I will try to make a short explanation
what a reborn doll is and how reborning dolls is done.
1. We usually start with a USA Berenguer
doll or a reborn doll kit. They Berenguer dolls come in different expressions
and without hair. Their bodies are stuffed cloth bodies but their arms and legs
are not jointed. The reborn doll kits are unpainted vinyl or siliconevinyl doll
parts wiyhout eyes and hair. With a doll kit you move on to painting straight
away and no cleaning is necessary. When using a doll kit you may hear of the
term "newborning" instead of reborning.
2. The doll is taken apart and the
stuffing is kept for later. The head is boiled in hot water and the factory eyes
are pushed out of the head.
3. The doll is washed with colour
removers to remove all the factory paint and washed in a foam bath. It is left
to dry a couple of days.
4. All the vinyl parts (head, arms &
legs) are painted with a special mix of quality Genesis heat set paints. The
paint is applied up to 2-4 very thin layers. The paint is made permanent by
baking the vinyl parts in the oven for a few minutes. Genesis is permanent and
wont fade or rub off. The head, arms and legs are coloured in every little
creese and blushed in all the right places. Finger- and toenails are carefully
painted, tipped with white and sealed with varnish. The lips are painted and
sealed with varnish.
5. The new eyes are glued in place and a
strong magnet is glued inside the back of the mouth. The nostrils are carefully
opened and backed on the inside with felt for a realistic depth. The doll is now
a "breather".
6. The limbs and head are filled with
clothbags of glass sand and stuffed with polyfill for the right weight.
Everything is sealed with silicone and left to dry for a cuple of days.
7. The doll parts are assembled to itīs
new quality doe suede or flanell jointed body.
8. The mohair wig is glued in place.
Left to dry for a day and then brushed, cut and styled to the right look. Or the
hair is microrooted and cut to a very realistic baby hair style.
9. The eyelashes are glued in place and
the eyebrows are delicately painted.
10. Selected quality baby clothes is put
on to finish the gorgeous baby. A diaper (nappy) and a magnetic pacifier is
added to the babys comfort. A birthcertificate, certificate of authenticity,
identity band, bracelet/necklace, hairclips/bows and a plushtoy are other items
that usually comes together with a reborn doll.
11. All in all the reborning process to
create a quality reborn baby doll takes at least 10-20 hours and often much
more.
We have searched for information and
manuals about reborning and developed our skills along the way.We have been
reborning dolls for a year now and our dolls have gotten much attention where
they have been shown.
This sure is a hobby that is time
consuming in a positive sense. It makes you want to do more all the time. No
doll is like the other and every reborn doll has its very special charm.
Barbro & Kristina
