dollcare

Doll Care
Your beautiful new doll is made from all natural fiber materials, so you will find it necessary to give the doll some special care. The hair of your doll is
made from mohair or wool yarns, and the newly cut ends will shed a bit for the first few weeks. This is normal. When your doll becomes soiled from play,
you can give it a bath. If possible try to do spot removal before giving a whole bath. When you submerge your doll in water it will take days to dry, please
advise your child of this. Sometime it is just necessary. We give our dolls full baths about twice a year.   I usually do this about a week before Christmas
and than hid them away to dry and they magically appear with a new outfit. The girls love this tradition and it helps them to bond deeply with their dolls
instead of always giving them more and new. It is really a site to cherish.

Fill a basin with cool water and add a small amount of mild soap, I personally use Bio Kleen dish soap, but something like Woollite would also work. I like
Bio Kleen, because it can lift grease, somewhat.    I would not recommend using a high sudsing soap, or you will be rinsing bubbles out for a very long
time.
If your doll has long hair, braid it to keep it from matting. Immerse the doll in the water. Let the doll soak for a while, especially if it is heavily soiled. You
can take a toothbrush and scrub the dirty areas with a little extra soap. Gently squish the soapy water in and out of the doll. Empty the water out of the
basin, and press down on the doll to squeeze out as much water as you can, but don't twist or wring the body. Your doll will be very heavy from all the
water that has been absorbed. Refill the basin with clear water, and rinse the doll thoroughly. Do this several times to get all the soap out. When the doll
is rinsed, wrap it in a towel and squeeze gently to remove more water. Reshape the head and limbs if necessary. Place the doll, face up, on a towel and let
it dry out for a day or two.   Since the towels will get saturated with water, use a few and keep rotating to soak up the water.

To renew the dolls face add new blush from time to time.   Take a scrap of cloth and rub it with a red or pink crayon and then rub the cloth on the
cheeks.   It will look a little dark at first, but after a day or two it will soften.

The wonderful thing about these dolls is that by making them yourself, they can grow with the child. I have often replaced the hair on my children’s dolls,
from short to long as they have gotten to the point that they want to always play with the hair.   If the hair becomes worn out or thin, it is replaceable.
This is another reason I love using multiply types of yarns. This can be done from time to time without any major effort. If all else fails remove the old
hair, and, following directions from any Waldorf doll making book, put new hair on the doll. You can also send in your doll for hair replacement - give us a
call for details (360-556-0645). Your doll should be cherished for many years of joy and comfort and friendship.

An interesting additional service is our Dolly Holiday. Dolls in need of a rejuvenating vacation can be
return for a nice therapeutic bath, and a full inspection of health. These vacations are free of charge for
all dolls made by Amy until doll's human turns 12.

For an additional charge, we can do repairs and re-stuffing if the unthinkable happens. While away, your
child will receive 2 post card letters from their traveling doll. Both cards will have pictures of the doll to
assure the child that their special friend is OK and coming home soon. The last one will have a picture of
the doll before they are sent home with their clean body, new hair style and such so that your child will have
some time to adjust to any changes.

My Daughter once lost her beloved Lily and she was so broken hearted. It took Lily two weeks to get
home, but while away she sent letter of her grand adventures and it really soothed my daughters piece of
mind. She still tells tales of Lily's adventure.

Contact me for further information:

Dolly in need of Repair?