Doll Repair and Doll Restoration Professional

A simple rule of thumb is the head is 1/4th the size of the finished body.  To determine what size you need, the torso is twice the height of the head and so are the legs.  Example: head size 2 inches, torso is 4 inches, legs are 4 inches = finished doll of 10 -11 inches.

china doll body leather boots

China doll body with leather arms and boots	Leather china doll boots
Sample fabric selections for china doll lower legs

Many of the larger china dolls had leather arms and leather boots.  This was used, mainly to eliminate weight from the doll and possible breakage that occurs when the doll is dropped or the pieces clank together.  

The custom body is stuff with sawdust* .   The body can be ordered with both arms and legs of kid leather or china arms and kid leather boots.  Custom socks are also offered in black or colored stripes or pillow ticked and will be selected to be in scale with body proportions.

*Sawdust is from pure  wood, not composite materials such as plywood or medite that may contain chemicals,  fillers or glues.  (Please specify width and depth of head or for best fit, send your head.  Antique child will attach your head to the new body FREE of charge. )

China Body Kid Leather Options

Sizes 10 -14 Leather Arms/Legs $75.00 Sizes 16-20 Leather Arms/Legs $95.00 Sizes 20-30 Leather Arms & Legs $115.00 Sizes 10 -14 Bisque Arms/Leather Legs $85.00 Sizes 16-20 Bisque Arms/Leather Legs $105.00 Sizes 20-30 Bisque Arms/Leather Legs $125.00

Please state shoulder width & total head height

Pink body showing spoon hands with short heeled boots. Blond china head with chubbier arms, cupped hands and more heeled boot.

Civil War period china head with small spoon hands and heeled boots. Many dolls of this era had flat soled shoes too. Her body is hour-glass shaped.

Back side of Civil War period china doll with hour glass figure. There is stitching at the knees for sitting

Replicated china bodies are made of 100% cotton unbleached muslin, hard stuffed with sawdust*.  

There are two distinct styles for china dolls. Early china doll’s arms had arms with slender  fingers and thumb straight (spoon hands).  Some did not have a thumb so the the arm was universal, able to use for left or right.  Their shoes were flat soled with no heel. Their bodies were hour-glass in shape.

Starting in the 1860′s dolls were wearing shoes with heels but the arms were still the spoon hands type.  

The 1880 china doll had a chubbier arms with the hands and fingers bent. They also wore heeled boots.   Their torso was not longer hour-glass, but more straight, like a child. 

Blond china dolls sometimes wore boots that were brown.

*Sawdust is from pure  wood, not composite materials such as plywood or medite that may contain chemicals,  fillers or glues. (Please specify width and depth of head or for best fit, send your head.  Antique child will attach your head to the new body FREE of charge. )

Standard China Doll Body

Sizes 10 -14 Heeled boots/chubby arms $95.00 Sizes 16-20 Heeled boots/chubby arms $115.00 Sizes 20-30 Heeled boots/chubby arms $135.00 Sizes 10 -14 Flat boots, spoon hands $95.00 Sizes 16-20 Flat boots, spoon hands $115.00 Sizes 20-30 Flat boots, spoon hands $135.00

Please state shoulder width & head total height