Introduction: Haunted Doll
Background
After watching the show “Haunted Collector” on the SiFi Channel, I thought it might be kinda cool to own an a haunted object; however, I needed a safe haunted item – something that won’t freak out the dog or mess with the lights at midnight.
So I choose to make one and I chose as my haunted object a doll, and not just any ordinary doll, a three faced doll (creepy factor x 3). I also wanted this doll to seem to affect electricity and have a head that turns on it’s own.
To make all of this happen, a microcontroller would be needed to control a DC motor for the head swivel and it will also control a lamp that will be mounted on to the dolls base to make it seem as though there is erratic electrical behavior.
Attachments
Step 1: The Doll Head
I needed to find an affordable doll, nothing valuable on the collectables market and most importantly…creepy.
I found a 3 faced bisque baby doll (head only) for a few dollars and needed to apply a scary faux finish to give the doll an aged appearance.
Doll head
Newspaper
Kneadable Eraser
Chalk Pastels (several different shades of brown, blue, white)
Paper Stump
No. 2 Pencil
Step 2: Aging the Head
The doll is bisque so creating 50 years of dirt was easy. Take a sheet of news paper and rub the head with the paper. The ink will look like grime. To add highlights erase use a kneadable eraser (I erased portions of the forehead, tears for the crying face and areas of the cheek bones).
Step 3: Adding Details and Color
Apply pastels directly to your fingers (your fingers will work as a paint brush), then strategically apply color to the doll. Brown for dirt, blue for adding shadow areas, white to emphasize highlights.
Use the paper stump for blending in small tight areas such as the sides of the nose and around the eyes.
Use your number 2 pencil to add veins/cracks to the face. Once drawn, smear the drawing with your fingers. It will take the shine from the graphite and blend with your faux antique finish.
NOTE: The purpose of using dry artist colors versus paint is that mistakes are erasable whereas paint will be permanent on porous material like bisque.
Step 4: Creating the Body
Crafting Polymer Clay
Oven
Molder’s hand drill or anything that will pierce soft clay
Thin drawing paper
Sturdy cloth (body of doll)
Paper
Sewing Machine
Thick Tread
Curved Sewing Needle
Glue and strips of fabric
Since the doll’s head is bisque, hands and feet should be made of a similar material (the doll has to look original). However
the doll did not come with a body, I had to fashion those body parts with crafter’s polymer clay.
The clay I chose to use bakes in the oven (275 degrees for 15 min) to harden giving those body parts the effect of being original to
the head.
Shape the clay, remembering that most antique dolls had hands and forearms made of the same material as the head
When forming your hands, be mindful of the fact that the left hand and the right hands are different.
I used a sketch to help in the forming of these parts.
After forming the legs and arms (make them hollow – will explain later), drill holes in the clay at the top of each part. There should be four holes each. This will assist in attaching the parts to the doll’s body.
Bake the body parts and let cool.
Step 5: Rag Doll Body
I chose a sturdy cloth like Osnaburg for the body because I need the doll to be stiff and it has a cool vintage look.
Create a pattern by tracing the doll head on a large piece of paper.
Draw a body for the traced head, remembering to add a half an inch around the sketched body, you will need room to sew both the front and back panels of the doll.
Your lower legs and arms should be tapered so that the ends of the arms and legs will fit in the clay pieces.
Only cut out the best half of your pattern (left or right side). You only need half of the pattern for symmetry of the body.
Fold your fabric in half, pinning your pattern on top. The center of the body is placed on the folded edge.
Cut the shape out.
Repeat
This should give you two identical pieces that you will have to sew together.
Step 6: Sewing the Rag Doll
When sewing both pieces together, remember to leave gaps so that you can stuff the doll’s body.
Fill the doll with scraps of fabric. The scraps will fill the doll and give it an antique not so cuddly feel. If you used modern fill, the doll will be too soft and it may not support the weight of the head.
Stitch all of the gaps except for the neck.
Fit the dried clay pieces to the ends of the limbs and stitch them in place. Use the drilled holes to stitch though. It is best to use extra thick thread, the clay is heavy and through time regular thread will weaken and the body part will fall off.
Using the sewing machine, stitch across the joints (elbows, knees, hips and shoulder)
To hide and strengthen the attachment of the hands and feet, I hid the connection with glued strips of fabric and wrapped the area.
NOTE: My doll’s arms are way to long for the body…I chose to keep them that way because it gave the doll an inhuman look.
Step 7: Night Shirt - Pattern
Night Shirt
Thin drawing paper
Cotton Fabric
Lace (lots)
Sewing Machine
Metal Snap
Patience
I started the pattern by sketching an idea of what an old fashioned baby’s night gown should look like.
Pleats in the front and back
Gown longer than the body
Excessively long sleeves
Because of the pleats, the gown will need to be extra wide at the collar (extra fabric will be needed to fold over the pleats).
I drew a second sketch (an initial pattern) with a ball park idea of what the pattern shape should be.
Just like the doll's pattern for the body, only create half of the pattern). Fold the pleats over on paper pattern.
Once folded, notice all errors in the shape and size of the pattern
Create a second pattern (final pattern) with issues corrected i.e. pleat folds, length & curve for the bottom of gown, and width of the costume.
NOTE: Just like the doll body pattern, make sure you add half an inch around the pattern.
I folded the second pattern (on the pleats) to make sure that the pattern fits the doll
Step 8: Night Shirt - Construction
Fold your cotton fabric in half, pinning your pattern on top. The center of the gown pattern is placed on the folded edge of the fabric.
Cut the shape out.
Repeat
First machine stitching should be the hem at the bottom of the gown.
Fold half inch of fabric and pin
Iron the fold flat
Sew the hem down
Fold over the pleats for both the front and back.
Pin the fold down
Iron flat
Hand stitch pleats down (at the top of the gown)
Step 9: Night Shirt - Sewing
Sew the top and bottom panel pieces together
Sew the left sides together (do not sew the arm hole shut)
Sew the right sides together (do not sew the arm hole shut)
Sew the shoulders together (do not sew the neck hole shut)
The front and the back of the gown will need an extra panel to cover the pleats origin folds.
Cut out a semi circle piece of fabric
Fold over all sides like a hem and iron flat
Sew that piece on top of the gown under the neck hole, folding the flat side of the semi-circle over the
neck hole to create a finished neck hole. (if it is not pretty, lace will help)
Step 10: Sleeves
Create the sleeves
Cut fabric longer than needed for the sleeve
Fold over one short end to hem (iron and sew)
Fold long sides together making sure that bottom hem is on the outside of fold
Sew the long sides together
Slide the sleeve in the arm hole to the length that needs to be
Hand stitch the sleeve to the body of the gown
Cut excess sleeve material of inside of the gown.
Repeat steps a through g for the other side
Slit the back of the gown so that the doll can easily fit into the gown.
Hem the slit on both sides to prevent fraying
Step 11: Base for Doll
Cheap Wooden Box found in any crafting store (must be big enough to house the
Black Enamel Paint
Red Enamel Paint
Two Foam Brushes
Clear Polyurethane Spray
The doll will require a base to hide the mechanical workings. The box will need to be big enough to hold both the mechanics and electronics.
Easy faux finish
Paint the box top and bottom black with one of the foam brushes (be liberal with the paint
Let dry
Apply red paint directly to the second brush and drag the brush across the box (with the grain) the red will streak across.
Do not give the box a 100% coverage with the red paint (black should show through in areas)
Let dry
Spray the clear over the painted areas of the box.
Set the box aside
Step 12: Mechanics
Threaded Lamp Rod (axel for head)
¾” Copper Pipe (housing for lamp rod)
Assorted Washers and ½” Nuts (to cap each end of lamp rod)
Old Gift Card (to fill in the void in doll neck and for the lamp rod to connect to)
DC Motor Kit with gearbox kit
22 Gauge Hook Up Wire (red and green)
Hacksaw (to cut the threaded rod)
Pipe cutter (to cut the copper pipe)
Super Glue
Wire cutters and wire stripper (to cut the hook up wire)
Soldering Iron (to attach the hook up wire to the motor)
The doll’s head will be controlled by an Arduino which will turn the doll’s head using a small hobbyist DC motor.
Getting the length of the lamp rod - The doll will be sitting on the wood base, so measure the dolls torso, add a 3/4” for the portion of the rod that will hold the head on and add another inch for the connection down to the motor. Cut the rod to length with hacksaw.
Since the rod will be housed within the dolls body and the doll is nothing more than a rag doll, the lamp rod must be housed in a tube so that the rod will not bind in the rag stuffing of the doll. Cut the pipe (using the pipe cutter) to the dolls torso length adding an extra inch to extend downward past the bottom of the doll and into the box.
The doll’s head and neck are hollow and I chose the easiest method to attach the axel to the head and that was to create a custom fit washer that contours the inside of the irregular neck.
Step 13: Axel Assembly
Drawing depicts the assembly only. The copper pipe has been installed in the doll before putting the axel together.
Push the copper tube through the top of the rag doll (neck) through the bottom of the torso. You may need to make a relief cut so that the pipe can push through to the bottom of the doll
Slide the threaded rod through the pipe
Screw lamp nuts onto both ends of the threaded pipe. DO NOT tighten the nuts to the pipe. The threaded rod has to move and turn freely
Place small washers on the ends of the rod (small washers are needed to help clamp the large washers onto the rod because the center hole of the large washer is oversized)
Place large washer over both of the small washers (large washers are needed to attach to the motor and help anchor the doll down to box and axel assembly.
Push to top large washer into the neck of the soft doll body. It should just below the surface of the fabric skin.
Slide another small washer on both ends of the rod
Tighten the lamp nuts over the small washers
The nuts will act as a clamp to hold the washer assembly together
Glue a lamp nut onto the gift card washer (see construction below) – let dry and then screw the gift card washer onto one end of the axel assembly and tighten
Hot glue the plastic washer into the neck cavity and let cool.
Sew the neck of the rag doll together, shutting the hole so that the washer can’t be seen.
The doll’s head and neck are hollow and I chose the easiest method to attach the axel to the head and that was to create a custom fit washer that contours the inside of the irregular neck.
To create the custom washer I used an old gift card and traced the shape of the bottom of the doll’s neck to the card.
Cut the shape out
Trim the shape so that it will fit snugly in the neck cavity
Drill a hole in the center of the shape that will accept the axel
Use the super glue to glue a lamp nut over the hole so that the threaded rod has something to bite on
Step 14: Motor
I found at a local hobby shop a DC motor model kit with an adjustable gearbox.
I assembled the kit and chose the lowest gear for maximum torque. Remember, as you choose the gear most suitable to your situation, that the more gears you add, the slower the motor will spin (transference of energy) and the louder the motor will be.
The kit’s motor will have already installed wires to receive battery power. You will need to replace them with longer wires so that they will plug into the Arduino board.
Pull the short green wire off and replace it with a longer length of green wire (8” or more)
Strip about an 8th inch off the end
Solder the bare end to the terminal that the original wire came off of on the motor
Repeat steps to replace the red wire
Set the doll and motor aside
Step 15: LED Lamp
More copper pipe 3/8” x 17” 3/8”
copper tee fitting 1/2”
plumbing elbow
20 Gauge hookup wire (black and red)
Old gas lamp fitting
4 white LED lights with prongs
electrical tape
wire cutter and wire stripper
copper pipe bracket
Male pin headers for Arduino breadboard
Solder and soldering iron
Finished doll base (the main box – not the lid)
brass wood screws
Hot glue and glue gun
The copper pipe that I used already had an old used look to it. If you have a new pipe, rub it with your hands. The oil from your hands will bring down the shine quite a bit.
The plan is to have the lights flicker giving the lamp a faux broken light bulb look or a light fixture that a spirit is trying to control.
The best way for the lamp to have that haunted effect is to hook up four LED lights that the Arduino board will control separately.
Cut 4 pieces of red wire and 4 pieces of black wire and make them extra-long. 17” for the length of the pipe + 8” for the gas light + 3” room to work to connect the LED lights to the wires + and extra 12” for the base. The base will house the wire, and the Arduino.
Each light will have a black and red wire. Why black and red? Black will be for the ground which will connect to the ground (short prong on the LED) and the Red will be the hot wire (long prong on the LED).
Pair one black wire to one red wire and twist them together. This will be very important when we wire the lamp to the breadboard which will be attached to the Arduino
You will have 4 wire bundles for each light.
Fish the 4 wire bundles through the pipe
Fish the wire through the gas light
Push the gas light onto the pipe (the end of the gas light pipe will fit over the
Strip each wire’s insulation about an inch
Twist each Long LED Prong to the bare red wire and wrap with electrical tape (sparingly)
Twist each short LED Prong to the bare red wire and rap with electrical tape (Sapringly)
From the bottom of the copper pipe, pull the wire bundles down until the LED lights sit flush in the gas fixture opening
Step 16: LED Lights
Before pushing the wiring bundles through the tee, measure the placement of the hole in the base that will accept the tee and wires.
turn the box upside down (open end is on the ground)
Center the tee behind the box making sure that one end point s up, the other end is sitting flush on the ground and the third end
is pointing at the center of the box. Push the third end into the box. It will make an impression in the wood.
From the bottom of the copper pipe, fish the wire through the copper tee fitting Reasoning for tee fitting and not an elbow; the weight of the pipe, wire and gas lamp parts may cause strain for the wooden box if I use a tee, the bottom of the tee will act as a foot for the lamp.
Strip the ends of the wire for each bundle about an 1/8” of an inch and solder a red wire to one of the short pins and the black wire to the other short pin (each bundle should terminate with a header
Time to drill
Take the base and find the impression that the tee fitting made
Find a wood drill spade bit that matches the size of the impression
Drill
Push the lamp assembly tee fitting in the hole
To keep the lamp from falling down, use the brass pipe brackets and the wood screws to brace the pipe to the base.
Take the plumbing elbow and hot glue it to the inside front corner of the box and run the wires through that. It will keep the wires out of the way once it is time to mount the motor.
Step 17: Arduino and Breadboard Setup
Arduino
Arduino Uno Bread Board (half size) Assortment of jumper wires PIR sensor 2.2k resistor (red-red-red) P2N22AG transistor 1N4001 diode (4) 560 resistors (green-blue-brown)
Good news – this will be a solderless operation
Bad news - tiny fingers and excellent eyesight needed
Rather than write down the wiring process, follow the diagram
Arduino to breadboard
Step 18: PIR Sensor
Follow Diagram
Step 19: Motor Setup
Follow Diagram
Step 20: LED Lights Setup
Follow Diagram
Step 21: Coding
Copy code:
// this sketch is to run a PIR sensor, 4 blinking lights, and a small DC motor. PIR sensor
//will trip making the LED lights flash and then turn on a motor
//define the pins
#define LEDPINFAST1 7;//LED light
#define LEDPINFAST2 8;//LED light
#define LEDPINSLOW1 10;//LED light
#define LEDPINSLOW2 9;//LED light
int fast1 = LEDPINFAST1;//LED light blink fast
int fast2 = LEDPINFAST2;//LED light blink fast
int slow1 = LEDPINSLOW1;//LED light blink slow
int slow2 = LEDPINSLOW2;//LED light blink slow
int calibrationTime = 30;// calibrate the PIR sensor
//the time when the sensor outputs a low impulse
long unsigned int lowIn;
//the amount of milliseconds the sensor has to be low
//before we assume all motion has stopped
long unsigned int pause = 100;
boolean lockLow = true;
boolean takeLowTime;
int pirPin = 2; //the digital pin connected to the PIR sensor's output
int motorPin = 11; //Motor pin conected
/////////////////////////////
//SETUP
void setup(){
Serial.begin(9600);
pinMode(pirPin, INPUT);
pinMode(motorPin, OUTPUT);
digitalWrite(pirPin, LOW);
pinMode(fast1,OUTPUT);
pinMode(fast2,OUTPUT);
pinMode(slow1,OUTPUT);
pinMode(slow2,OUTPUT);
//sensor to calibrate write to Aduino program
Serial.print("calibrating sensor ");
for(int i = 0; i < calibrationTime; i++){
Serial.print(".");
delay(1000);
}
Serial.println(" done");
Serial.println("SENSOR ACTIVE");
delay(50);
}
////////////////////////////
//LOOP
void loop(){//I know there are better ways to write this string for irratic flashing lights- but I'm still learning
if(digitalRead(pirPin) == HIGH){
analogWrite(slow2, 100);
delay(1000);
analogWrite(slow2, LOW);
delay(10);{
digitalWrite(fast1, HIGH);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(fast1, LOW);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(fast2, HIGH);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(fast2, LOW);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(slow1, HIGH);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(slow1, LOW);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(fast1, HIGH);
delay(100);
digitalWrite(fast1, LOW);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(fast2, HIGH);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(fast2, LOW);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(slow1, HIGH);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(slow1, LOW);
delay(30);
digitalWrite(fast1, HIGH);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(fast1, LOW);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(fast2, HIGH);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(fast2, LOW);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(slow1, HIGH);
delay(2000);
digitalWrite(slow1, LOW);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(fast1, HIGH);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(fast1, LOW);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(fast2, HIGH);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(fast2, LOW);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(slow1, HIGH);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(slow1, LOW);
delay(30);
digitalWrite(fast1, HIGH);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(fast1, LOW);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(fast2, HIGH);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(fast2, LOW);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(slow1, HIGH);
delay(500);
digitalWrite(slow1, LOW);
digitalWrite(fast1, HIGH);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(fast1, LOW);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(fast2, HIGH);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(fast2, LOW);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(slow1, HIGH);
delay(2000);
digitalWrite(slow1, LOW);
digitalWrite(fast1, HIGH);
delay(100);
digitalWrite(fast1, LOW);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(fast2, HIGH);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(fast2, LOW);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(slow1, HIGH);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(slow1, LOW);
delay(30);
digitalWrite(fast1, HIGH);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(fast1, LOW);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(fast2, HIGH);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(fast2, LOW);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(slow1, HIGH);
delay(2000);
digitalWrite(slow1, LOW);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(fast1, HIGH);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(fast1, LOW);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(fast2, HIGH);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(fast2, LOW);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(slow1, HIGH);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(slow1, LOW);
delay(30);
digitalWrite(fast1, HIGH);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(fast1, LOW);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(fast2, HIGH);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(fast2, LOW);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(slow1, HIGH);
delay(500);
digitalWrite(slow1, LOW);
digitalWrite(fast1, HIGH);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(fast1, LOW);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(fast2, HIGH);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(fast2, LOW);
delay(10);
digitalWrite(slow1, HIGH);
delay(2000);
digitalWrite(slow1, LOW);
analogWrite(slow2, 10);
delay(5);
analogWrite(slow2, 50);//LED light at have half brightness
delay(10);
analogWrite(slow2, 100);
}
digitalWrite(motorPin, HIGH);{ //the motor pin is on
delay(1000); // wait for a second
digitalWrite(motorPin, LOW); // the motor is off
delay(5000); // wait for five seconds
analogWrite(slow2, LOW);//LED light light off
}
if(lockLow){ //back to the sensor
//PIR LOW before more output is made:
lockLow = false;
Serial.println("---");
Serial.print("motion detected at ");
Serial.print(millis()/100);
Serial.println(" sec");
delay(50);
}
takeLowTime = true;
}
if(digitalRead(pirPin) == LOW){
digitalWrite(motorPin, LOW); //PIR is low then motor is low
if(takeLowTime){
lowIn = millis(); //transition high to LOW
takeLowTime = false;
}
if(!lockLow && millis() - lowIn > pause){
//makes sure this block of code is only executed again after
//a new motion sequence has been detected
lockLow = true;
Serial.print("motion ended at "); //output
Serial.print((millis() - pause)/100);
Serial.println(" sec");
delay(50);
}
}
}
Step 22: Putting It Together - Arduino and PIR
Doll Base
DC Motor
Micro controller
Wood Block and Legos
Crafting Polymer Clay
Hot Glue and Gun
Wood Screws
2 - 4” machine bolt with washers and nuts
Drill
Both the lid of the box and the box itself will be upside down. The box will sit on top of the lid – this will give the illusion that the base for the
doll is solid and sturdy like a trophy base.
Arduino placement:
The PIR Sensor will have to face the out the front of the base but it must not be visible. The solution is to have the sensor and hidden
in the box and to have a small hole drilled to expose a portion of the sensor. Depending on how large the hole is will determine the
sensitivity of the sensor.
place the microcontroller on the box lid, set it back fare enough from the edges so that you can place the bottom of the box
on the lid and have it centered
Make sure that the controller has room so that when you place the measure the center of the PIR
Screw the controller down onto the Lid
Measure from the center of the PIR center to the bottom edge of the box bottom and to the edge of the box
Drill your hole (I used a 3/8th drill bit)
Step 23: Placement of Doll
Unassemble the bottom axel assembly (take the large washers off)
Set the doll down onto the box marking the location were the axel will need to go through the box
Drill a hole through the box
Slide the axel through and reassemble the bottom washers to the axel
The doll will not sit straight with the axel and pipe going up the back so I added some long 4” screws
Set the doll on the base sitting straight up
Place once bolt behind the doll on the right side as a support and mark the location on the box
Drill a hole
Push the screw from the bottom and add a washer and nut to the top of the box
Repeat for the left side of the doll
Arrange the dolls clothes over the bolts to hide the extra supports
Step 24: Motor Placement
Motor placement and connection to the axel:
It would be easy to glue everything together but I would like to use the motor for other applications in the future so the connections are temporary.
Mount the motor to a small wooden block (I wrapped the motor in electrical tape to help mask the whine of the motor)
Included in the motor kit is a four pronged mounting hub, I used this on the output shaft on the motor. I decided to make a cog out of the large washer on the axel
Shape the crafting clay into a circle, the same diameter as the washer at about 3/8th thick
Slice the center out in a cross pattern (this missing clay area will accept the shape for the mounting hub
Bake the clay in the oven for 275 degrees for 15 min (don’t use a toaster oven it will turn brown fast)
Once the clay has cooled, hot glue the pieces to the bottom of the large washer, and fit the motor in the gap between the clay pieces
Measure the distance of the back of the wooden block to the side of the box.
Stack a few Legos to fill the gap and hot glue it to the side of the box and to the wooden block
Use a 9v battery to power the Arduino - This will plug into the Arduino UNO
Step 25: Now the Fun Part – Create a Creepy Story to Go With the Doll
I found a creepy old photo from an antiques dealer for just a few cents. What makes this photo creepy is that it has some light leaks around the edges and a dark exposure. I used this photo to spin a tale about the doll named “Maddie”.
The story goes that the little girl in this photo “Hazel” owned this strange little doll which came from her Lithuanian Aunt. Hazel named the doll Maddie and loved the doll so much that that she went everywhere with it except for bed time. Each night Hazel would place the doll in a different room. Asked why she did it, Hazel replied “The Maddie is too noisy, she never sleeps. The doll either coos, cries or laughs all night”. Asked why the doll is placed in a different room each night, Hazel replied “I always put Maddie in the basement. Maddie likes to play hide and seek.” After Hazel’s death a few years ago, her living daughter placed the doll for sale online and that is how I became the new care taker of Maddie the haunted doll.
Attachments
Participated in the
Halloween Decorations Contest
Participated in the
Lamps & Lighting Contest
Participated in the
UP! Contest
