Sharon Golding Designs

 Hello all,  So sorry I’ve been away so long!  Many things happening around here so little time for my hobbies, but I’m now getting back into things. My interest in doll collecting has exploded into a kind of mania 😂 but I’m trying to slow things down a little. I moved from porcelain to baby dolls and then to American Girl and Our Generation before returning to my first love of Barbie! When I was young I didn’t have many dolls, but I did have Barbie and some Barbie clones.  I never really took to Sindy, I don’t know why.  Then recently I discovered Sindy and wow! Have I been missing out!  First I bought a few vintage Sindy and I love them.  Somehow I find their faces so expressive and they move and pose so well.  I always did like the Sindy furniture.  It was always much better made than Barbies trashy stuff.  But now I must admit I’m rather taken with Sindy herself. As a child I hated Ken and Paul, they always seemed so drippy.  Action man was my Barbies favourite man.  So of course

 My latest addition to the doll collection is this little beauty.  Happily no breakages on her journey, but she was in dire need of a wash and hairdo.  I also washed all her clothes.   This is her before her pampering session This is the end result.  I think I will call her Laura. I  feel I need to step back from the doll obsession now, just for a little while.  I have enjoyed this new interest a great deal and will return to it shortly. I hope you’ve enjoyed sharing my adventures. Best wishes Shari 😊

 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

 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