...I thought maybe Mom had a proper before photo...but I couldn't find one...maybe she'll send me one of when she actually got the doll back from Polly...
...Polly found the doll in pieces at Grandma's...and made the dress and veil for Mom's wedding 25 years ago...I don't think she knew how to put the doll back together because it looks like she glued it...and there weren't any bands or cords that would have been used to hold her together...
...and it was just in this display case up in Mom's bedroom for years...and when we were looking for a 'vintage' show and tell item...I took it down and noticed that the arms were off...so I took it out of the box and stand...and it just completely fell apart...
...so this is what we found in the box...all of her limbs were loose with what looks like wood glue residue...some really discoloured stockings, a petticoat, dress and veil and shoes...
...so I took all of her parts down to the sink and washed them really well...she dates to about 1948 and she's made of some composite material...not plastic or china...I was surprised to find...
Antique composition dolls are formed by molding a composite mixture of sawdust and glue, resulting in a denser material than papier-mâché but lighter than wood or porcelain. Composition doll manufacturing lasted until the late 1940s in the U.S., when plastic began to be used for dolls.
...look at the adorable blush on her knees...
...here she is all cleaned up and ready to go back together...
...Mom found some somewhat stretchy lace in her stash...and I used the old discoloured stockings as a pattern and cut out a new pair...the old ones were falling apart and we didn't think we could save them...
...I used the newly refurbished sewing machine to sew the new pair...it worked perfectly...the tension adjusted correctly and the newly oiled machine worked quietly...I was really pleased...
...I used some hair elastics and some help from Mom to get her all put back together...it's a series of hooks...first I used one elastic to go from her head and attach both legs...and then we doubled one and pulled it tight to attach the arms...
...oh...and the new stockings fit pretty well too...
...we washed all of the other pieces of clothing by hand and hung them out to dry...
...carefully ironed everything...
...and started re-dressing her...stockings, shoes and petticoat...
...fully dressed...
...from behind...you can see her pretty train...not really visible when she's in her display case...
...and here she is...ready to go back on display for anothe 20 years or so...
...what's in your workbasket?...
~Have a lovely day!
beautiful!!! It's amazing how one can restore and renew a beloved heirloom!
ReplyDeleteThat is incredible! Fun to see the transformation. You're a sweet daughter. Love, K
ReplyDelete