiarities

A protective doll is always faceless. It should not be allowed to personify a person, because then it will take on a life of its own and could cause harm.

When making a motanka, white fabric is left in place of the face. This color reflects negative energy and is associated with pure thoughts.

The doll cannot be given a name. It should be called Bell.

Creation Rules

In order for a reel to become a talisman, a number of rules must be followed when making it:

The doll personifies the feminine principle, so it is made by a woman, the mother of the family. There should be no male representatives in the room (even the little sons of the needlewoman).
You need to start working during the waxing moon or full moon.
Days of religious holidays, Friday and Sunday are not suitable for creating a talisman. Do not do handicrafts during bad weather.
The craftswoman must be in a good mood and healthy. While working, you cannot be distracted by extraneous matters so as not to dissipate energy.
The pupa should be made throughout the day.
To make the details of the amulet, bright natural materials (linen, cotton, chintz) are used. You can take scraps from old clothes, but provided that they were not worn by a sick or deceased person.
All parts of the craft are fastened together with red thread. The turns should be performed an even number of times, mentally filling the “Bell” with your positive energy.
To ensure that the threads hold tightly, they are tied into an even number of knots, making a wish for each of them (for love, for health, for wealth, etc.). You cannot break the thread at the base of the knot; you need to leave a piece 2-4 mm long.
It is advisable to perform all stages of work on your knees. Thanks to this, the talisman will be quickly filled with feminine energy.

The Bell doll should be made by the mother of the family.

How to make it yourself from fabric: step-by-step instructions

Before you start twisting the amulet, you need to know some rules:

A woman should make a talisman and only in a good mood.
All work is carried out only within one day.
The amulet is not made on holidays, Friday, Sunday. There must be good weather, a waxing or full moon.
When making an amulet, you cannot use piercing or cutting objects - scissors or needles, etc. The fabric and threads are torn off by hand. If the patch is a little frayed, there is nothing to worry about.
For the face of the talisman doll, a white cloth is used, which acts as a shield-reflector of negativity. It must be absolutely pure, not have any features, so as not to be a copy of some person.
You cannot take fabric from the clothes of sick, dead or negative people as material.

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Materials and sizes of blanks for making a bell doll:

Old natural fabric: chintz, cotton, linen. You need three bright multi-colored square patches approximately 20 cm long. One of the colors should be red.
Another white square piece with a side of 15–20 cm. It is necessary for the doll’s face.
A flap for a scarf made of thin fabric. The side of the square is approximately 20 cm.
Red threads that are easily torn by hand. You need to prepare 4 long pieces and 3 short ones in advance.
Cotton wool, hay, dry grass for stuffing.
Little bell.

Manufacturing process step by step:

For the head, roll a ball of cotton wool or grass.
Attach the bell to the ball using threads. It should hang.
Make circles from three multi-colored and one white square scrap. Place a ball with a bell in the center of one of them and twist this fabric around them, tie the space between the bell and the ball with thread, forming a neck. Then repeat the same with other pieces of fabric, using the white one last.
Take a white fabric and make an envelope out of it, that is, combine two opposite corners, leaving the other two corners free.
Place the envelope so that the aligned corners are above the ball head. Attach it to the head with threads. Handles will be made from this piece of fabric - the free corners of the envelope will stick out to the sides. They will also need to be tied with threads.
Tie a scarf from the remaining fabric onto your head and secure it with threads.

Important! The number of turns of thread and knots must be even. When tying knots, you need to make wishes for love, happiness, etc. The thread cannot be torn off from the knot; there must be a gap of several mm.

It takes about an hour or less to make a doll. It must be done while experiencing love, kindness, and joy. Then she is charged with positive energy.

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Next, you can watch a video on how to make this doll with your own hands:

How to make a “Bell” doll with your own hands

The master class on creating a protective doll is simple, so even children can make it.

Safety precautions

Do not touch the reel with metal objects (scissors, needles, knives). You should tear the fabric and break the threads with your hands. The material can be cut with scissors before work, and then put away away. The edges of the parts are not hemmed. Nothing will happen if they have fringe on them.

Before starting work, you need to gather your hair in a ponytail or hide it under a scarf. You must not allow even one hair from the needlewoman’s head to get inside the amulet, as this will cause her to lose energy.

The first reel made with your own hands should not be given or given away. This is considered a bad omen.

A “Bell” made for another person should not be touched by anyone except the craftswoman and the person for whom it is intended.

Required tools and materials

Before you start creating a protective doll, you should prepare all the materials and tools that will be useful in your work. For a “Bell” 11 cm high you will need:

Three circles of bright fabric with diameters of 20, 22 and 25 cm. It is advisable that the largest piece be made of dense, heavy material. Thanks to this, the doll will keep its bell shape.
White square face patch with sides of 16 cm.
Thin colorful fabric of triangular shape for a scarf. The length of the longest side is 20 cm.
Little bell.
Filler (cotton wool, padding polyester or hay).
Red natural threads (should be easy to break with your hands).

To make a doll you need bright fabric.

Step-by-step manufacturing instructions

It is easy to make a protective doll if you follow the steps step by step according to the scheme described below:

Head . To make it, you need to roll the filler into a ball with a diameter of 3-4 cm, then attach a bell to it with a thread so that it hangs freely and can ring. Place the head in the center of the largest circle and tie it with thread. Form a petticoat from the hanging part of the flap.
Outfit . Do the same with the rest of the circles. The smallest piece needs to be wrapped last. The result should be a figurine with a head, a fluffy three-tiered skirt and a bell hidden under it.
Face and hands . Fold the opposite corners of the white square towards each other with a slight overlap of fabric. Cover the doll's head with the central part of the resulting figure and secure it under the chin with threads. The sticking sides of the square will be the arms. Their ends need to be wrapped with threads to form palms.

Options for tying a scarf

The last stage of making a reel is securing the gusset. You can tie it in different ways: under the chin, around the neck, crosswise under the arms.

Master class on creating a talisman

The Bell amulet doll is usually created with your own hands for yourself or for someone close to you. This must be done of your own free will. You should not ask someone to give you a protective doll - the craftswoman must do it herself with all her heart.

Necessary materials

To make a Bell doll yourself, you need to take the following materials:

Three square pieces of fabric with sides 25, 22 and 20 cm. They should be of different colors. You can use one type of fabric or combine several varieties - for example, put chiffon on the bottom and a denser version on top. It is necessary to cut out even circles from these squares in advance.
A piece of white fabric needed to create the head and body of the bereginya. Its size should be 16x16cm.
A triangular piece of fabric for a scarf. The material should be quite thin - this will make it easier to tie the ends together.
Cotton wool or dried grass to fill the pupa.
A small bell that can be placed under a bereginya dress.
Red threads. It is desirable that they come off easily, since scissors cannot be used in the process of creating the amulet. But you can pre-cut short pieces of thread.

From such materials you can make a doll with a height of 11 cm. To make a larger amulet, accordingly, you will need to take larger pieces of fabric.

Manufacturing stages

Below is a master class on making a Bell doll with your own hands. All work is carried out in several stages:

Roll a small ball with a diameter of up to 3 cm from cotton wool or dry grass. This will be the basis for the doll’s head.
You need to tie a bell to the cotton wool using a thread.
Take the largest circle of fabric, spread it on the table, put cotton wool with a bell in the center. Wrap the “head” with fabric and secure it with thread at the bottom. It turns out that the bell will be the body of the pupa.
Straighten the resulting skirt. Do the same with the two remaining materials, placing the head in their center and tying with thread.
Take a piece of white fabric. Fold two opposite corners slightly overlapping each other. Place the resulting envelope on the doll’s head and secure it at the bottom with a thread. And the remaining part of the fabric on both sides will be the handles of the amulet. To make the palms, you need to step back a few mm from the edge of the sleeves and tie them several times with red thread.
Put a scarf on the doll. If you wish, you can decorate it with beads or multi-colored threads, but this is not necessary.
You can also tie a ribbon to the doll’s handles so that it can be easily installed above the door.

Making a Bell doll
If desired, the skirt can be made more fluffy. To do this, you simply need to use a larger number of pieces of fabric of different sizes. This way the doll will look even more beautiful and impressive.

Thus, you can make a Bell doll without any problems with your own hands. Such a talisman will be an excellent protection for your home and will attract good luck and happiness to your home. But most importantly, you must follow the rules for making and using the amulet.

How to use the Bell doll

If the doll is not activated, it has no protective power. In this case, it can be used to decorate the house and interior with folk style elements. In addition, the “Bell” will be an interesting toy for young children.

To use the doll, it must be activated.

The doll can also be used for protective purposes. To do this, you need to charge it and activate it.

Features of making a talisman

To achieve maximum attractiveness, you need to choose the right materials and tools:

For the amulet you will need three different colored types of fabric. Choose bright colors and a variety of patterns. When making a doll, red fabric must be present. The squares of the selected fabric must be at least 22 cm, 20 cm, 15 cm long. In order for the doll to be more durable and hold its shape well, the largest piece of fabric should be the densest.
For the amulet you will need a small piece of white fabric (12x2.5 cm).
During the manufacturing process, red threads, braid, satin ribbons and lace will be used.
As a toy scarf, you can use a triangular piece of fabric with dimensions of 15x15x21 centimeters.
A lump of straw or a small piece of cotton wool.
Bell.

When making any amulet, you should never use a knife, scissors or other cutting or piercing tools. All pieces of fabric can only be torn by hand.

Master class on making a bell doll:

Take a pre-prepared piece of cotton wool and a bell.
Roll the filling into a ball.
Connect the bell with the resulting ball.
From square pieces of fabric we cut out circles of different diameters.
We take the largest circle and place a bell with cotton wool attached in its center.
We wrap the workpiece with the fabric from which the circle is made.
We tighten everything with threads and get the head and skirt of the future doll.
In the same way we attach another circle. The last one will be the circle with the smallest diameter. As a result, we get a three-layer bell made of matter.

Charging and activating the amulet

Charging the reel must begin at the stage of its manufacture: the craftswoman should talk to it, mentally fill it with love, ask for protection and help. Communication with the amulet will allow you to transfer positive energy to it, which will subsequently protect your home from harm.

When the doll is ready, it needs to be activated. To do this, they turn to the goddess Lada, from whom the ancient Slavs asked for prosperity for their home and family. The activation ceremony is carried out during the waxing moon on Wednesday, Friday or Saturday. Morning time is best for him. Correctly carried out activation will help to call on the world of spirits to help fill the talisman with power.

The ritual is carried out as follows:

Bread and milk are left under the front door.
They light a candle, take the doll in their hands and read the plot: “Lada, come to our house, come in, bring happiness and love with you. Give a piece to everyone, protect us from troubles and problems. Give more good news, let the house be warmer and more cheerful. Let everyone be happy both in winter and in spring.”
The food should lie at the entrance for a day, after which it should be given to pets.

The doll needs to be mentally filled with love and asked for protection.
If you wish, you can come up with magic words for activation yourself. The text of the conspiracy must contain requests that the “Bell” must fulfill.

Place for the “Bell” doll

The protective effect of the doll will be stronger if it is placed in a suitable place.

Those who make a motanka to attract good news and protect their home from evil forces should leave it near the front door. For the same purpose, you can hang it on a window (not on curtains or tulle).

To make plants and flowers grow better, the amulet is placed near them.

In a family with small children, the most suitable place for the “Bell” will be the children’s room.

The talisman can be placed in the direction from which you want to receive good news (for example, in the direction of work, school, the place of residence of a loved one).

Where can I buy a “Bell” doll?

If you don’t want to make a motanka yourself, you can buy it ready-made. You can find the doll in souvenir shops and art stores. In addition, you can order a ready-made amulet from needlewomen who sell their products on the Internet, posting their photos on their pages on social networks.

You can buy a ready-made doll in souvenir shops.

A purchased doll, like a homemade one, must be activated before use.