Doll Collectors?

[sunflower]

Hi Dragonfly, I hear from Eleanor on 'collecting craft items' thread that you collect dolls. What type do you collect and how many have you in your collection?. I have just recently started this hobby. I love the history behind doll making.

[sheddie]

Hi Sunflower I have a big rag doll sitting in my shedheaven. Are you going to dress and name your dolls? X

[eleanor2]

sunflowe when d.f sees this.she will have some writing to do.she has a big room just for her collection.it is brilliant.

[sunflower]

Thanks Eleanor. I shall look forward to reading her reply. Yes Sheddie, I have already made a couple of dresses and knitted to cardigans. My latest buy though is coming from Canada and is dressed in her orignal clothes of 1950's. Your big rag doll sounds lovely. I have 3 rag Inuit dolls from Canada that were given to me when I was born. I also have an awake/sleep rag doll given to me at the same time. I think my Gandma or great Aunt made Luby Lou for me.

[dragonfly]

Hi sunflower, I have been collecting dolls for 30 years and have quite a few. I have never counted them so not sure how many. I started collecting old dolls but went onto modern character ones. I don't buy anymore as I am now into dolls houses and miniatures.

Photo 1 is the first doll I ever bought. 2-some old ones. 3-A rosebud doll. 4-some modern ones. I would like to see a photo of yours.
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[sunflower]

Hi Dragonfly. Thank you for sharing the pics with us. Your dolls are beautiful. I also have a Rosebud. My intention is to replace the dolls of my childhood I have lost. Maybe collect a few more. I love the dolls of the 40's and 50's. At the moment I'm trying to buy a walkie talkie doll on e.bay. My walkie talkie doll was called Georgina. But I could never make her walk.....and I've yet to meet someone who could make theirs walk when they were little. The last two I was outbid at the last 2 seconds!! So I'm hoping I will be succesful next time. It's so nice to talk with someone who also likes dolls.So thanks Dragonfly.
P.S. When we were first married we were very poor. So I sold my lovely German Victorian Bisque head doll to buy a good quality table and chairs. It's only these last two years I have regretted it. I think I know where the buyer of my doll lives and am plucking up courage to ring them......I might even get one of my sons to talk to them to see if I can buy her back again. Oh dear I'm not very brave!!!!

[Gentian]

Good luck with your sales pitch SF.
I'm not into dolls, but I make teddies.

[dragonfly]

I only remember having one doll as a child sunflower, but must have had more, but don't remember playing with them much. The passion for dolls came when I was married and went to a doll museum, I was hooked. I have some doll's knitting patterns I can copy if you let me know what size dolls you have. I think the ones below are 1950ish. Good luck with your collecting and hope you win on e-bay.

What lovely teddies Gentian and so colourful. I think teddies are more cuddly than dolls. I have knit a lot of Jean Greenhowe dolls and teddies.
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[Crocus]

I love the doll with the yellow dress DF. She's got quite an expression on her little face. xx

[sunflower]

Hi Dragonfly, the first doll in the picture has the identical face to the doll I have just bought on e.bay....identical to my Georgina! Thanks for the offer of the knitting patterns. At the moment I have a doll pattern book for 18-22inch dolls. I do'nt have anything for smaller dolls...12inch to 17inch. So that would be lovely.
Gentian I love your teddies. Especially the first flowery one and also the velvet teddy. Clever you.

[sunflower]

Here are all my dolls, some from childhood and some recently aquired.

[sunflower]

This is Georgia my 1951 American saucy walker in original dress. She is soo pretty, but has a wonky left eye...like all the other American saucy walkers...factory mistake. I recently aquired her to replace my English Georgina.

[sunflower]

Another American doll late forties, original dress and green eyes. Very beautiful. She looks a bit like my Mom.

[dragonfly]

They are lovely sunflower. I bet it doesn't stop there and you end up buying more.

[sunflower]

Bunty is my 1940's rubber doll and has been with me forever, when Mom died, in the children's home and eleven changes of family homes in the UK. I appreciate the one continuing presence she gave me.

[sunflower]

Looby-Lu was made by my Grandma and she is a topsy turvy cloth doll. Because this is new to me I can only put one pic at a time in each thread. Recently, I bought a copy of her original pattern on e.bay!!How cool is that???

[sunflower]

This is Looby -Lou asleep. I'm afraid I was into cutting hair as a toddler!

[sunflower]

This is a British 1950's Rosebud doll, and she renewed my interest in dolls. We found her in a Swanage shop in pieces, bought her and Hubby put her together again.

[sunflower]

I bought Milly Miranda on e.bay and she arrived in a dreadful state...not a bit like the e.bay pics of her. So, I washed her matted hair in neat Conditioner, threaded her arms back together and made her a new dress. She's cute.

[sunflower]

These were given to me at my birth. Made of cloth by an Inuit lady in Canada where I was born, you have the Inuit family. Grandmother..head of the house, Father, Mother and baby.

[sheddie]

Hi Sunflower have really enjoyed looking at your dolls, do you have to pay much for them on ebay as I feel they could be quite cheap to buy in these parts, I must take more notice. X

[sunflower]

Hi Sheddie, The three dolls I bought on e.bay vary vastly in price. La Donna Loveday went for a song simply because her maker's name was not on her back, and yet she is beautiful and quite rare. Georgia was the high price I would expect to pay, but Milly Miranda cost me quite a bit and arrived in a sorry state. At the moment Victorian dolls have lost their value because people are more interested in 1950's hard plastic dolls. It's very competitive, and I'm sure people must have a stop watch when the bids are coming to an end. I was outbid on one doll between 2 and 3 seconds!!! before the bidding closed. The funny thing is that, hard plastic dolls have a limited lifespan....maybe, for mine another 20 years. After that time the plastic becomes diseased and the doll will end up in the bin. Unlike the Bisque Victorian dolls who will last indefinately. However, the 1950's dolls are lovely.

[sheddie]

I went to a collectors flea market today and got 2 tiny dolls from about the 50's and a dolls knitting pattern. If anyone is interested in these I will put a pic on. X

[dragonfly]

YES please sheddie. x

[Crocus]

I would also like to see Sheds. xx

[sheddie]

I will sort it A.S.A.P. X