Betsy Wetsy

When I was very young I had a Betsy Wetsy doll. This was back in the early 1950s. I was staying at my cousins house one night and I had my doll with me. She fell from the bed and hit the hard wood floor and her head split right in half. My mom was not one for gluing things like dolls and she got thrown away. I cried over that doll. Just recently I was given a Betsy Wetsy. Janet in PA thank you so much.  So  one of my projects is to clean her up and eventually reset her eyes and give her eyelashes again.

 How she arrived

 Wild eyes and dirty face

 her "hair" washed

And her face too!

Original Bonnet, vintage shoes , new socks and new outfit.



Sweetie Pie EFFANBEE

It was during a rough time in my life when I first happened upon this baby. Our church had aquired some property to use for a camp for our members. There was an old trailer that I was helping to clean out when I found this girl in a plastic bag. The mice had been at her but it was love at firs sight. My pastor said I could have her if I did not sell her. No problem there.  She was the start or rather the renewal of my love affair with dolls...As far as I can find out  she is from the WWll era.

These last few days I have been working on her and another compo doll. I guess it is about time too!

 face washed

 legs washed

 by EFFANBEE

 first layer of paint over compo fix

 the legs with new color and sealer

 should have flipped the photo

Now she has new hair and ready to dress...

Today 3/18/2013 I decided to dress her

 she needed her booties and bloomers

 Then of course a slip

 The dress!

And finally her bonnet... She is complete and I am happy. A good day's work.

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...