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.
