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Showing posts with the label doll making

Doll restoration

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 So I was given this poor little lady to restore as she had fallen apart, literally!  She is a Denys Fisher Jennie doll, a tiny little lady at 7 1/2 inches. After cleaning off the sticky stuff (seems she was glued at some point), I then set about restringing her. Removing the old elastic which had perished proved to be easier than I expected.  There was a tiny holed plastic pieces inside a tiny cup which the elastic was threaded through.  Could have used a finer gauge elastic cord to replace the original, but I went with what I had at hand and it seemed to work pretty well. Very pleased with the outcome!  Dressed in her original brownies uniform, Jennie is looking a lot more put together!  I’m busy now sewing some new clothes for this dear little doll. Feel free to comment or contact me if you need advice on restringing dolls.  I really enjoyed this little challenge. Until next time! Love Shari 💕

Hilary, Diana Effner porcelain doll

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 Hilary’s story is a sad one.  This beautiful doll was travelling to live with me when she was terribly mistreated and damaged in transit. I was heartbroken. I set about trying to repair the damage to her face. Whilst she was hospitalised for her facial surgery, Hilary very kindly loaned her dress to Katy, but soon she will have her dress returned and Katy will have new ones. Using water based glue seemed the best option, in case I should ever need to reset (if and when I am more experienced).  I ensured the glue would dry clear as I didn’t want the repair to be noticeable. The repair is only noticeable if you look closely and I am very happy with the result. And that is the saga of how I got started in doll repairs. 😁 Look out for more doll repairs in the future. Best wishes Shari x

Doll Repairs

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 Well, inadvertently I have now embarked on the mysterious world of doll repairs.  It’s a bit of a long story but anyway, I acquired a half completed porcelain doll without legs or hair.  I have absolutely nil experience in doll making or doll repairs, but she is such a beauty that I knew I had to try.   She has a soft body and porcelain face, chest, arms and legs.  After viewing many videos on utube to find out how these dolls are actually made, it became clear that the attaching of porcelain legs to the soft body is actually done before the head is attached.  You turn the body inside out, attach the legs with wire or string on the wrong side and then turn the body right way round so the method of attachment, i.e. wire/string is invisible and there is a neat join between porcelain and fabric. Ok… so a bit of a hurdle, but I’m always up for a challenge!   I could go one of three ways:- 1. Remove head, stuffing, arms and start again with inside out body attaching to legs; 2. Leave her