Vintage doll restoration

March 2020

I received a doll from an estate, that was dear to one of the beneficiaries. The face and clothes were extremely dirty and the elastic in the pantaloons had lost the elasticity. I soaked the dresses in enzyme laundry solution (Shaklee liquid L and nature bright) until the lace brightened and the water was clear. The face was washed with the same but I stopped scrubbing when I noticed some of the cheek paint had faded.

I then shortened the overdress/ the top layer to expose the hand-embroidered initial of the decedent, then added lace and elastic to the pantaloons, and added the headband with roses made from left over fabric from the overdress.

Close up of the hand-embroidered initial on under-dress.

Close up of cleaned face and headband I created with leftover fabric and added roses.

Comments

Singer Trapezoid Cabinet #74, original bench and Singer 301a short bed tan sewing machine

Singer Trapezoid Cabinet #74, original bench and 301 short bed machine I purchased this machine from a lady in Chicago. She was having an estate sale for her mother who passed away in 2018. On the last day of the sale, first thing in the morning, I drove to the home, on a Sunday. I had emailed her about the machine when I found it on craigslist. Because the sale was actually over that day, and the machine hadn't sold, she let me have the machine, bench and cabinet for $75. She could tell how excited I was to have it. She told me that she had sewed her prom dress on the machine. Here are my photos: This is the original tan 301 above, and the original #74 trapezoid cabinet, below:

Wilcox and Gibbs restoration

This Wilcox and Gibbs machine was purchased for me in the 1990s. It had completely frozen up, so in late 2019, I took out my trusty q-tips and odorless kerosene and went to work cleaning and loosening the machine. I got it unfrozen and then recently added the repaired base and belt. Ray Elkins of Kentucky, who runs the Sew Purty workshops, repaired the base for me and sold me the belt. Using the skills learned in his workshop, I treated the paint with Howard's Feed and Wax, polished it, and mounted it on the base. I think it looks fantastic. Here are some photos of the completed machine. Here is the completed machine mounted on the base with the handle and belt, above.

Louis Vuitton wristlet Pochette monogram zipper and strap repair

Louis Vuitton Clutch zipper replacement and repair May 2, 2017 In 2017, in advance of my friend's move to Australia, I decided to repair her favorite Louis Vuitton wristlet/clutch. This is an authentic Louis Vuitton. I am a huge believer in recycling and upcycling, so I searched for a purse at Goodwill that would have an acceptable zipper and hardware, as I wanted something coordinating with the traditional LV monogram colors. It had to be the correct size and the correct color, a tan or brown to coordinate with the LV leather. After searching for several weeks, I found a fabric purse with coordinating brown leather and a coordinating tan/brown zipper and acceptable gold metal accents. I carefully seam-ripped both the original purse and the LV purse. As many of you know, the lining of the authentic LV purse is a tan suede leather, so it can easily rip. Also, as many of you know who have sewn, you do not pin leather before sewing, the proper m...

Reba's Quilts and Machines

Search This Blog