Many have asked me questions about how I repair dolls. You can e-mail me, just click on my about me and under my photo you have contact me, click on it for my e-mail link.
Basically, I triage the doll and then hunt down supplies I might not have on hand and work up a price from there. They still make the pattern for these dolls and the clothes you can find on line. The hardest was the yarn hair. The hair is a certain fiber and color. I was able to locate a good bit of thick red cotton yarn. After I find what I need, I have to fix fugitive inks and dyes. Then I take apart the doll,remove the stuffing and breakable parts, hand wash everything then I can build the doll back again. In the careful process of washing things can tear. But I can fix most all fabric holes thanks to photos and printing on fabric via a printer. Wedding tulle is very useful for moth holes and hidden repairs, it comes in all colors.
The hardest thing to find can be the doll eyes. But I can make my own replacements now thanks to mold making, silicone and resin.
Putting the doll back together is the fun part, like a puzzle. Once the doll body is fixed I make a pattern and sew up the new dress. The exact prints are hard to locate in a quantity enough to sew up a full childes size dress for a good price (fabric print set ups $$$). So I let the client choose the prints I can get hold of at a reasonable price. Fiber dolls are my specialty.
The hours of sewing, repair, painting, tacking and restoration are worth it. This doll had been stored in plastic bag in the attic. The client had washed the doll in the washing machine and dryer. Major destruction of the stuffing and the hair. Client was very happy to have the doll fully restored again.
