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Restoration

When I work with old items - dolls, Teddies and such - I try my best to preserve the flavour of history in every case. Each thing once belonged to somebody, was loved and played with. To me, they are all like books with stories, and I see my task in keeping them as untouched as possible. So I make no changes or improvements unless it is necessary. But at the same time, I don't want to let them remain dirty, damaged and not looked after.
George
circa 1980s
 
A well loved toy from a childhood - with worn spots, no nose. We decided to make a new nose of a real matte leather, put a patch on the gorilla's side. I cleaned him, revised all seams inside, re-stuffed the toy. George looks almost the same now, well loved, but a little happier
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Dee and Cee Doll,
Canada
circa 1930s
 
It was a big job, very challenging, very emotional as somebody was waiting to see this family treasure restored so much!
Most of the damages the doll had were common for composition dolls - missing fingers, cracks, flakes. I tried to keep her orinigal look as much as possible, used vintage fabric for new arms... I even restored her cryer and now she has her voice back!
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Robin Hood Teddy
circa 1980s
 
Sweet Teddy from a childhood - he needed just some love and care. I washed him carefully, changed stuffing as the foam was almost disintegrated, mended holes and a glue spot. Also I restored his smile and made seams stonger. Look at him now, he is so nice!
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The Reliable Toy Company
Canada
circa 1950s
 
The doll had all common for old composition dolls problems - missing fingers, eyelashes, hair, and cracks and flakes. Her arms were already repainted in bright pink colour, over missing fingers and cracks. I was asked to restore this family doll and dress her to prevent further damages. So, she got her new dress, shoes, sweater and bonnet!
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Crosby
circa 1950s
 
A friend's heirloom - vintage mohair and viscose Teddy bear. He didn't have his eyes, his nose and smile were damaged, ears were half torn off too. After gentle cleaning I repaired his nose and smile, putting  original threads in their place. I used amber glass eyes for him to keep his nice vintage look.
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Sunshine Twin Girl and Lucille
Pullan, 1954

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I was asked to restore/make these dolls. One of them is the Sunshine Twins Girl, 63, 5 cm. Her one-piece stuffed rubber body was completely destroyed with time and the owner had only the doll's head. Another one - Lucille, which came in three sizes, this doll looks like the biggest one, 58,5 cm. She had stuffed rubber arms and legs and they were destoyed as well. Also Lucille had a cryer inside her textile body which didn't work. I made a textile body for Sunshine Girl, arms and legs for both dolls, restored the cryer, fixed minor damages of vinyl

David
Chad Valley, Great Britain, 1930s
 
Family treasure which was carefully kept for years. He had a lot of damage - broken eye, neck joint, holes and very worn fabric. After careful cleaning and restoration we decided to dress him like a British navy - to bring good memories and to keep him better
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Ralph
Chad Valley, Great Britain, 1930s
 
A dog with a very strong personality, I think, he is just charming. The toy had some damages - eyes, ears, holes and worn fabric. After a restoration we decided to give him a knitted vest made of homespun white off wool to protect him better.
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Lizzy
The Reliable Toy Company Limited, Canada, 1930s
 
I found this composition doll in quite poor condition - no eyes, all limbs apart. Rubber feeding pipe was destroyed completely.The gallery shows the result of work I have done on her. Now we can give her water and change diapers again.
Rachel
The Reliable Toy Company Limited, Canada, 1940s
 
This rare composition doll was in a relatively good condition and even had the original dress. However, she almost lost funny braids that once had been stapled to her molded head. She also missed one of her fingers. It was not too difficult to fix all these small problems, but the result was very rewarding.
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