Restringing dolls as a recession pastime

I can't believe I didn't make this connection the other day, when I blogged about collecting during a recession, but restringing dolls is the ultimate way to enjoy your hobby during a recession!

Knowing how to restring dolls can benefit you in two of the areas that article talks about. It gives you a way to enjoy your dolls, by allowing you to make repairs that perhaps get overlooked when you are able to buy more. Being handy with dolls also enables you to buy more of the fixer-uppers the article recommends buying when you can't afford as much.

And luckily, my ebook How to Restring a Strung Doll is only $2.99, which makes learning how to restring the perfect affordable way to maintain your doll collecting hobby during a recession! :o)

Alexander-kin 1955 outfit "Wendy Loves Her Ballet Lessons" - SOLD

The doll show is tomorrow, and once again I haven't photographed all my dolls and doll clothing for sale! I'm getting closer, though.

Here is an outfit for the Madame Alexander Alexander-kin or Wendy, the 1955 "Wendy Loves Her Ballet Lessons" #454-1955. All that is included here is the tutu and matching panties. The doll who is modeling is being sold on eBay as we speak, and I'm sorry to say I don't have either the ballet slippers or the plastic flower headpiece for this outfit.

The tutu and panties are in great condition. Both are made of white satin and tulle, which has turned a little ivory with age. The tutu has a felt flower at the waist. The outfit is tagged.

You can see this exact outfit on page 55 of Patricia Smith's World of Alexander-kins. Although the book claims it is a one-piece tutu, my outfit is two pieces. I think it might be another of Patricia Smith's famous mistakes, as it is definitely the same ballet outfit, and the panties just as definitely match the tutu. (In fact, the panties are the same cut and style of the panties my mom has for her 1954 Alexander-kin ballet outfit, which she got as a child.)

The elastic is a little stiff and stretched out, but fits well enough to stay up quite well.

This outfit goes to a straight leg walker Alexander-kin. It can be worn by a doll in the normal Wendy hairdo, but for a special hairdo doll (generally viewed as more desirable and more valuable) you could put the doll on a Wendy in the 1955 Juliet hairdo. Patricia Smith reports that dolls with the latter hairdo were dressed in this outfit, possibly to use up extra stock.

This outfit is in great condition, from the felt flower and the tulle, right down to the ribbon ties in the back. It's a great deal at $30. If you can't afford a new doll for Christmas, why not get an old doll a new outfit?

New doll stands!

Not long ago, I blogged about the new doll cabinet that was my early Christmas gift from Michael, and how I ran out of stands before I could finish my new display. Well, I ordered a dozen Kaiser doll stands online, and they came this afternoon.

I put up a few more dolls this evening, but haven't had a chance to do much yet. Some of the doll stands will probably be used (and clearly labeled "Not for Sale") at the doll show on Sunday, so I probably won't finish arranging my display until Monday. Too bad!

Collecting Dolls During a Recession

It's official now — we're in a recession — but that doesn't mean you can't continue collecting dolls. There are plenty of ways to collect dolls in a down economy, as this article on About.com reminds us.

I really like a lot of the suggestions on the list. The very first suggestion is basically to "play" with the dolls you already have by taking photographs, rearranging your displays, and sewing for your dolls. I "play" with my dolls all the time — as you can probably already tell from reading this blog!

I also already use several other suggestions on this list, such as adding clothing and accessories, getting fixer-uppers (my "project dolls"), and scouring eBay for bargains. I also collect certain dolls — in this case, Cosmopolitan Ginger — because they are easy to find at affordable prices.

Just because everyone else is pooh-poohing the economy doesn't mean that we can't continue to enjoy our hobbies!

Madame Alexander Cissette #905-1957

Lately I've been fixing a lot of my project dolls that have been languishing in storage, such as my Kathy skater, whose replacement oilcloth skates I restored.

Shortly after that, I also restrung this Madame Alexander Cissette, outfit #905 from 1957, the first year that Cissette was made.

Cissette came to me as a project doll, missing her shoes and with her head detached. She is also a little pale in the face.

Cissette's strong points are her original outfit, including her earrings, and her hair, which is still in the original set, pulled back into a cluster of curls at the nape of her neck.

I found her authentic black Cissette shoes not long after I got her, but it wasn't until about two weeks ago that I finally strung her head.

Cissette and some other fashion dolls, such as Elise, have their heads strung to a hook anchored in their necks. Their construction is extremely different than the early hard plastic strung dolls, so I took pictures of my stringing job on Cissette. I am working on an expanded version of my ebook, which will contain chapters explaining how to restring dolls other than the standard hard plastic strung dolls. I plan to include a chapter on restringing just the heads of these dolls, with this Cissette as my model.

After all, isn't it worthwhile to be able to restring — and restore life to — pretty dolls such as this one?

Madame Alexander Kathy skater

A couple of weeks ago, I blogged about restoring stiff oilcloth doll shoes — in this case, a pair of red oilcloth doll skates for a 14-inch Madame Alexander Kathy skater.

My Kathy skater (circa 1949-1951) was another one of those lucky finds. I'm not sure why no one bid very high — because she had some play wear, or because the seller didn't identify her — but I bought her for what was a good price at the time (five or six years ago, before doll prices started going down). I think she's beautiful!

Kathy is wearing a red cotton bodysuit with three-quarter length sleeves, and a navy skirt that has faded to look more like a dark purple. The bodysuit is faded in the front above the skirt, probably where it was the most exposed to sunlight, as you can see in this picture.

Kathy has light brown floss braids. She has been played with, unfortunately, so they are a little fuzzy in places,but they are still braided, and the color is beautiful. Only two Maggie-faced strung dolls came with wigs in pigtail braids: Kathy and Polly Pigtails. Unfortunately, without their original clothes to identify them there is no way to tell them apart.

Kathy's bodysuit is tagged with an embroidered Madame Alexander tag. Recently I saw a doll in this same outfit (except with her original felt headband) that was tagged "Polly Pigtails." I believe she was mistagged, which happened fairly frequently, but until I see more examples of this doll (and check their tags) I'll have no way to know for sure.

Kathy originally would have worn brown leather roller skates, but when I got her she had on vintage navy oilcloth center snap shoes on her feet. (They later enabled me to complete my Arranbee Nanette or Nancy Lee, whom I will write a post about sometime soon.) I originally found white replacement skates for her, but eventually happened to find these MIB red oilcloth skates, which I softened with steam in order to get them on her feet.

Although the roller skates aren't technically appropriate, I have little hope of ever finding the correct skates, and I have to admit the red skates complement her outfit nicely. As for the felt headband — the seller of the mint "Polly Pigtails" doll took pictures of her doll's original headband, and I am going to try to copy it!

Doll show coming up!

After my mom and I did our very first doll show in October, we decided to go ahead and do the next one. I also decided to do some more marketing this time, so here is the information for the doll show:

Collectors Supershow hosted by Dana Cain
Ramada Plaza, Northglenn, Colorado (Google map)
Sunday, December 7, 2008
10am - 3pm

These shows are always fun — and since it's a doll and toy show, there truly is something for everyone! For those of you who live in or near Denver, I hope to see you there!