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Reproduction Clothes for Antique Dolls

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Are You Lost? Blog Home / Sewing for Antique & Vintage Dolls / Recommended Resources / Another Great Research Resource Especially for Composition Dolls

Another Great Research Resource Especially for Composition Dolls

Collectible Dolls and Accessories  of the Twenties and Thirties from Sears, Roebuck and Co. Catalog

If you are just getting into dressing old dolls and want to do it right,  this reprint of dolls from the catalogs of the era is a super resource. While most of the illustrations are drawings, the descriptions give lots of information on what materials are used and what accessories the dolls might have come with. There are some name brand dolls ( such as Shirley Temple-Ideal) but also  many “catalog dolls”. The catalogs of the era liked to buy unmarked dolls ( and sometimes even marked) and give them their own unique catalog name such as  “Sunshine” . Doll makers such as Effanbee, Ideal, Horseman sold dolls in the department stores like Sears and Monygomery Ward, but this book is from the Sears catalogs. It has dolls such as Tickle Toes, Patsy Family, and others. You may be able to find the identity of your unmarked doll here, or you may find one with the same style and description and year it was sold, to help you know what the original clothes looked like.

There are dexcriptions of unnamed dolls that may fit the “mystery doll” you are trying to dress– such as a celluloid or metal head doll. The pictures and descriptions can help you figure out when your doll was made, and how it came dressed, so you can dress it in appropriate heirloom quality clothes.

I love the description of the fabrics and styles of the clothing! It is like a journey back in time— when the Christmas catalogs would come, and my sisters and I would sit down and look at them for hours,  dreaming of what we might find under the tree. If you want to make beautiful, authentic doll dresses for dolls of this era, you will love it too. When I did doll clothes sewing seminars, this was one of the books I gave to the students.

 

 

 

In loving memory: JoAnn Morgan

Gone but not forgotten

We have disabled the shopping feature of this site until I can get Mom’s book “Through the Eyes of Gretchen” Published.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Joann…I feel stupid but I can not tell the grain on material… You said it really matters that it is cut right.. If you get a chance explain to me how to tell.. I appreciate your time.. Looking forward to trying the patterns you just sent me but afraid

Hi Mary, sorry it is confusing for you.  Here is a picture of a bolt of fabric telling how to tell … [Read More...]

I have an antique doll by Lena Schwartz. How do I sell it?

I am sorry, I have been out of the doll business for almost 20 years and all the dealers I knew have … [Read More...]

What Makes a Doll Antique or Vintage

Before eBay set their own ideas for what is antique or vintage, a doll to be considered vintage had … [Read More...]

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