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Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Boudoir Doll Progress

Yesterday I had the gumption, (I wonder where does that word come from?) to get out the box in the garage that contains the Boudoir doll that I bought on Ebay last year.  After buying her, I had cleaned her dress and petticoats, and then stored her away for later.

I think she is a "Keen-Eye," from maybe the late Thirties, based on my readings of these dolls.


I sat her outside, and started in on cleaning her with Seventh Generation Natural All Purpose cleaner.  It is a nontoxic eco-friendly cleaner;  and more to protect myself from the doll itself than the cleaner, I wore a respirator, eye protection, gloves and a shower cap!  Can't be too careful around dust!

The reason for this is because she was stuffed with kapok, which has in eighty years, turned to very fine dusty sawdust.  Kapok dust exudes when you squeeze the doll, and is all over your hands when you handle it.   Hack, cough.

Even though I think dolls should be preserved in as original condition as possible, it would be impossible to have this doll, as is, in one's environment. 

 So I donned my garb and tried cleaning the back of one of her boots.   When I saw the cleaner worked well and did not strip the paint whatsoever, then I used it on the arm, then boldy used it on the face.  I sprayed it onto the tissue first and then rubbed giving it some elbow grease.

 
Her face before cleaning


After cleaning. 


So, it looks like Seventh Generation cleaner works, for cleaning this type of doll.....
I really must paint her lips, they are distressing....


Part Two.  
After that, I cut off her arms and legs, and simply pulled her head off her body easily; the glue attaching it was dried out.  I decided I didn't want any more dust kapok, I can make her a new body.  I traced her body onto pattern paper, and made note of how her legs and arms are to be attached:




1.  The leg has a shallow top rim.  2.  put the fabric leg upside down and the leg up inside it (see-through view)
3.  put wire over the top of the fabric, securing it onto the leg rim.  4.  Pull the fabric leg up the right way, to hide the rim and the wire.  5.  Stuff.

You could also put a plug of wool in there before you pull the cloth leg up, as in 3.  This keeps stuffing from going down into the leg, because it is hollow, and stabilizes it.

Well, that was some good progress, and now the next step is to find some eye-lash bristles, and touch up her paint.     

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