Lets start our project by first making our muneca. There are a number of ways that a
muneca can be made but to simplify the task we will explain several ways that we make ours.
A muneca cover made of several layers of wool.
First, cut three round disks out of a thick wool sock or sweater. Be sure that
it is 100% wool. If it contains any synthetics it may not dispense the shellac properly.
The first disk should be about 1 & 1/4" in diameter.The second one should be 3/4" in
diameter and the third about 1/2" in diameter. Now, stack all three together starting
with the largest going down to the smallest. With a needle and thread sew the edge of
the large disk to the top of the small disk. Do not pull the edges tight. Sew them just
enough to keep them together. Next, cut a 4" x 4" square of t-shirt material and lay it
flat on the table. Lay the stack of wool with the large flat side in the middle of the square.
A muneca core made of 18 inches of cotton gauze.
Grasp the four corners of the t-shirt material and twist all four corners until the
encapsulated wad of wool lays firmly between the thumb, index, and forefinger. Another
way to make the muneca is to cut a small wad of wool from a wool sock or sweater about
3" x 3" square. Form into tightly in the muneca cover as we did before. Attach a rubber
band around the base of the core and really flood it with some 2-pound cut shellac. Let
the muneca sit in the open air for several hours. Once most of the alcohol evaporates
the core will retain its shape. Cotton is an alternative
to using wool for the muneca core. Surgical gauze (from a pharmacy) makes a good core.
Cut about 18 inches of gauze and begin by
Before using the muneca, twist it tightly to make it harder.
folding one end over and over again. Rotate the
folded portion after each wrap while attempting to make the core as tight as
possible. Ideally, you would like to make a finished core that has a somewhat rounded
bottom and about one-half as high as it is in diameter. Once the gauze has been wrapped
into the shape and size you want, wrap a cover around it and hold it in place tightly with
a rubber band. Flood it with shellac and let it evaporate as in the above example. In both
these examples you will probably want to make new covers rather than use the covers with the
dried shellac as they will take quite some time to soften. Always put your munecas into a
sealed container when you are not using them. Add a few drops of alcohol to the
container. This will help prevent the muneca from getting hard. Also take care to change the
muneca cover whenever it becomes damaged (often when you use pumice) or stained.
