Mouse Taxidermy

Step 5 Make voodoo doll- wrap thread

Now we'll apply radial compression to keep the voodoo doll properly dense.

Wrap the end of the string around the 'neck' between the doll's cotton ball segments to tack it down, then begin wrapping the body.

Make a couple of longitudinal loops down and around the tail end of the doll to round the tail area, with neck wraps in between for stability. Then make lots of wraps around the body to properly compress the torso. Add a couple more loops lengthwise as necessary. When the body is properly mummified, make a couple of neck wraps before moving to the head.

Make a couple of longitudinal loops up around the nose and back to the neck, with neck wraps in between for stability. Then make lots of tight wraps around the head to for compression, trying to form an elegantly tapered roughly conic snout. Check your mouse for rough proportions.

Double check that your voodoo doll is tightly mummified, and wrap or tie the thread off around the doll's neck.

I find making the voodoo doll to be the hardest part of taxidermy, and really need to spend more time practicing and perfecting my dolls. These are decent, but nothing to write home about.