Doll Repair

Dolls tin become life-long treasures. This Fix-It Guide on doll repair tells how a doll works, what frequently goes wrong, how to identify a doll problem, and what parts and tools you volition need to fix information technology. It and so gives simple footstep-by-step instructions for how to supplant a cloth-body doll's body and how to restring a plastic or vinyl doll. Whether it'south a toy or a collectible, your home doll hospital can rejuvenate many friends using doll repair, teddy bear repair, or hand puppet repair. This guide also refers y'all to another Set up-Information technology Guide for sewing repairs.

How Does a Doll Work?

A doll is a minor-scale figure of a man being used specially as a kid'due south plaything. Dolls are also keepsakes, collectibles, and sometimes valuable antiques. Repair of valuable antiquarian dolls and porcelain dolls should be left to a professional or a "doll hospital."

Common play dolls come in three types. Soft dolls (or rag dolls) are made of durable fabric, ordinarily with hair fabricated of yarn. Cloth-body dolls have torsos fabricated of textile, heads and limbs that are plastic or vinyl, and hair that is either rooted or a glued wig. Some plastic or vinyl dolls are held together by flanged limbs or elastic.

What Can Go Wrong with a Doll?

Unlike children, dolls suffer in silence. They may get torn or lose an arm or leg without complaint. After years of use or storage, their stuffing may go flat, or they may need a gentle cleaning to revive them.

Fix-It Tip

Wash dolls with a mild detergent and a clammy rag, and so dry out with a clean rag. If the doll's pilus is rooted (fed through the scalp), you can shampoo information technology. Don't shampoo dolls with wigs because water may damage the glue.

How Tin can I Identify a Doll Problem?

In well-nigh cases, the trouble is evident, equally is the solution.

  • If a textile-trunk doll'south body is severely damaged, supplant it (see below).
  • If the caput, arm, or leg comes off a doll with button-in limbs, utilise a hairdryer to brand the plastic pliable, so reinsert the part into the body.
  • If the elastic inside the doll that holds limbs or the head on breaks, supercede it (see beneath).
  • If a soft doll loses its shape, open a central seam and add fresh polyester stuffing bachelor from a craft shop, then run up the doll seam closed.
  • If a doll wig comes loose, glue information technology dorsum on with a white mucilage or super gum.
  • If a doll'south rooted hair is damaged across repair, cut it off close to the scalp and glue a wig over information technology–or find a doll hat that fits.

Fix-It Tip

Larger arts and crafts stores volition have extensive doll-making and repair supplies including fabrics, stuffing, glues, and fifty-fifty parts. Take the doll in for a match and some advice.

What Do I Demand for Doll Repair?

Y'all can observe virtually replacement doll parts in a local arts and crafts store or on the Cyberspace. In add-on, yous may need these :

  • Needles
  • Thread
  • Wire-cutting pliers
  • White glue
  • Scissors
  • Elastic material
  • Wire coat hanger

What Are the Steps to Doll Repair?

Doll Repair

You can access the inside of a cloth doll by cut a slit in its back, then closing it up when done.

Supersede a textile-body doll's trunk:

  1. Disengage the stitching holding the head and limbs to the torso. Then united nations-sew the body and apply the fabric equally a pattern (calculation about 3/iv inch all the way around for the seam) for the new body. Add most 1 inch of fabric to the limb and cervix openings.
  2. Stitch the torso within out, leaving the rear seam open. To adhere plastic or vinyl pieces, turn up most ane inch of textile and sew through the holes located at the base of each piece.
  3. Turn the torso right side out and stuff the doll with polyester filling.
  4. Stitch up the rear seam with small, tight overhand stitches.

Restring a plastic or vinyl doll:

  1. Make two rubberband stringing loops: one for the legs and caput, and a shorter one for the arms. Loop sizes depend on the fabric'southward elasticity and the doll size. The rubberband should concur the head and limbs deeply while allowing smooth motility. Make tight knots in the finish of the elastic to demark information technology.
  2. If the caput is attached with an internal hook that's broken or missing, make a new ane from a wire coat hanger. Cut off a department with wire-cutting pliers and bend it into shape. Attach the claw to the head bar. Then secure the larger elastic stringing loop to the hook and push the loop down through the neck cavity and into the doll's body. Position the doll head on pinnacle of the torso.
  3. To adhere a leg, make a stringing hook to attain into the torso and grasp the loop hanging from the caput. Pull the loop downward through the leg pigsty and secure it to the hook within the leg. Pull out the stringing hook and repeat the process for the other leg.
  4. To adhere an arm, hook one terminate of your stringing loop to the arm and feed the loop through the arm hole. Apply the stringing claw to pull the loop through the opposite arm pigsty. Attach the loop to the hook on the arm then remove the stringing claw.

Fix-It Tip

If you really savour repairing dolls, try 1 of the books or videos available on the field of study. You can observe them through your local book or craft store, or online. And some larger arts and crafts stores offering periodic classes in doll making and repair.