Antique Sewn Toy Restoration in Pacific Northwest USA

January 16, 2017 9:49 AM

Looking for recommendations for a place (preferably near Seattle) that can do some cleaning/restoration on antique sewn toys (cloth dolls and a teddy bear). The items in question are at least 70-90 years old, and have been stored reasonably well, but could use some love to make them shine. Any experience with antique toy/doll consignment or sales would be useful too.
posted by matildaben to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (4 answers total)

It's worth sourcing an expert doll restorer for your type of item, regardless of location in the country, and spending the extra $ to send your dolls to them. They deal with customers from all over. One place to look would be in the advertisers section of Antique Doll Collector magazine. These are, for the most part, reputable auctioneers and restorers (and many of these auctioneers take single items on consignment).

If you're not sure about a doll dealer, check if they're a member of NADDA. You may also be able to find some recommendations through your local chapter of The United Federation of Doll Clubs.
posted by Miss T.Horn at 1:56 PM on January 16, 2017

P.S. There's also this map.
posted by Miss T.Horn at 1:58 PM on January 16, 2017

There used to be a doll museum in Bellevue, now closed. There is a minimalist web presence still, though--might be worth googling it up and sending an email, to see if anyone responds and has a recommendation.
posted by Sublimity at 8:07 PM on January 16, 2017

It is a semi-long shot, but the folks at the Valetinetti Puppet Museum (http://www.ectandpuppets.org/) in Bremerton might know someone who could help.
posted by dbmcd at 8:50 PM on January 16, 2017