Dolly makeover 101

I love going to thrift stores....just to see what fun I can find.  When I lived in San Diego, I had a little doll repair/restoration business, so I always keep my eye open for old dolls. When we were in Ft Lauderdale, I found this little gem while I was out thrifting with my friend, Ruth.

Can I just say....she was in sad shape.  Her dress was quite filthy.  Ok, her body was so dirty you could see her shoe line when you took it off.

There were holes in the netting....

and in the satin dress

but I am good! LOL!!!  The lace and satin have been completely restored! And after soaking her dress in Biz for 24 hours....it's back to it's original shade....with no bug spots!

I washed and set her hair, combed it out, added a spray of vintage paper flowers to make a headband

She has her original pearl earrings. Her face cleaned up quite nicely

I added another sprig of paper flowers tied with ribbon on her hand.  Her red nailpolish is still intact.

and here's how she looks all cleaned up.  Quite an improvement!!!

What do you think?  Didn't she turn out great???

So who is she? Most likely, she is a 1950s fashion doll. She is 20" tall, has rooted hair, sleep eyes,  This type of doll was sold at grocery stores.  Imagine that!!!  She is jointed at the neck, shoulders and hips.   Her dress is original and has shiny silver metallic thread in the net - typical of that era.  Patterned after the Miss Revlon dolls of that era, she has an "A" on the back of her neck.   She has her original panties, but has lost her shoes! 

I always tell my students - invest your money in tools. Because with the right tools, and a little knowledge, you can adapt from one hobby to the next.  There is just something about repairing and restoring old dolls and their clothes that I love more than anything. I think it's the whole idea of bringing new life to something someone else tossed out.  

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