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...

Chatty Cathy

One of my girls will haunt the Goodwill. She ferrets out the dolls and if she thinks it is good, brings it to me.  Here is one of her finds... and I love her. A Chatty Cathy

The clothing is all orginial but she was missing undies and shoes... and needed some cleaning up too!

My Child Doll

My husband is an excavator. Sometimes he finds things in the rubble and brings them home...

This is a MY Child doll. I do not have her history right off.  The body is fabric. Has the feel of felt but much tougher. The eyes are a vinyl and more or less fused to the fabric. She also has MY CHILD on her bottom.

First step was to see if she would clean up.

She looks pretty good.

Next step was to dress her.

Another pretty girl rescued!!!

Joyce's Doll

Wow, I have a real good one to work on.  Have someone searching out to find out more about her so I can dress her and restore her to as much as is possible to her "when new" look.  I have never tried to restore Compo so this will an experience for me.  And an intimidating one as well. It will take me a while as I have my youngest daughter's wedding to sew for. She was always my living doll when she was little because of her porcelain skin tone.  Anyway, this is Joyce's doll , she is about 65 years old, has a compo head, probably orginally had a mohair wig but we are going synthetic and back to the original blonde. Her limbs are soft vinyl with squeakers and a momma crier in her middle.  I want to take my time and do her right.

Joyce told me that she had been in her attic and she did not realize that the temperature fluctuations would do this to the compo... I am thankful there is no insect damage. Would hate to fumigate before I started...LOL

As I work I will take photos of the steps...I am learning as I go. 

I chipped off all the compo that was just more or less laying there... filled in holes with liquid nails putty and then sanded them down with a Dremel where it was too thick.

a couple thin layers of liquid compo.  Will add more after this has set up.

May 2012

Has taken me a while to get back to this.  Sickness and taxes wait for no man or woman. LOL

so here is today's offering. I am excited about getting this girl finished

next will be to dress her.  The body is slip covered to preserve the original size and shape. The wig color was chosen by Joyce I think she will be beautiful when finished. 

Back at ya when she is ready to show her final glory.

HER SHE IS!!!!!!

Past Re-cycles

 this is a Walker Doll that we got for my youngest daughter. The Doll  is probably about 19 years old. You can tell it went through a lot of "love". When my daughter outgrew her play time with this one I put it in my sewing room. One day I got her out and decided she needed some "modernization".  LOL

She wears my daughter's shoes and socks, a wig that I once wore and a brand new dress complete with slip and bloomers. 

 This a Baby Face Doll named Natalie, She was in pretty good condition only needing cleaning and her hair combed... so

 I gave her a bath, shampoo, new dress with one of my embroidery designs on the border and even made her shoes. 

 Another Baby Face (I think I have 21 of them now) named Sandie. How you see her is how she arrived. I have probably 3 more just like her so I decided she needed a new look.  So a wig and a new dress (machine smocked with a pattern I created) and you see the new girl here. 

I think Sandie looks just beautiful now!

 From time to time I go to the local second hand shops and look for dolls.  I found this one for only $1.25.  The dress on her is very old and all handmade but obviously not hers.

A good bath and all brand new clothes. Just have to get some shoes made for her and she will be complete.

I couldn't leave well enough alone...lol. Decided she needed more then shoes. Gave her a wig, and eyelashes and brows...then put her on eBay and she sold...Hmmm gives me all kinds of ideas.

 



 This so Sad Brooke. She does look unhappy. Another Baby Face but of the bathtub group.

Well after all I did for her you would think she would be grateful. She is still pouting!

they gather together sometimes to plot things and decide WHAT they will trick me into next.

I don't have any before pictures of this little baby. She is a Cabbage Patch Preemie. She was found in a trash pile outside a house that had been abandoned.  Poor thing was covered with mildew, red magic marker and ink. She got the Oxy treatment...body and cloth slathered in Oxy 10 then left on my deck through months of sunshine, rain and snow... She was then washed in the washing machine and dressed...she has only a few places I could not get off but they are barely noticeable.  She goes to a new home soon...