Doll Repair

 This little doll was in terrible shape from years of being loved.

I offered to try and repair her even though I've never repaired a store doll.

 I began by removing the stuffing; which was cotton and had packed together over the years creating a large lump.

 The limbs were held in place with string. This surprised me as I figured the limbs were held on with wire.

 Once the doll was apart, I then took the fabric body apart completely.

 After ironing the pieces, I used them as a pattern for the new body.

 Reattaching the limbs were a bit scary, but after a couple of attempts, it all went pretty smoothly.

 The only change I made to the body, was to add a seam down the back so I could have more space to work with when attaching the limbs and adding the stuffing. This seam was then closed up with hand sewing.

  Once the doll was back together, 

I made a dress with matching bloomers and hat.

 

Even though I wasn't sure what to expect when repairing a doll, the job wasn't too difficult. Taking pictures along the way was helpful; it's amazing how easily a person can forget little details, such as the directions each limb needed to face.