BIRMINGHAM DOLL CLUB OF ALABAMA

"DELICIOUS DELIGHTS" FROM THE BIRMINGHAM DOLL CLUB

2026-12-20T15:32:00.001-06:00

Double left click on photos to enlarge:

Here are sample pages from the Birmingham Doll Club's "Delicious Delights," a 156-page cookbook with recipes, household hints, photos of beautiful dolls from our collections, and hints for preserving and restoring old dolls. These make wonderful gifts for others - or for yourself. Our money goes to charities and to further education concerning collecting and preserving dolls. For a copy, email hopkins.martha@att.net
. They are $10.00 per copy or 2 for $15.00 plus a small charge for media mail. Email for accurate shipping charges.

Mission Statement

2025-12-15T12:21:00.000-06:00

We are a non-profit organization and a member of the United Federation of Doll Clubs (UFDC). Our goal is research, education, conservation, and collecting and appreciation of dolls. With the dedication of our members working together, we preserve yesterday and today for tomorrow.

Why Join a Doll Club?

2024-12-15T12:25:00.001-06:00

There are many rewarding reasons to join a doll club.

1. Share. You can share your doll collection with other interested people and "talk dolls" with those who understand your passion and enthusiasm.
2. Make friends. Doll collectors make friends easily because they share a common interest that needs to be discussed.
3. See more dolls. A doll collector cannot own all the dolls that interest him/her so there is great enjoyment when friends get together and share their collections.
4. Learn. We all want to learn more about our dolls. A club is where we can find information about their dolls through programs, speakers, and sharing resources.

Do you know someone who would like to become a member of our Birmingham, Al club? Email hopkins.martha@att.net

Happy Birthday, Sharon!!!!!!!!!!!

2012-02-21T08:17:00.000-06:00

We hope you have a Happy, Happy Birthday, Sharon! Here is an 18th Century carved wooden stump doll for you.

Doll Pairs Movie "It Takes Two"

2012-02-12T21:30:00.000-06:00

Here are 4 images from the new movie "It Takes Two" by the Birmingham Doll Club of Alabama. We show all kinds of doll pairs, which are fun to collect. Here are from the top: Boudoir dolls representing Valentino and his wife by artist Helen Sardeau that were awarded for a 1923 Valentino city tour beauty contest in Birmingham, AL, handmade Harlequin and Columbine (all cloth) from the 1950's, German K*R Marie and Peter, 1890's, and German all bisque nodders, 1900's.

Doll Pairs Movie "It Takes Two"

2012-02-12T20:55:00.001-06:00

Our February meeting was the debut of a movie "It Takes Two," a movie on all kinds of doll pairs, which was conceived, photographed, and executed by members of our Birmingham Doll Club of Alabama. All dolls are from collections of members of the Birmingham Doll Club of Alabama. Shown above are Wendy Ann's by Md. Alexander from the 1930's in original dresses, German fired all bisques (1900's), and felt Lenci types from the 1930's.

Frozen Charlie Antique China Doll

2012-01-18T16:20:00.001-06:00

Here is a so-called "Frozen Charlie" antique doll, about 10" tall, getting ready for his bath. He has a brushstroke hairline and tinted head with blue eyes. According to Linda Edwards in her book "Doll Values," most porcelain factories made china and bisque dolls in one-piece molds with molded or painted black or blond hair, and usually undressed. Sometimes called Bathing Dolls or Badekinder, they were dubbed "Frozen Charlotte" from a song about a girl who went dancing dressed lightly and froze in the snow. They range in size from under 1" to over 19". Some were reproduced in Germany in the 1970's to the present. Those with pink tint or extra decoration or special hairdo's are more valuable.

Christmas Decorations

2011-12-11T18:40:00.004-06:00

Here is an antique doll head with a cotton body and clothes on the tree, a wonderful large Nativity Scene handpainted in Italy, and a cheery wreath in the kitchen window. They are just a few of the decorations we enjoyed at our December Meeting.

Christmas Meeting Displays

2011-12-11T18:29:00.001-06:00

Here are a tea party with German bisque dolls (cloth Alabama baby with back to us):i.e.,

-doll in blue dress with white pinafore is a 31"Heinrich Handwerck/Simon Halbig

-doll in pink dress and bonnet is Kestner, mold 146

-doll in yellow dress and bonnet is Kestner, mold 154

-doll in green velvet dress with white lace collar and white lace bonnet is an unmarked composition.

-Alabama Baby has his back to you.

A German bisque dome head baby in the high chair, a wonderful Christmas tree with many handmade ornaments, some of which are hand felted ones made at one of our club workshops, and a nutcracker mantel display.

Secret Santa Gifts at December Meeting

2011-12-11T18:23:00.001-06:00

Here are a Shirley Temple replica and three sweet porcelain dolls. The third picture shows a Louis Nichole doll by Precious Moments.

Secret Santa Gifts Opened at December Meeting

2011-12-11T18:20:00.002-06:00

Here are a quilted rabbit, a vintage Century Doll Co. doll named Chuckles, an 8" Madam Alexander doll, and a porcelain angel and ornament.

Christmas Meeting Secret Santa Gifts

2011-12-11T18:11:00.001-06:00

Here are a few of the presents happily received from our surprise Secret Santas. Fron the top: an Annalee Elf, a handmade pillow with Bru dolls printed on cloth, a sweet antique DEP doll, and a vintage German Santa candy container.

SANTA FIGURES AND PRETTY JUMEAU REPRODUCTION

2011-11-15T18:56:00.002-06:00

The Santa figures (tree lights up in first photos, and third photo is a Viking Santa) and Jumeau reproduction were made by Kathy James of Charlotte, SC, and costumed and accessorized by Mary Funderburg, a guest at our last meeting. It was nice to have you visit with us, Mary.

DOLL HATS FROM HAT WORKSHOP, NOVEMBER MEETING

2011-11-14T18:16:00.001-06:00

Jill with pretty Walkure (made by Kestner) wearing a new mob cap made from a doily lined with contrasting color. Round elastic was run through zig zag stitches after lining (cut smaller to leave a lacey border) was attached. She wears an old flower that came with her.

Ann with Annalee Mouse wearing a new red Christmas hat with holly and spaces for the ears.

Sharon holding her wooden Hitty and eyelet Normandy bonnet (pattern given in post below), and Beverly holding her almost finished mob cap, which she will probably decorate with ribbons or flowers.

Here is Janet's Normandy bonnet from eyelet under construction.

Janet with her doll's new almost finished Normandy bonnet. She needs ribbon ties, pleating in back to fit her head, and perhaps some sort of decoration.

DEP dolly wears a newly constructed Normandy bonnet of taffeta with lacey overlay, silk ribbons, and a round thread lace pouf. I think she is pleased with her new chapeau.

NORMANDY BONNET PATTERNS FOR DOLLS

2011-11-12T23:03:00.003-06:00

Normandy Bonnet (from the Delineator 1886): The Normandy Bonnet achieved great popularity for children's wear during the 1800's, a style derived by fashion artists from the headgear of French peasants from the region of Normandy in northwest France. The headdresses were a veritable symphony of fine, often handmade, lace, with frills and furbelows, depending on the region where they originated. Of course the children's bonnets were simplified, but nontheless charming.

The first pattern above is for an 18" doll and the second for an 11" doll. Follow instructions carefully. Remember to double click to enlarge images. A wonderful aspect of this style is that it can be made simple or extremely elaborate, depending on how much decoration you add. For instance, you may decorate the band on top with lace frills or flowers and the bottom edge with pleated ribbon all around. You may add ribbon ties with rosettes where they attach (zig zag stitch on ribbon by hand and draw up the gathers to make a rosette).

The third photo shows our patient teacher Dorothy with avid learners. The bottom photo is of Sharon's hand carved Hitty with her brand new (not quite finished) Normandy bonnet. She will pleat the back edge to fit her head and add ribbon ties and perhaps decoration.

DOLL BONNET WORKSHOP NOVEMBER MEETING - MOB CAPS MADE FROM DOILIES

2011-11-12T22:17:00.005-06:00

We were greeted by Dorothy's dolls modelling different styles of bonnets, and offered materials and patterns for mob caps (4th photo above, doll on the right and also second from left) and Normandy bonnets (3rd photo above, dark red with white lace). Double click on photos to enlarge. The mob caps can be made from a lace doily. Simply edge stitch with a large zig zig stitch a round piece of cloth, preferably a contrasting color to the doily and smaller, so as to leave a lacey edge without the lining. Attach the lining to the doily by hand stitching. Then run round elastic cording from the fabric store through the zig zag stitches, leaving enough to tie a bow so you can adjust the gathers to fit the doll's head. Voila! Just add ribbons, flowers, or other decorations for a simple but beautiful cap for your doll.

TWO NEW HITTY DOLL COLLECTORS

2011-10-11T23:45:00.000-05:00

Here are Barbara (top) and Ann (bottom) with their new Hitty dolls carved by our member Sharon, who will be featured doll artist at the Peachtree Doll Collectors 7th Annual Doll and Bear Show and Sale Oct. 15, 2011, from 10-4, Palmetto, GA. Email for more information on the show: nancypillar@comcast.com. See our earlier post on Sharon Kirby's hand-carved Hitty dolls, copied from the antique original.

CLOTH DOLLS

2011-10-11T23:29:00.004-05:00

1. Kathe Kruse doll,
2. Unknown maker with talking witch doll,
3. L to R: Casey, original felt doll by Dorothy Clark, Musette by R. John Wright (candy container), and Steiff doll Jorg.
4. Lillian by R. John Wright in front with Lenci dolls on either side.

R. JOHN WRIGHT FELT DOLLS

2011-10-11T23:20:00.003-05:00

1. Lillian, portrait doll of makers' daughter,
2. Snow White and The Little Prince,
3. Musette, a candy container, with Benjamin Bunny and Jiminy Cricket (Steiff, not Wright)

Jill gave our October program on R. John Wright felt dolls. The R. John Wright company has been making felt dolls since the 1970's. What was once a two-person operation became cottage industry is now a business with 50 employees and annual sales of 5-10 million dollars. John and Susan Wright did all the prototypes, as well as made all the dolls originally. Both artistic and interested in dolls, the Wrights perfected the craft of felt dolls making by studying quality dolls like Steiff, Lenci, and Kathe Kruse. From peasant-looking character dolls to the Little Children series, the R. John Wright Company turned to story book characters and film stars - Pooh characters, Snow White, Cinderella, Beatrix Potter characters, The Wizard of Oz characters, multiple bears, and The Little Prince. Most dolls are limited editions of 250-500. The R. John Wright dolls are known for the impeccable detail and high quality of felt, materials, and facial painting. These dolls are works of art!

SHARON'S CARVED WOODEN DOLLS, MADAME ALEXANDER BUTCH

2011-09-12T08:38:00.003-05:00

Our own member Sharon's hand-carved wooden Hitty dolls. Note the wood grain in the on the right. She has perfected the oil-painted faces.

Here is our September guest Melanie Fay with her beloved "Susie," a Madame Alexander baby doll that she has treasured for 62 years.

SUMMER FINDS - GREAT DOLLS

2011-09-12T08:28:00.004-05:00

Effanbee Patsy Tinyettes, 1 of 50 shaved muzzle teddy bear, 1927 Hebee Effanbee compo, Norah Wellings cloth doll, wooden Dutch doll, Franz Schmidt bisque head baby, stuffed felt handmade figures from NC, and Effanbee Patsy Baby.

Reproduction French "H," only one original found. made in France in the 1870's perhaps by Halopeau. Repro by Denise Dotchin in Bedford, UK. Effanbee Button Nose dolls, talking Dora doll, handmade paper Santa ornament, and Dewees Cochran doll cleaned up, hair washed and set, and original skating outfit copied. The paper Santa was made by Sus Devnani. Her website is designsbysus.com....She only takes phone orders. Tell her your request and she will send it. She also makes many other dolls besides Santas. She also will put your own childs picture on a doll. She does these all year and would have some stock to send the next day. She is very interesting and is also a doll collector.

Georgine cloth doll with much-desired dress with hearts, Googly and another all bisque.

Interesting handmade cloth "Hitty-Kitty," looks like wooden Hitty doll, but cat-like, and 1940's Ruth Gibbs china with gold painted shoes, dressed as a bride.

HITTY, OTHER CARVED DOLLS, AND EXCITING NEWS!

2011-08-23T17:30:00.005-05:00

I have some exciting news!! I've been asked to be a special guest doll artist at a doll show and sale in Georgia! It is October 15 and is sponsored by The Peachtree Doll Collectors to benefit the Campus of Georgia Baptist Children's Home. http://www.gbchfm.org/apps/calendar/?scheduleid=132907. I am hoping to have some Hittys to sell at the show so I'm going to be doing a lot of carving, sanding, and painting between now and then.

Also, I have carved a Hitty out of wood from a catawba/catalpa tree that was blown down during the tornadoes in Pleasant Grove, Alabama. I'm going to put her on ebay with the proceeds to go to First Baptist Church Pleasant Grove to assist in repairing the church and/or go to their fund to help people affected by the tornadoes. This is the church where I carve on Mondays. One of the guys I carve with, Condie Lowry, is going to make some Hitty furniture for the auction too, and some of it will be made out of fallen wood. When we get it all finished, I'll post the link to the auction in case anyone wants to check her out :). Here's her picture (she's the doll with lots of grain) and pictures of other dolls I've carved in the last few months including two Hittys with oil paint (long hair Hitty painted by the wonderful and talented Hanna Hyland and me), and my version of a wooden papier mache type doll. The wooden papier mache is wearing the dress from the pattern in Doll News, and the long hair Hitty is wearing a dress made by Patricia Brooks.

Sharon

DOLL PARTS USED IN ASSEMBLAGES - EXHIBITION IN NEW ORLEANS

2011-08-23T11:15:00.001-05:00

"Athena"

Here is one of a group of assemblages by artist Audra Kohout, who has an exhibit of her work currently in a New Orleans art gallery (Riard-Cimino Gallery on Julia Street, the happening place for artists). Though some works seem disturbing, they are after all reflecting life, which includes the light and the dark sides.

http://www.heriardcimino.com/kohout/kohout.html

Click on the URL above to view all the works in the exhibit.

FINISHING TOUCHES TO A DOLL OUTFIT

2011-07-18T11:26:00.001-05:00

I dressed this sweet 12" Bru in a vintage dress. I added silk ribbon streamers, and ran satin cording and ribbon through the lace . I added matching silk ribbon trim to the vintage French lace bonnet. Shoes are Bru style, but not old. Socks are hand crocheted.

PROGRAM ON CHINA DOLLS

2011-06-05T14:13:00.002-05:00

Covered Wagon hairdo, about 1840-50, pink tint.

Flat top hairdo, about 1860, rare brown eyes.

Highland Mary hairdo on left made by Kling, about 1880. Alice in Wonderland hairdo on right, about 1870-1880.

China dolls (glazed - shiny - porcelain) were made mostly in Germany beginning in the 1700's, but didn't become popular until the 1840's. Literally billions were made, and though they were play dolls and many were broken, there are still good examples today for collectors to treasure. Many hair styles were made, depending on the styles of the times; it's possible to date a china within about 20 years. A hair style was made as long as it was popular. Blonde chinas were made in the 1880's, whereas before that, they had black and brown hair, brown being rare. Pink flesh tints were used early on. Chinas lost popularily during the latter part of the 1800's, due to the popularity of bisque (unglazed) dolls; also child-like characteristics in chinas appeared in competition with bisque child dolls. The low brow common type china doll was made from the 1890's to the 1930's. Bodies were either handmade fabric at home or purchased fabric from a manufacturer of bodies such as Goldsmith; many of the manufactured ones had corsets. Some china dolls had leather bodies or leather arms. Many had china legs and arms; early hands were spoon-shaped, and later ones were cupped.. Boots before 1870 were flat-soled and with a heel after 1870. Chinas came in many sizes and with various hairdos; most of the original prices were just a few dollars. Most chinas are unmarked. Some collectors say they are cold and serious-looking, which is true, but during the time they were made, it was a serious business to be a child, with many adult lessons to be learned.

REGION 9 NEWSLETTER FROM UFDC WEBSITE

2011-06-02T16:17:00.002-05:00

http://www.ufdc.org/ufdcregion9.htm

CLICK ON THE ABOVE UFDC WEBSITE AND THEN CLICK ON REGION 9 NEWSLETTER.

FREE DOLL APPRAISALS AT OUR ANNUAL DOLL SALE

2011-05-17T11:52:00.002-05:00

Here is the proud owner of an 1860 lady china (shiny glaze) and boy china of approximately the same period (he has replaced body and limbs).

Here is Linda with Jean by J.D. Kestner. Our expert doll doctor Dorothy repaired the sleep eyes, which was a difficult job since there is only a small opening in the neck.

Here is Colman, he proud owner of French and German antique all-bisque dolls. She is holding a French "Mignonette," a much-desired doll by collectors.

Here are the all-bisques up close. Wouldn't you like to have a pocket-full?

BIRMINGHAM DOLL CLUB OF ALABAMA ANNUAL DOLL SALE

2011-05-17T11:40:00.000-05:00

Here are some of the variety of antique and modern dolls at our Annual Doll Sale, which occurred last weekend, May 14.

NANCY ANN STORYBOOK DOLLS - PHOTOS AND INFORMATION

2011-04-19T14:26:00.000-05:00

NASB dolls from 1937 through 2011 (overview notes for doll club meeting on 4-10-2011)

On February 22, 1901, Rowena Haskin was born in Lake County, CA. As the years went by, she attended CA School of Fine Arts, changed her name to Nancy Ann Abbott, and moved to Hollywood. She danced and acted in Universal Studios silent movies, and became a Hollywood studio designer.

Her zeal for costume design became a consuming passion. By 1936 she was designing costumes for small bisque baby dolls that were made in Japan and giving them as gifts. Soon she was operating an actual business selling these small dressed dolls. Allan Leslie Rowland and Nancy Ann Abbott purchased a 400 sq. ft. shop with 4 employees and incorporated The Nancy Ann Dressed Doll Corp. on Feb. 23, 1937. In 1938, the company opened its own pottery plant in Berkeley, CA, to make its own bisque dolls, using its own molds. Nancy Ann Storybook Dolls were now being sold nationally. If you were a little girl growing up in the 1940s/1950s, you probably owned a Nancy Ann Storybook doll. These little dolls were made of bisque pottery.

Beginning in 1947 the company converted to plastic dolls. However, the wonderful costumes were still outstanding. Also, the dolls came in recognized boxes, which were white with either pink or blue polka dots. As always, there were doll companies who cam out with NASB look-alike dolls. K&H (Kerr & Heinz) looked closer to the real NASBs; one of the main noted differences is K&H dolls' feet were larger. Princess Dolls and Mayfair Dolls were also look-alike dolls.

Nancy Ann Abbott died of cancer on Aug. 10, 1964. Without here leadership the company closed its doors in 1965. Mr. Albert Bouria obtained the right to the name of the company in 1966 from the bankruptcy court at an auction. The Albert Bouria years of owning the company was from 1966 through 1973. After using all the dolls that were produced during the last years of Nancy Ann Abbott's life, Albert Bouris began using hp dolls with sleep eyes and painted eyebrows, and they were produced in Hong Kong. Production then transitioned to a 5 l/2" vinyl doll with rooted synthetic hair (instead of mohair) and black plastic slilp-on shoes. He used several kinds of boxes, usually with see-through lid or covering.

In 1986 the Jesco Co. marketed dolls using the name of the Nancy Ann Storybook Doll Co. These dolls were removed from the market when Mr. Bouria's attorney informed the company to "cease and desist" the use of the Nancy Ann Storybook Co. name and trademark.

In 2003 2 sisters, Claudette Buchler and Delene Budd legally purchased the rights to the company's name from Mr. Bouria (after the co. was listed on Ebay). These 2 sisters wanted to keep the innocent child of the original Nancy Ann bisque mold. They made the new 6 l/4" dolls of porcelain and fully jointed. The costume designer hired was Londie Phillips; the doll designer brought on board was Diane Effner. Claudette and Delene were delighted with the new little Nancy Ann Storybook dolls.

You may purchase one of these new wonderful little NASB dolls on the internet listed http://www.nancyannstorybookdolls.com. And you can still bid on old Nancy Ann dolls on ebay.

NANCY ANN STORYBOOK DOLLS

2011-04-19T14:03:00.000-05:00

Janet gave an informative and interesting program on Nancy Ann Storybook Dolls, which many of us owned during the 40's (I, for one). Here are some of her examples.

'NEW' DOLL CLOTHES; VALENTINE BOX DISPLAY

2011-04-05T16:35:00.003-05:00

Here is Christine's (former member) Frenchy Simon Halbig (has pink kid body) wearing her ebay antique bonnet. Think it's over the top? Never mind. She can carry it off.

I found this AM Mabel at the Tupelo, MS Doll Show. Also bought the dress. A dealer had lots of doll clothes for sale made by an Englishman from antique cloth and lace.

My SFBJ has been without an outfit for years, and I found this at the Tupelo Show.

Here is an idea for doll display using valentine candy boxes. The dolls are wired in through holes punched in the box. NOTE: I just realized they could benefit from a lacy or doily edging.

HINA MATSURI (DOLL FESTIVAL) EXHIBIT AT UNIV. OF AL

2011-03-29T12:53:00.000-05:00

(Click on photos to enlarge)

These precious dolls representing the royal court have been handed down from generation to generation. Originally a purification ritual, Hina Matsuri (March 3 in Japan) represents a day of hope for the growth, happiness and future of young girls. One legend says that if a girl displays her dolls for more than 3 days, she will marry later in life.

WOODEN DOLL CARVING CLASS BY JANET CORDELL

2011-03-10T11:27:00.000-06:00

The Birmingham Doll Club of AL sponsored a Wooden Doll Carving Workshop March 3-6, led by Janet Cordell. There were many happy and talented carvers working, and with her direction, turned out some amazing works. A few had never carved before, and were doing an excellent job. Someone years ago found an old wooden doll in an antique shop named Hitty, and this inspired a book HITTY, HER FIRST HUNDRED YEARS, which has inspired many to carve their own wooden dolls.

Here is the group of proud carvers.

Some carved the Hitty doll, but Sharon learned to carve a tuck comb doll.

Here is Janet with her tuck comb doll, partially finished.

Here is the Hitty book surrounded by finished examples of Hitty dolls and a Grandmother doll.

WOOL FELTED ANIMAL SHAPES FOR YOUR DOLLS OR YOURSELF

2011-03-07T18:53:00.002-06:00

We saw these marvelous wool felted animals by Kathy Bailey (from Oklahoma) at the Tupelo, MS Doll Show. By using long felting needles and continuously poking while shaping, you can come up with some realistic shapes. Our doll club had a felting workshop last year, and we were amazed at what we could do. Here are sites that give tips on felting and a felting tutorial:

http://chushka.com/felting_tips.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcfbgtyrz2U

PHOTOS FROM TUPELO DOLL SHOW & SALE MARCH 5

2011-03-06T16:42:00.002-06:00

Some of our Birmingham Doll Club of Alabama made the trip to Tupelo, MS in the rain yesterday, and it was definitely worth it. Here are a few dolls we saw for sale:

Here is Margie by Cameo, a 1929 doll with compo head and jointed wooden body.

Here are some minty Madame Alexanders all dressed up for the show.

This Betsy McCall by Ideal is in her original box!

This F.G. French Bebe is begging to go home with you. She is 24" tall.

HOW TO WASH AND SET A DOLL WIG; IT IS EASIER THAN YOU THINK

2011-02-25T22:14:00.003-06:00

Thanks to Dorothy for these instructions. She has been doing doll repair for years, and is an expert. I tried it on a Deanna Durbin wig, and it turned out great.

First consideration, is the cap strong and is the hair NOT rotten. Remove the wig as carefully as you can. Take out all pins and any other things that are there. Fill a bowl with cool water and add some Woolite or baby shampoo. Shake the wig to free it of as must dust as you can and then dip it into the bowl holding it by the center . Dip it up and down until it is good and soaked. Leave it in soak and lifting it up and down every so often. Do not disturb the wig anymore than necessary. After it soaks awhile, dump the water and rinse it in a fresh bowl. Continue the rinse until the water is clear. Next , fill the bowl with fresh water and add a conditioner . Dip the wig in the bowl. Squeeze the wig getting most of the water out and then lay it onto a clean towel and roll it in the towel. While the wig is still damp , put it on a ball or anything of the size of the doll's head. Try combing it some while it is still damp so it won't dry in a matted condition. You can be more direct after it dries. When dry, you can then glue it back on the doll., (A drop on the front, ,back and a drop over each ear should be enough. It is easy to style it on the doll. Comb small sections at a time. I use rollers for perms and using endpapers. When you have a piece combed out, wet the end paper and wrap the end of the hair and roll it. After all the hair is rolled, take a damp rag and touch all the rollers to get all the hair damp. DO NOT get the compo damp. You can blow dry if you like. When ready, gently remove the rollers trying to keep it in the rolled shape . You can gently arrange the curls with your fingers the way you like. I usually leave the rollers in over night. If the hair and cap are in good condition , the finished job should be great. This works for human hair, mohair, or synthetic, but never use regular shampoo for plastic hair. It takes forever to rinse. On all wigs, it is best to use a conditioner. You will lose a little bit of hair when you comb it. You can save it to patch other wigs that are sparse. If you scrub the hair like you do your own hair, you run the risk of felting it. Then it won’t comb out very well. Just remember to dip it up and down in the water, keeping the fibers separated as much as possible

One thing, this info is about composition and bisque dolls only. Hard plastic and rooted hair dolls would not apply. You should wash their wigs while still on the doll. The hard plastic doll wigs are glued on with a special glue that is made to wash while on the doll. If you try to remove a Toni doll wig you will tear it up. The Ideal Toy Co. spent a lot of time and research to develop a glue that would not come off while the child washed and styled it. The Md. Alexander Cissy and other hard plastics were trying for the same thing, but were not as good as Ideal, and therefor some have come off. I have had to reglue a lot of Cissys and other hard plastics because the glue failed..R&B s wigs seem to hold fairly well. If you don't know the difference between hard plastic and composition, make sure of the material before you wash.

HALF-DOLLS

2011-02-17T21:17:00.000-06:00

Our February program featured half-dolls as pincushions, candy holders, vases, porcelain containers, brushes, and just plain ornaments. We were amazed at the variety, and realized they are fun to collect. See the post below for information on half-dolls.

MORE HALF DOLLS

2011-02-17T21:10:00.000-06:00

Half-Dolls - February 13, 2011 Meeting at Debra's (Thanks for the informative program, Debra!)

Half-dolls are sometimes called half-dolls, pincushion dolls, pincushion figures, half-figures and other names. They were usually attached to items that served a utilitarian purpose, such as pincushiions, tea cozies, lamps, whisk brooms, powder puffs, powder boxes, and perfume bottles. While we can sometimes find the dolls still attached to their original item, many times we can only imagine their original purpose.

Half-dolls offer many positives to a doll collector. They are small and therefore require limited space and are easy to display. Common ones are easily found and are reasonably priced compared to other types of dolls. The more elaborate and rare models are more expensive, but they are quite a beautiful addition to any doll collection.

Half-dolls are classified into three basic types denoted by A, B, and C.

A. Dolls with arms molded into the body in one piece. They were easy and inexpensive to make, do not break easily, and therefore are the least expensive.

B. Half-dolls with arms extending away from the body and the hands returning to touch the body. This adds some support in the arms to prevent breaking.

C. Half-dolls with arms extending away from the body entirely. Theyt generally are very graceful and fragile. These are the most expensive.

Many half-dolls were modeled on famous historical ladies. Marie Antoinette, Jenny Lind, a Swedish singer, and Mrs. Siddons, a British actress, are some of the womenh that were featured. While not as common as the ladies, some half-dolls represented children, babies, male Pierrot, and female Pierrette. Other rare models include those with mohair wigs and those with moveable arms.

Many porcelain factories made half-dolls. Dressel, Kister & Co., F. & W. Goebel, Hertwig & Col, Carl Schneider, and Weiss, Kuhnert & Co. are a few that are known to have manufactured half-dolls. Some dolls have a specific maker's mark and many have only a mold number and "Germany."

Doll Carving Class March 3-6 in Alabama

2011-02-04T17:02:00.002-06:00

March 3-6, 2011, Doll Carving Class, Vestavia Hills, AL

Teacher: Janet Cordell, Master Carver for the state of Arkansas. To learn more about Janet and see her work go to www.janetcordell.com

What We’ll be Carving: Hitty, a 6 1/4" wooden doll based on the book, Hitty: Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field. If you would like to carve something beside Hitty this is fine but please contact Janet ASAP to make arrangements for her to bring you a blank.

When: March 3-6, Thursday through Sunday from 9:00 until 4:00 with a break for lunch (on your own). You can stay later than 4:00 and carve and Janet will be available for assistance.

Where: We will be carving at my house in my basement. We carve in the double garage and set up tables. On this level, there is a finished room where we have coffee and snacks (got to keep our strength up) and a bathroom. It’s very easy to get around if you have a handicap.

Cost: The cost for the four day workshop is $250 with a $50 deposit which includes one blank. There are a limited number of places available so please let me know as soon as possible if you would like to take the class.

Contact Information:
Sharon Kirby
barbiesr@mindspring.com

Janet Cordell
janet_cordell@yahoo.com

http://www.janetcordell.com/gallery.html

HOW TO MAKE THE BODY OF A CHINA DOLL (Double click to enlarge)

2011-01-27T16:36:00.001-06:00

Here are instructions I used for many years to make bodies for the reproduction china dolls I used to make. Pardon the stains. It may seem difficult, but is readily understandable when you get into it. Many old chinas have deteriorating bodies that can't be saved, and it is acceptable to make a new body for them. I am about to make a body for an old bald china; I patched and patched her sawdust-filled body, and even considered covering it with a soft jersey material, but she was falling apart; therefore she will get a new body. I like to use cotton for stuffing, as the weight is right.

DOLL COLLECTOR LINKS

2011-01-22T17:42:00.001-06:00

http://dolllinks.blogspot.com/

Here are many links to doll collecting - enough to keep you busy a while. Some of the subjects are identifying dolls, photographing dolls, doll repair, and doll study.

CARVED WOODEN DOLLS

2011-01-17T13:51:00.000-06:00

Here are hand carved dolls, based on the antique Hitty doll found in an antique shop years ago. Some of these were carved by Sharon, the one at bottom right, for instance. Notice the unusual wood. She says it smells sweet. Mock orange? Notice the heart shapes. The dress is made by smocking a vintage handkerchief. Really nostalgic, and a way to use those old hankies. The carvers usually start with a blank provided, and go from there. They are sanded, finished with a sealer and have features painted. Sharon doesn't want to paint the one with wood grain showing, except maybe a few facial features. Very unusual.

If you are interested in joining a carving workshop in March in Birmingham, AL, sponsored by the Birmingham Doll Club of AL, contact Sharon (see post below about carved wooden dolls).

AMERICAN GIRL DOLLS

2011-01-17T13:36:00.000-06:00

Here are Bitty Babies, the 18" American Girls, and the 6" American Girls. There are historical characters, and also the option of getting a doll to match your skin tones, hairdo, and clothes. What fun. You can take your American Girl to FAO Schwartz in NYC and get her a new hairdo. Yes, she sits in a beauty shop chair while getting her hair fixed.

ARMAND MARSEILLES DOLLS

2011-01-10T16:40:00.000-06:00

Stick legs of dollar doll.

Mold No. 370.

Mold No. 390 or Floradora.

ARMAND MARSEILLES DOLLS

2011-01-10T16:38:00.000-06:00

Mold No. 370 face. Watch for chubby cheeks on these dolls.

Mold No. 390 or Floradora doll.

Mold No. 390.

ARMAND MARSEILLES DOLLS

2011-01-10T16:30:00.000-06:00

Some of my girls!

The stunning 1894 /DRGM doll that many say was made for the French trade. This AM face is one of the most beautiful, in my opinion.

Sweet Dream Baby.

ARMAND MARSEILLE DOLLS - Oct. 2010 Program

2011-01-10T16:18:00.000-06:00

Here are Jill's notes from her informative A.M. program. Her photos of A.M. dolls are posted above.

Armand Marseille dolls

doll club program Oct. 3, 2010

I have always found Armand Marseille dolls pretty, and they are practical in terms of availability and cost!

The period of the late 19th century through the early 20th century is often called the GOLDEN AGE of dolls. For a span of approximately 30 years, Germany was the doll making capital. Up until World War I, Thuringia, Koppelsdorf (an area in East Germany) supplied nearly 80% of the world production of dolls. Another factor contributing to the growth of doll making in Germany was that it was subsidized by the government. Also, the industry grew out of a work at home base so that anyone could get involved. Armand Marseille of Koppelsdorf at one time had the largest output of dolls of any company.

Located in Koppelsdorf, in the Thuringia region of Germany, the Armand Marseille doll company was at the heart of the German doll making revolution in the 1890’s manufacturing 1000 bisque doll heads a day from 1900-1930.

– Armand Marseille was born in St. Petersburg, Russian in 1856 – he was a butcher before being a successful doll maker. He was of Huguenot descent – hence, the French sound last name.

Marseille and his family moved to Germany in the 1860s – it was in 1885 that he bought the Koppelsdorf factory – and he changed his first name to Herman, from Armand. He also married Solveigh Heubach, sisiter of Ernest Heubach in 1891 – the Heubach connection would tend to explain why some fine AM dolls have a horseshoe mark on them - a mark which had historically been more commonly associated with the older Heubach firm.

By 1910 – 800 workers were in the factory and in home trade

Almost all of Armand Marseille’s doll heads were made of bisque – many other doll companies purchased AM doll heads. Doll bodies were generally made of composition or stuffed kid with bisque arms – interestingly, Armand Marseille did not make his own bodies.

American importers often called on AM-

4 of the largest NY importers sold AM dolls- Louis Wolf, Butler Brothers, Louis Amberg, and George Borgfeldt.

AM dolls were sold as promotional dolls –

Dollar doll – upper thighs lengthened /ruffles on dresses

The AM factory made dolls in all price ranges – and made the doll heads according to the BUYER’s price range.

Montgomery Ward – ordered cheaper doll – quality cut accordingly.

vs.

Louis Wolf- “first quality” doll – face painting, clothing, etc... were better.

In 1915, Armand Marseille Jr.‘s daughter Beatrice married the son of Ernst Heubach, again linking the two doll producing families -

1919 – AM porcelain factory and Ernst Heubach porcelain factory became United Koppelsdorf Porcelain Factory. Still made separate heads even though they joined forces.

The AM factory was torn down in 1994.

500,600,700 – series – very nice quality dolls

370/390 – read p. 6 P. Smith book.

1892, 1894, 1895, 1897, 1899, 1900, 1901, 1902 – AM mark

above with Horse shoe – E. Heubach

many heads are D.E.P. (registered) or DRGM – incorporated German Co.

Patricia Smith in her book mentions that she has never seen an AM doll with pierced ears!

Perhaps the most famous work by AM was My Dream Baby (marked 341) of the 1920’s – which rivaled the famous Grace Storey Putnam’s Bye-lo Baby.

Marseille made the famous Queen Louise doll which was registered in the US in 1910 by Louis Wolfe and Co. – The bisque of the Queen Louise is extremely fine with pale coloring and sleep brown eyes. Various versions had either painted or mohair lashes while some eyebrows were glossy.

Finally, despite the wide availability and sometimes inferior quality of the Armand Marseille dolls, they have made doll collecting possible for people with limited budgets and created some exquisite, lovely dolls!

Carving in the Ozarks with Janet Cordell and Adina Huckins (CLICK ON PHOTO TO SEE ALL OF IT)

2011-01-09T14:58:00.003-06:00

Last December, I had the privilege to go to a week long carving class in Winslow, Arkansas, taught by Janet Cordell and Adina Huckins. It was so much fun! Here are their websites if you would like to learn more about Janet and Adina and find out more information about their future classes. Janet will be coming to Birmingham, Alabama, in early March to teach a four day Hitty class.
http://www.adinahuckins.com/
http://www.janetcordell.com/

This is the "go-by" of the wooden baby doll that Janet carved for the Winslow class.

This is my Hitty I carved along with award-winning internet celebrities, Ellen and Pink, who were carved by TC Vollum.
http://www.dolltales.com/

Ellen and Pink think Hitty is so sweet!

Gorgeous Queen Anne/tuck comb style wooden doll carved by Adina Huckins.

We all stayed at the Sky-Vue Lodge, and this is the view I woke up to just about every morning!
http://www.skyvuecabins.com/

Happy Carving!
Sharon

BISQUE SHOULDER HEAD DOLL, CIVIL WAR CHINA, AND SIMON HALBIG SHOULDER HEAD DOLL

2011-01-07T18:27:00.000-06:00

This 12" bisque shoulder head doll with kid body has blue glass eyes. She is unmarked, and her hair is molded with great detail.

Here is an 8" 1860's china doll with a flat top hairdo and exposed ears. She has unusual green boots, and wears a taffeta dress. Her pantaloons and petticoat are decorated with round thread cotton lace and entredeaux inserts

Here is a closeup of a Simon Halbig bisque shoulder head belton doll with glass eyes and pierced ears. She is perhaps one of the Little Women dolls S.H. produced in the early 1900's. If anyone knows, please let me know.

SIMON HALBIG BISQUE AND CHINA WITH RARE HAIRDO

2011-01-07T18:17:00.001-06:00

This 16" tall should head bisque girl with glass eyes, pierced ears, and belton head (bald) is unmarked, though attributed to Simon Halbig. She has bisque legs and arms and a tightly stuffed cotton body. She may be one of Simon Halbig's Little Women dolls.

This 12" china has an unusual face and rare hairdo with a bun in the back. She has pierced ears. She wears 2-piece outfit of brocade and lace, and has a cloth body with china arms and legs.

CHRISTMAS SECRET SANTAS

2010-12-14T20:00:00.000-06:00

Beverly with antique teddy bear doll (A.M.?).

Ann with felt Annalee Santa.

Barbara with windup singing church with lights.

JoAnn with angel figure.

CHRISTMAS SECRET SANTAS

2010-12-14T19:53:00.000-06:00

Dorothy with a Shackman doll.

Debra with an antique doll with felted body.

Janet with Madame Alexander doll.

Jill with vintage Effanbee puppet.

RUDOLPH VALENTINO DOLLS - 1923 BEAUTY CONTEST

2010-11-28T19:49:00.003-06:00

Our member Dorothy presented a most interesting program about her Valentino dolls from 1923, pictured above. Her Aunt Thelma was a finalist in a 1923 Birmingham, AL, beauty contest, and was presented with the dolls pictured above by Valentino himself; they are likenesses of Valentino and his wife. The contestants won a trip to NYC. Here is Dorothy's story about these dolls:

In 1923 Valentino wanted to tour America for his next leading lady. He was not happy with the movie studio and took off that year with his wife Winifred Hudnut to do a dance performance and choose the most beautiful girl in each of the 88 cities. Each girl would go to NY for the finals in Nov. and be crowned the most beautiful. Aunt Thelma was chosen Miss Birmingham and danced with Rudy and was presented the dolls as trophies. Not all city winners got dolls. Some received loving cups. The dolls are about 30 in. long. The heads are made of plaster and the long lanky cotton bodies are loosely stuffed. She had a comb in her cotton yarn hair and a rust colored silk shawl with fringe. The shawl has rotted but I have some of the fringe with the name tag of the artist.(Sardeaw's Dolls). Helene Sardeaw was a native off Belgium. Made dolls of movie stars 1921-24. On page 542 in Coleman's Encyclopedia of Dolls Vol. 1 ,you will see her history.. A movie was made of this event and produced by a young producer named David O.Selznick. It was his first film and he went on to big fame with "Gone With The Wind" and others. This girl that came to my house from Penn, and is working on a book, said she had never seen the dolls. So with all that, I would say they are very rare . The contest came to Birmingham, AL, Mar. 31 and went on to Louisville after here and ended in Nov. in NY.

Click on this link to read more about Valentino dolls and others.

http://scottpublications.com/cdcmag/img/BoudoirMar09.pdf

A BLOG ABOUT EARLY CHINA DOLLS

2010-11-19T22:03:00.000-06:00

Click on the link below to view some lovely early china head dolls:

http://dollsfromtheattic.blogspot.com/2010_07_01_archive.html

BYE-LO BABIES

2010-10-30T11:09:00.000-05:00

Here are 2 Bye-Lo baby dolls (L composition with composition hands and cloth "frog" body; R bisque head, celluloid hands, and cloth "frog" body), designed by Grace Story Putnam to represent a 3-day-old infant; they were first available in 1922, and produced in some form or other until 1952. Various German makers made the bisque heads. The cloth bodies were made by K&K in the U.S. Some had composition bodies made in Germany. Composition heads were made by Cameo Doll Co. in the U.S. Both of these dolls have sleep eyes and are marked "Grace S. Putnam."

Antique dolls in Musee de la Poupee in Paris

2010-09-14T09:46:00.000-05:00

I once deviated from my Paris tour group to find this small doll museum, and though I got lost and had to find my way on the subway in French, it was definitely worth it! Notice how they display the dolls in vignettes, some of which have watercolor painted backgrounds.

TWICKENHAM DOLL SHOW

2010-09-13T13:15:00.000-05:00

Here is an all needlepoint dollhouse (about 36" high), a large Shirley Temple (about 26" tall), and a carved wooden Hitty doll.

NEEDLEPOINT DOLL HOUSE

2010-09-13T13:04:00.000-05:00

Janet and I were amazed at this dollhouse that we saw at the Twidkenham Doll Show in Huntsville. The lady made everything with needlepoint!

DOLLS AT TWICKENHAM SALE AUG. 21

2010-08-23T13:40:00.001-05:00

Double click on photos to enlarge:

Effanbee Babyette 1943 (compo). Made cheaply with closed eyes and cloth body during the war.

Ruth Gibbs China Dolls (1940's), mint in box with wardrobes (rare to see this)

Some compos and hard plastics from 1930's and 1940's

TWICKENHAM DOLL SALE AUGUST 21

2010-08-22T11:32:00.000-05:00

Here are photos of our Birmingham Doll Club members who enjoyed going to the sale in Huntsville, AL, and also of dolls from some of the sales booths. We had a fun day, and everyone found treasures to buy.

Here is our Road Trip Group. Jill was a great driver.

Jumeau

Parians

Peddler China Doll

TWICKENHAM DOLL CLUB SHOW & SALE

2010-08-22T11:20:00.002-05:00

Here are photos of a few dolls in sales booths at the August 21 sale at Huntsville, AL. Members of the Birmingham Doll Club of Alabama attended, and found some treasures. We had a great road trip.

Kestner and Jumeau French Fashion

Shirley Temples, an old Peg Wooden, a China, and a Bisque head doll

Nice, large Bye-Lo Baby by Grace Storey Putnam

Some small treasures, including Half Dolls and Googlies

1800's WOODEN JOEL ELLIS DOLL

2010-06-17T12:03:00.003-05:00

Vermont Novelty Co. made wooden jointed dolls, and stopped making dolls in 1873. The hands and feet were cast lead; the arms and legs were turned rock maple. The mortise and tenon joints fit tightly so she could pose. The head was pressure formed and painted. Usually the head is in poor condition, for any moisture would cause paint to pop off due to swelling.

MD. ALEXANDER DOLLS

2010-06-17T11:49:00.001-05:00

The 1st photo shows vinyl Cleopatra, 2 1930's compo Wendy Ann's with swivel waists, and vintage compo Snow White (only Md. Alexander with no cheek coloring - "face white as snow"). The 2nd photo is a 6" compo. Double click on photo to enlarge.

MD. ALEXANDER CLOTH DOLLS - VINTAGE

2010-06-17T11:40:00.001-05:00

Jill gave an interesting and informative program on vintage Md. Alexander cloth dolls. The first 2 photos are Md. Alexanders, and the 3rd is not. You can tell an "imposter" by looking at many dolls and noticing the molding detail and the way the face paint is applied. The clothing is marked, but the dolls are not. The vintage Md. Alexander cloth dolls are sought-after, and bring high prices on ebay, though they are continuing to make them.

DEBORAH JENKINES AND HER DOLLS

2010-05-17T20:45:00.002-05:00

Here is Region 9 Director Deborah, ready to give her program "German Dolls for the French Trade". The second photo shows her holding her favorite of the group, a Cote Boehm (French? - someone tell me), dressed in a linen coat dress with soutache braid. The third photo is a German doll that looks French, and the fourth is a French doll, the famous Nursing Bru or Bebe Teteur with original clothing and silver and rubber pacifier (note open mouth). This doll's clothing is all original. Deborah made many of the outfits herself from old fabrics and laces. These 3 dolls were made in the late 1800's.

GERMAN DOLLS FOR THE FRENCH TRADE BY DEBORAH JENKINES (Double click to enlarge)

2010-05-17T20:26:00.000-05:00

Here is Deborah's handout from her program of the same name.

GERMAN DOLLS FOR THE FRENCH TRADE,May Joint Meeting

2010-05-17T16:07:00.001-05:00

Here are our UFDC (United Federation of Doll Clubs) Region 9 Director Deborah Jenkines' French and German dolls she brought as examples for her talk "German Dolls Made for the French Trade" for our May 16 joint meeting with all 4 Birmingham dolls clubs in attendance. We had 29 at the Homewood Library meeting to hear Deborah's interesting and informative talk about the German porcelain factories copying the beautiful French dolls and selling them as French. This occurred during the late 1800's and early 1900's. Most of these dolls were unmarked; the French marks were erased. There were no copyright laws at that time.

We appreciate Deborah's visit from Georgia. Many volunteers in the 4 Birmingham, AL doll clubs helped make this meeting a success; i.e.,Birmingham Doll Club of Alabama, Magic City Doll Club, Doll Study Club of Alabama, and Kollectors' Choice.

RARE BLISS DOLL HOUSE

2010-05-02T21:28:00.001-05:00

Thank you, JoAnn, for sharing your wonderful and rare lithographed wooden Bliss dollhouse with us. Bliss is printed on the door. Remember to double click on the photos to enlarge. Bliss made wooden products for 100 years, and began making wooden toys in the 1870's. Click on this URL to find out more about these houses:

http://www.cynthiahoweminiatures.com/bliss.htm

B'HAM DOLL CLUB OF AL ANNUAL DOLL SALE

2010-04-17T21:54:00.000-05:00

On April 17 the Birmingham Doll Club of Alabama held our Annual Doll Sale. We had good weather, good comraderie, and met some new doll collectors, as well as greeting more advanced collectors. We raised funds for breast cancer research with sales from our charity table.

2 CARVED HITTY DOLLS

2010-03-07T15:44:00.003-06:00

These are carved by Sharon. The big one, 10.5", is not quite finished. She was started when Sharon was carving in the Ozarcs. The small one, Hitty Flossie, has had everything done to her - like Joan Rivers, as Sharon says. Beautiful carving, Sharon.

TWO HITTY DOLLS ENJOYING BIRMINGHAM SNOW

2010-02-17T21:10:00.001-06:00

Here are 2 Hitty dolls that Sharon carved enjoying the recent Birmingham snow. Girls, where are your coats? Nice carving job, Sharon!

Go to http://www.hitty.org

to find out about the original Hitty doll and the book that was written about her.

PHOTOS FROM HUNTSVILLE LEEANN LUNCHEON

2010-02-15T14:11:00.000-06:00

Here are Billye, Lydia, and Martha arriving.

Here is Martha with Leeann and her Valentine dress, across from a nice lady who moved from New Orleans after Katrina. She and her daughter (2 down) make porcelain dolls. Leeann creator, Denis Bastien, is seated next to her.

Wilma is trying to decide what to buy next - Leeann clothes, shoes, or earrings.

HUNTSVILLE ROAD TRIP - LEE ANN EVENT

2010-02-06T22:28:00.000-06:00

Bastien doll clothes for sale

I think Wilma likes her doll and outfit!

Special valentine dress for LeeAnn

Denis Bastien, LeeAnn creator, happily signs dolls for purchaser after his interesting and informative presentation about how he got started with his doll company Affordable Designs. An interesting aspect of his business is working with the Chinese factories that make and dress his dolls.

HUNTSVILLE DOLL CLUB LUNCHEON

2010-02-06T22:13:00.000-06:00

Here are photos from our road trip to Huntsville for the Valentine's Day LeeAnn Event. The luncheon was
enjoyable, the hat-making workshop fun, and there were sales displays of items for LeeAnn, Denis Bastien's doll that was our favor. The photos show some of Mr. Bastien's dolls for sale, 2 of our members enjoying the day, a table of delighted girls from a private girls' school, and one special find (valentine dress for LeeAnn). The 68 dolls offered today are one-of-a-kind, and Mr. Bastien kindly signed our dolls on their fannies. LOL His dolls are offered for sale at the Paris Doll Museum, and were featured there in an exhibit, with dolls posed in the windows. I have seen this important museum, and am quite impressed that they sell his dolls.

MINTY EBAY FINDS

2010-01-29T20:35:00.000-06:00

Here is a 16.5" hard plastic 1950's walker with "160" on her neck. She may be LuAnn Simms by Roberta Doll Co. LuAnn was a singer, and one of her recordings is "Little Rag Doll." The 1915-1922 compo on the right is 15" Effanbee's "Baby Dainty," all original,complete with skates. Her body is cloth. They are both all original and in wonderful condition; dolls like this hold their value.

CLOTH DOLL DISPLAYS (Double click to enlarge pics)

2010-01-11T21:51:00.000-06:00

This collector loves cloth dolls, as you can see, but these china dolls at the bottom by Ruth Gibbs caught her eye, and they joined the others in her doll case.

EFFANBEE PATSY LOOK-ALIKES

2010-01-11T21:44:00.000-06:00

Effanbee's Patsy dolls were a hit in the 1920's and 1930's, and many other companies tried to copy her looks without getting too close in order to avoid a lawsuit. This resulted in many other cute dolls representing this time period for collectors to enjoy today. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed this program on often overlooked dolls.

MD. ALEXANDERS BABIES WITH KITTY

2009-12-17T10:47:00.000-06:00

Here are 2 sweet Md. Alexander babies in their Christmas dresses - Victoria and Kitten, along with the real cat Hello Kitty. These belong to our brand new doll club member Lydia. Glad to have you with us, Lydia!

ENJOYING SECRET SANTAS

2009-12-14T20:50:00.000-06:00

No ashes and switches in these stockings!

SECRET SANTAS

2009-12-14T20:49:00.000-06:00

Everyone enjoyed the Christmas Party immensely.

SECRET SANTA TIME

2009-12-14T09:08:00.000-06:00

We had much fun and fellowship (sistership?) at our Christmas Party.

CHRISTMAS PARTY 2009

2009-12-14T08:51:00.000-06:00

Here are 2 fantastic doll displays we were delighted to see at our Christmas Party, and the final results of our wool felting workshop in November.

FROM A BLACK DOLL COLLECTION

2009-12-13T23:51:00.003-06:00

Here is an old bottle doll (10") and a bell (4"). These are fascinating. Who knew there were such interesting dolls to collect?

FROM A BLACK DOLL COLLECTION

2009-12-13T23:45:00.000-06:00

Here are a 4 l/2" bottle doll and a 9 l/2" nut doll, both quite old.

WOOL FELTED FIGURES

2009-11-15T20:27:00.000-06:00

Here are examples of what one can make from a pile of wool - with a little hard work, that is.

NEEDLE FELTING WORKSHOP

2009-11-15T20:21:00.000-06:00

Here is our fearless teacher (1st photo), who never lost faith that we could sculpt teddy bears and critters with her always excellent instruction. Everyone had a great time and left with a wonderful felted bear, cat, or other critter.

WILMA WINS A FLOWER ARRANGING AWARD

2009-10-28T21:47:00.000-05:00

One of our members recently won an award for her flower arrangement, along with the doll she dressed as Ruth from the Bible (note the wheat). Congratulations, Wilma!

MATTEL BATTLES FOR DOLL DOMINATION

2009-10-23T14:30:00.000-05:00

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/video/default-ap.aspx?cp-documentid=47ca08a5-351f-49b4-82cc-afb25059b89f%26tab=News

Click on the URL above to see what's happening with Mattel's battling for doll domination. This gives an insight as to what Mattel is up against with their competition.

GAINESWOOD ANTEBELLUM HOME, GREENSBORO, AL

2009-09-30T09:07:00.000-05:00

Here are old clothing items, a sewing machine, and doll bed and carriage displayed at Gaineswood, a Greek Revival antebellum home and museum at Greensboro, Al. Double left click to enlarge photos. Can you imagine sewing all these tiny tucks and embellishments with this small machine? The carriage appears to be a Joel Ellis made in Vermont in the 1880's.

BOY DOLLS FROM OUR UFDC CD

2009-09-24T10:23:00.001-05:00

These dolls are from our UFDC CD entitled "Boy Dolls." They are all felt dolls. The 2nd is Kathy Kruse, the 3rd is Madam Alexander, and the 4th is John Wright's Little Prince. The rest are Lenci.

BOY DOLLS FROM OUR UFDC CD

2009-09-24T10:16:00.001-05:00

From the top are: Japanese figurines (I bought a box of these when I was a child for 25 cents), a glass-eyed parian man (rare), a bisque-head (no glaze) doll with jointed composition body, and a china (shiny glaze) doll.

Congratulations to us for winning 3rd place for United Federation of Doll Clubs CD's made this year! :-)

THIRD PLACE UFDC WINNER FOR CD MADE BY OUR CLUB

2009-09-22T21:45:00.000-05:00

Here is our 3rd Place Certificate awarded by the United Federation of Doll Clubs for our "Boy Dolls" CD, which we made of dolls owned by club members. Congratulations to us! But especially to Jill, who organized everything, along with Elisa, who did the photographs and put it on CD. These CD's are rented from UFDC for club programs. Double left click on image to enlarge.

2 ALL ORIGINAL BEAUTIES (Double click on pic to enlarge)

2009-09-18T12:09:00.000-05:00

The bottom one is Betsy McCall, and I don't know what the other is (someone tell me). However, these were a gift from a friend. How lucky can you get?

2 AZUMA DOLLS AND CARVED SMILING HITTY

2009-09-18T12:05:00.000-05:00

Here are 2 Tom Azuma dolls - a Bru Jne and a wonderful Japanese doll dressed authentically. Sharon Kirby carved the Smiling Hitty and dressed her, using a tie-dyed handkerchief. Great!

CARVED IVORY AND WOOD DOLL NECKLACE

2009-09-18T11:45:00.001-05:00

TRIP TO TWICKINHAM DOLL SALE

2009-09-18T11:39:00.000-05:00

INSIDE A DOLL HOUSE

2009-09-15T22:06:00.001-05:00

These photos are of the inside of the white doll house in a post below. This can be truly a fun hobby.

INSIDE A DOLL HOUSE

2009-09-15T22:00:00.000-05:00

Believe it or not, this is actually taken inside a doll house - the white one pictured in the following post.

WONDERFUL DOLL HOUSE

2009-09-15T21:46:00.000-05:00

Here's a doll house with great furnishings. This is a fun area of doll collecting.

WICKER DOLL HOUSE

2009-09-15T21:38:00.000-05:00

One of our members is the proud owner of this unusual wicker doll house that she bought years ago from a truck going to a show in TN. Notice the handmade cupboard inside.