By Angie George:
Hi, I’m Molly! I’m am reproduction Civil War-era porcelain China doll made in the 1960s.
I was living in a dusty, dank antique store until Angie met me. She and I became fast friends and I went to live with her. Angie and I have a lot in common. She is a living historian who re-enacts the mid-1860s (Civil War-era). When Angie met me, I was wearing a hot, scratchy, red polyester dress with a strip of distracting synthetic lace running down the front.
Angie decided I needed an appropriate dress that would complement my auburn hair. She visited the Civil War section of a local fabric shop and picked out this better-suited blue cotton calico.
Well, Angie had never made a dress before! She told me her only sewing experience was mending washcloths for a museum she used to work for but that didn’t stop her. She picked up this book in hopes it would help get her started.
And it did! Not wanting to ruin my good fabric, she decided to practice cutting out pattern pieces with a sheet of paper.
She cut and cut pieces until she felt confident enough to use fabric. Still not comfortable enough to cut up the “good” fabric, she used a piece of white muslin instead.
And good thing too because there were a few mistakes along the way. Oops!
With the help of the dress she wears for re-enacting as an example, and a lot of patience, Angie was able to create a lovely frock for me! She’s even learning to construct accessories, starting with an apron. Now I just need a collar and another petticoat to fluff me up and I’ll be all set!
What do you think of the outcome?
To learn more about dolls like me, or to find your very own porcelain China doll, please visit: www.reprodolls.com.
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