Reader, my heart sank when I saw her. She needed a cleaning to be sure, and a good chunk of one foot was missing, but...that coat! That hat! Those are my two favorite things to make, and there was no way I could possibly improve upon what she was already wearing. I would have to think of something...Meet Shelly!We Love Her Just The Way She IsNo. 122 Shelly is a full composition Princess Elizabeth lookalike measuring about 15". She is marked with an "X" in a circle on the back of her ne...ck and has pretty blue eyes and a blonde human hair wig. She arrived needing a good cleaning, a little paint touch up, namely to her lips, and her right foot was halfway missing.My philosophy is to do as little as possible to these girls. Mend them, clean them, and dress them up so that they can last and be loved for another lifetime without losing the signs that they were Once-Loved before. Do not look for airbrushed perfection here!I repaired these things and washed her wig. I then bravely (gulp!) washed her coat and hat gently. It's the nicest vintage United States Navy doll outfit I've ever seen. So detailed with its anchor buttons, embroidered emblems, and the way it's constructed. I did a little research, because surely if this is a no name (besides being Shelly, of course) girl, then certainly this nice outfit must have originally come with someone name brand! But no. It appears to be factory made. NAVY COAT & HAT DETAILS: Double breasted navy wool with four gold anchor buttons on front and two more in the back. Embroidered on left elbow with "USN" and an anchor. Matching hat has two brass star buttons and an embroidered double chevron with a star above. My sister said, "I have the perfect pin for that coat!" HAH! I'll be the judge of that, I thought to myself. It's probably going to be too big. Julie hasn't been around dolls much, what with her slight fear of them, and has no concept of their size. Then she handed me the cutest little ship's wheel pin surrounded by rhinestones."This is perfect!" I cried. And it is. Thank you, wee Julie!When I took her coat off, there was the cutest VINTAGE DRESS & ONESIE beneath! Red, White & Blue strips with navy piping. Dress closes with two square snaps in back, matching onesie doesn't fasten. I didn't wash them because I didn't want to risk it, you may want to give them a light launder. There's also a navy grosgrain ribbon for her hair.I decided that her coat was a little short, the same length as her dress which made her look as if some was missing something, so I made a pair of SAILOR PANTS. They're fully lined and slightly flared at the bottom, as all good sailor pants should be. Faux buttons up front, these pants snap in back.Beneath that she wears a STRIPED SHIRT ONESIE, the body of which is fully lined. It snaps in back. Her SHOES are black leather Mary Janes with suede soles that snap on the side with black glass bead "buttons" over the snaps.For years I've had a super cute ESPRIT skirt that I didn't know what to do with. I never seemed to have little human girls around at the right time that would fit it. Perfect for a HOODED CAPE for Shelly! It's a navy skirt with a nautical theme, and running around the bottom are the words:A curious sailor boy, appeared and took my hand, and led me only goodness knows where.I was able to get that first half of that phrase running around the bottom of that cape. The hood of the cape is fully lined so as not to muss her hair and it ties at the neck.For a NIGHTGOWN (or it could be a dress) to wear beneath it, I found a vintage piece that suited it. It's a little tattered, but it looks good with the cape and the fit is nice. I added a white silk bow to the front and made some quick undies for her to wear beneath.Finally I made a SAILOR'S KIT for her to carry everything in. It's made of sturdy off white cotton and is fully lined. I duplicated the logo that was embroidered on her jacket elbow in paint on the back, along with her official Hazel Twigg No. of 122. Cinch opening with shoulder straps for easy carrying on the pier. She has a little paper American Flag to hold.So, see? Even if a girl comes perfectly dressed, by golly I'll find SOMETHING to do for her! And now it's time for her to leave.Announcement: Any O.L.D. going for $300 or more gets one of the remaining original editions of my book, "Hazel Twigg & the Hollyhock Hideaway" free! I'll pay for the extra shipping and everything! It's undergoing some MAJOR rewrites, and if this takes off, you could have a rare treasure on your hands!REPEAT ADOPTERS: Instead of getting a GAZILLION copies of my book, I will give you FREE SHIPPING UP TO $10 unless you tell me otherwise. You don't want too much of a good thing...I start all my adoptions at 6:33 on Sunday or Wednesday evenings, Iowa (Central)time. Please Feel Free: to ask any questions or request additional photos.
Shipping: if I am off by a dollar or more, back into your pocket the difference goes! I've done it before and I will do it again!
Thank you!On May-07-19 at 19:29:28 PDT, seller added the following information:Shelly's Post is up on my blog! There you'll see where I found the instructions for the sailor's kit and more. Thank you!