An Ancient Beauty~Lucy's Doll

the tag says:

Armand Marseille

Marks: 370

A.M. 8/0x DEP

Armand Marseilles

Made in Germany

no wig, broken shoulder plate,

underclothing is orginial as is

socks.

It is the request of the owner that the clothing not be restored

and to try and get the doll as close to orginal as I can.

this should be loads of fun.



 Poor baby looks like she has been in a fight and lost... Chipped teeth and wobbly eyes

 

the head cleaned up nicely...dont have to repaint the face...YAY!

 One is dirty one is clean... she's the problem in between.

Found some shoes to fit her

 oiled her body but took the arms back off. Didn't like how they sat on her.

Some paint to make her look clean and nice.

 Front

 Back

 Top straightened up and all those lose threads removed and a patch over the inside that holds in the sawdust stuffing

 Exercise!

 Lets do some leg bends... like her shoes?

 

 made cardboard form to build the shoulder on.

 Started adding layers to build it up

 first real sanding shows some roughness still so will add more filler

 

the wig is real human hair. I love the color.

She is looking like someones dolly again. 

Now if her mommy likes how she has been dressed , she is ready to pack up an ship off home.

 

My little Princess

I got 7 Princes in my life but only one PRINCESS.  She just had a birthday and she is a natural little mommy... so I got the little mommy a new baby.  A Berenguer I think that is the right spelling. I love this doll. I think I am going to HAVE to get me one like it.  She looks so much like Andrea when she was a baby...

 this is how she arrived. All in pink

 Her Sunday go to meetin clothes

Her everyday dress

I have only one complaint with the doll. Hard to dress because the arms and legs are formed in the bent position. But she does move at neck, shoulders and hips. Shaped just perfect to wrap in a blanket and cuddle.

 



Love the Plain Folk

For Christmas 2012 I made my oldest daughter a set of these dolls. My heritage includes Amish or Mennonite ancestors. Their plain dress and way of life fascinates me.

Christmas and other holidays

Ever mark time by what happened at what time of year?  Like "oh that was the Easter we had a late snow or That was our last Christmas with so and so"   .... I do that often.  Whenever Christmas comes along I ask the Lord to NOT let someone I love die then... We thought my mom would pass away near a Christmas one year...but the Lord heard my prayer. It was just a short time after her 80th that she left us.  Now I face my Dad getting older and weaker. He is 87 now and he misses mom something fierce.  It is during the times I think on these things I turn to my dolls the most.  I find solace in them. They do not die and leave me...they live on if cared for. Someone somewhere is waiting to love them again.  I guess I should change my name to Granny's RE-loved dolls. Just a melancoly time of year for me.

the outfit, not the doll was a Swap for a precious lady on a doll list I belong to. As I sewed it I tried to imagine what SHE would think of it. She does some of the best sewing I have ever seen when it comes to doll clothes. I have some lovely outfits she did for some of my girls...this was the first I did for her. The following are ones she did for my girls...

A Special little lady has come to my house.

I got a new addition to my house. I don't have a name for her yet. Perhaps somone can tell me who she is. I think she is compo. She once had a wig and will again. I need to renew her color and give her some pretty clothes... She was a gift to me from Sandra Walker of Maine.  I can never thank her enough for this precious little girl...

After looking a the wigs I had available...this one seems made for her.  She seems to like it!

I was searching on the net and found this Rosebud by Horsman. Looks like my girl. Made around 1929

Whatcha think?

 03/14/2013

Started to work on her.  She needed cracks filled, cleaning and painting where it was missing and then sealing...ready to dress.

Don't you just love her face? I sure do.

Well it took a while but now Dec 2013 She has her dress. She made me think of Little Orphan Annie so I tried to dress her close to what i was thinking...

 

The Sisters Dolls

Maggie and Orpha brought me their child hood dolls to be re-stored. I don't like to do things half way. I want them to be beautiful. The cost to me is not important. Most is my labor. I just enjoy it more then I want to make a lot of money doing this.  Maggie brought me one and Orpha brought 3.

 

 

 

MAGGIE'S DOLL

This is Maggie's doll. 1950s Magic Skin...

the legs and one arm are NOT salavageable. Maggie said to replace them with what I could find. On eBay there is not much in this...so I will probably cannibalize a doll I have here that has the right shape arms and legs...

 I scalped her!

this will be the sacrifice.... poor baby

Ack! I killed her!

 

 today is November 5 2012 and Maggie's doll I hope is finished.

 

so some sewing on the slip and pressing...they both need snaps or fasteners of some kind and maybe some lace or other embellishments

I don't think her clothes that came with her, did her justice so I made her some new ones.

 

 

 

ORPHA's Dolls

Soft vinyl stuffed all in one body. Large bottom as she is a sit down doll.

dress is dry rotted. Even after washing and pressing it still would not do  and shoes were split on one.

So I decided she needed something new ALL the way.

 

 

 

 

Baby gonna get new clothes 

soft vinyl hollow body. She only wants it cleaned and dressed for her granddaughter to play with

 

 The Sticky Sister

Orpha's childhood doll gotten when sister Maggie got hers.

Well now I know SHE does NOT have magic skin. Hers is a soft vinyl that has undergone a breakdown and this releases that ucky sticky feel. Because of her age I am not willing to do the vasaline and sun treatment.. so today I started by scrubbing her with a mild abrasive cleaner to make the vinyl less sticky and replaced the momma box in her chest...

 removed the head and wig (it was stapled on)

 gave the face a gentle scrub to remove some scuffs from it. 

Now to wash and style this thing...kind of looks ratty right now.

the dress below came out very nice and clean... but needed work

made a Combination for under the dress. It is a one piece that covers from shoulders and takes the place of unders or long bloomers. This gives better protection to the body.

Wig glued on and she is ready for a box to protect her till she goes back home. 

 

 

 

 

Bye Lo Baby wannabe

Sometimes you see a doll and you know it did not cost much. You know it is an immitation. Even though I could not find where it was made I bought it anyhow. We were at an antique store in Strausburg Pa.  Doubt I will ever get up that way again. But for $10 I got the doll and the chair.  Chair reminds me of an electric chair. Working on her now to clean the clothes up and make her look pretty again.
    She is all cleaned up now...