Ultimate Doll Restoration, featuring two outfits and accessories! PART 2

I felt helpless when kids’ constant fighting led to their doll being broken. They tore its body apart, and the stuffing came out, making it dirty. Given my previous experience with doll restoration, I knew it would be a tough process. But seeing how much the kids wanted their doll back, I decided to learn more about restoration and planned a variety of attractive updates for it.

At first, I thought removing the ink would be the most difficult part. However, fixing the hair turned into an endless weeks-long process. I wanted the hair to be completely customizable so the kids could have more fun with it. After trying various materials, I finally found a thick thread traditionally used for wrist wraps here. Although black would match our hair, it made the doll look less cute. So, I chose a brown and yellowish-gold color combination instead.

For the ink removal, many experts in previous restoration videos suggested using acne cream with 10% benzoyl peroxide. I could only find 2.5% benzoyl in stores, but I found the 10% online and it was expensive, so I decided to give it a try 2.5% one, thinking I might need to apply it four times more than the 10% version. Surprisingly, after the third application, I saw significant results, and by the eighth application, all the ink was gone. Thanks to the expert viewers who suggested this magic cream!

Initially, I planned only one outfit, which I had to stitch by measuring the doll's body. This was tricky, and my stitches weren’t perfect, but when the dress was turned inside out, it looked fine. I adapted to this plan.

Making the shoes was another challenge. Many online tutorials show how to make baby shoes, but they are all for fixed sizes. I needed custom-sized shoes for the doll’s legs. Despite several attempts, I wasn’t satisfied with how they looked; something seemed to be missing.

The necklace and bangle were easier to make and turned out well. I used my old Singer sewing machine, which is almost 29 years old and still works like a pro. However, with the variety of fabrics available today, some materials were difficult to stitch because they made uneven stitches, especially stretchable and T-shirt types. I borrowed my sister’s sewing machine, which had various stitching modes and saved me a lot of trouble. If you’re buying a sewing machine, make sure it has a range of options—they are very helpful and fun to work with.

Finally, I decided to make a second costume set so the kids could enjoy more imaginative play with the doll. It was less stressful since I was already familiar with the process.

I wasn’t able to capture the heartwarming and excited faces of the kids when I gave them the finished doll, but their reactions made all the effort worthwhile.

Throughout the video, you might hear various background noises. I recorded it beside a window in my beautiful rural village home. I left the sounds in because they add to the experience, though they might be a bit distracting. You may hear rain, crickets, grasshoppers, cicadas, roosters, crows, night insects, cows, cats, and even kids talking and fighting nearby.

I hope this video brought you happiness, joy, and some useful information. Thank you so much for watching and reading this long narration. If you enjoyed the content, please subscribe, like, and comment with your thoughts or suggestions. Your feedback is very helpful!

Here is the link to the previous restoration of the same doll, which was a milestone in making this amazing second restoration:    • From trash to treasure: an amazing Do...  

Chapters:

0:00 Intro
0:18 Separation
1:07 Cleaning
1:28 Ink Removal
2:08 Fixing Hair
3:46 Making Body
6:38 Innerwear
6:53 Making Red Dress
9:34 Making Yellow Shoe
10:35 Untangling Hair
11:18 Continuation Making Shoe
12:45 Necklace
13:37 Bangle
14:21 Lipstick
15:05 Making Blue Dress
16:36 Making Blue Shoe
17:50 Making Scarf
18:30 Necklace
18:52 Bangle
20:06 Box Packing
20:27 Gifting
21:06 Ending