Anyone ever make or repair a rag doll?

[Chicago526]

I posted this on the Craft board but no one has even looked! I thought I'd get more "action" from the CB!

I found a really neat rag doll at goodwill. It's in pretty good condition, it just needs cleaning and some minor repair work. I figure I can hand wash the clothes in Woolite and color safe bleach.

I have two questions though. The doll itself is a bit dirty, nothing major but it needs some cleaning. I was thinking of just wiping her down with the Woolite and color safe bleach, rather than getting her soaking wet, is that the best thing to do?

And the hair really needs some work. She just has yarn hair in loops on the very top of her head, no hair hanging down her back (it looks like she was made this way) and the back of her head is showing. Some of the loops have pulled free and it's kind of scragaley looking.

The yarn itself is very rough, so I'd like to try to replace it with something softer, like yarn for babies. The hair was glued on, so I should be able to remove it with little trouble. I'm just not sure how to go about making a new yarn wig for her.

Can anyone tell me how to make a wig, and am I going about cleaning her in the right way?

TIA!

 

[LucyStorm]

What I do is sew the hair on. It's tedious, but worth it in the end. I use a darning needle, pull a thread of yarn through the fabric until I have two ends, and then I tie a knot. I leave the yarn longer, and then when I am all through, I give the doll a haircut. I made a Raggedy Ann 22 years ago, and she still sits here with all her hair, even though she has been played with some.

I would try to handwash the doll first, because if the fabric is older, it might fall apart in the wash. Good luck and have fun!

 

[Chicago526]

Is it safe to get the doll soaking wet? I don't mind hand washing, I'm just not sure how wet she should get while cleaning her.

 

[LucyStorm]

I think that I would damp sponge her first to see if the fabric holds up. I've washed mine, but they were relatively new at the time. I did it in the gentle cycle of the washer. Try a doll hospital and see what they have to say.

 

[LucyStorm]

here's a site with advice:
http://www.miniworlddolls.com/Goodstuff/Repair.htm