For seniors: Heartwarming and cozy. Recommended handmade Hina dolls
Hinamatsuri is an event filled with the wish for girls to grow up healthy and happy.
On March 3rd, many families traditionally display Hina dolls and celebrate.
In this article, we introduce handmade Hina doll ideas especially for seniors.
One-of-a-kind handmade Hina dolls have a warm, charming feel, don’t they?
The Hina dolls featured here are all easy to make using familiar, readily available materials, so please feel free to use them as inspiration.
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[For Seniors] Heartwarming and Cozy: Recommended Handmade Hina Dolls (21–30)
Easy stick-on hanging decoration
Let’s make Hina dolls using honeycomb balls you can buy at a 100-yen shop.
For the Empress and Emperor’s head accessories, use bento picks.
Attach paper with drawn faces to the picks, then fix them onto the honeycomb balls.
Using double-sided tape on the picks and honeycomb balls will secure them well.
Add beads, flowers, and other decorations, and you’ll have adorable ornaments made from softly colored honeycomb balls.
Thread a string through and hang them up to instantly brighten a senior facility or your own room’s wall.
Cup Hina Doll Making
Let’s have fun creating crafts perfect for Hinamatsuri.
Wrap cotton in tissue, then wrap that in fabric to make a cushion.
Place this cushion in a cupcake liner, then attach a collar cut from fabric and face and hair parts made of paper.
Add bead eyes and a fan to finish.
Make the Emperor doll the same way and display the two side by side.
If you use a cup with a lid, you can keep it on display every year without dust collecting on it.
The cushion fabric will serve as the kimono pattern, so prepare any design you like.
[For Seniors] Heartwarming and Cozy. Recommended Handmade Hina Dolls (31–40)
Creating cute and chic Hina dolls for adults
Here’s a simple way to make cute Hina dolls.
First, stick fabric tape in the center of a piece of felt, fold 3 cm from one edge, and make a 2 cm slit in the middle.
Use the slit to neatly shape the collar with a little twist, then fold the felt in half and secure it with double-sided tape.
Next, glue on a bead about 1 cm in diameter to represent the head.
After making two figures, craft small accessories from origami, thread them through a large eye bead, and attach them to the dolls to finish.
By playing with colors and accessories, you can create charming, unique Hina dolls.
The process itself is fun, so it’s highly recommended!
Origami Hina Dolls
Let’s make the parts for the kimono, face, hair, hair ornament, and fan, and complete the Hina doll.
Use Japanese-pattern origami paper for the kimono.
Cut out a triangle at the center, attach the collar on the back, then fold it into a triangle.
Fold up both corners, then fold them back parallel.
Open the origami once and refold so that the bottom corner splits into two layers.
Fold the top of these two layers upward toward the back and pass it through the triangular opening to form the neck.
Next, fold in the left and right sides to make the sleeves, and fold the remaining bottom corner up to the back to finish the kimono! Make the remaining parts and complete your Hina doll.
Hina doll display
Hina doll decorations are origami pieces that can create a festive look through combinations of colors and patterns.
Kimono with traditional Japanese motifs and layered designs produce a calm, refined atmosphere.
In this idea, the kimono is expressed by layering origami and folding the sleeve sections three-dimensionally.
The impression changes greatly depending on how you craft the doll’s expression—whether you give it a gentle smile or a more composed look, its personality will shine through.
Displayed together, they add a sense of the season and vibrant color to a space, bringing out the festive flair of Hinamatsuri.
Placed on a desk, shelf, or wall, they become a subtle yet striking decoration that delights the eye of anyone who sees them.
Stick Hina Dolls
We’ll make Hina dolls by putting to use toilet paper rolls that are often thrown away.
Fold washi-patterned origami so that it wraps around wooden sticks.
Give them items like a fan and a shaku to create the Emperor and Empress dolls.
Use toilet paper rolls covered with origami or construction paper to make a base.
Make two slits in the base.
Since the Emperor and Empress are attached to wooden sticks, insert the sticks into those slits to finish.
You can create lovely pieces using everyday materials.
It looks like older adults would enjoy making these too.
No-Sew Easy Hina Doll Decorations
It looks like an easy project to make by applying chirimen fabric to craft bands that are even sold at 100-yen shops.
Wrap the craft bands with two types of chirimen fabric—patterned and solid-colored.
Since you attach them with glue, it’s a recommended project even for those who aren’t good at sewing.
Tie the craft bands covered with chirimen fabric together.
Add the face and hair, and it’s complete.
Some older adults may feel that handicrafts using needles or sewing machines are difficult.
With this project, many seniors might find it easier to try.