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How to Make a Doll Hijab

A hijab is designed to cover the hair and shoulders and sometimes the arms and hands. Hijabs protect modesty and help block the harmful rays of the sun. Young Islamic girls enjoy making clothes for their dolls as much as any other young girl, and a doll hijab is simple to make and requires no sewing skills.
Making doll hijabs is a quick activity that can be done in one class period as part of a unit study on the people and customs of the Middle East. It is also a fun activity for a girl's club meeting, religious school class or birthday party.

Things You'll Need

Pretty, opaque cloth in muted colors Scissors Seam binding Hot glue gun Clear glue sticks Trims Safety pins

Instructions

- 1
  Cut a square of your chosen cloth to your doll's standing height.
- 2
  Bind all four edges with seam binding. Use a hot glue gun and halal glue sticks. Use needle and thread if you are uncertain of the composition of the available glue sticks.
- 3
  If desired, apply decorative trim to one edge of your doll hijab, using either the hot glue gun or needle and thread.
- 4
  Drape the hijab over your doll with the trimmed edge (if there is one) framing her face. Pin the hijab just below her throat and again about every inch or so, until just above the doll's waistline. You may also choose to wrap the hijab around the doll's shoulders as in the photo of the Salma dolls.
  The hijab is worn in many different ways in different countries, depending upon how strictly Islamic law is interpreted there. In countries with a more conservative interpretation, draping the hijab across the shoulders would not provide protection against its accidentally slipping off, uncovering the head, upper body and hands. In other countries, covering the back of the hair is sufficient, and the shoulders and below would merely be covered by a tunic and long sleeves. In the most conservative countries, the hijab is not sufficient outdoor covering, so a burka or abayah would be worn instead.

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