Casgliadau Arlein

Doll with painted composite (?) head, padded torso and limbs, wearing woollen check dress, knitted vest and white knickers.

Head appears to be out of keeping with rather crudely made body, perhaps it was salvaged from an earlier doll.

Head moulded features and hair; painted with brown, red, blue, white and black. Surface of head is not smooth, but has many small air bubbles. These can also be seen in areas where the paint has worn away, so are related to the composite material rather than the paint layer.

Torso covered with rose-printed cotton tabby (one piece, centre front seam) fitted around neck with drawstring which is knotted at the front, then wound round neck again and tied off at rear. Torso appears to have a different filling from arms and legs: it is firmer.

Limbs filled with fine wood shavings and covered in soft loose-weave cotton (thick yarns in one and thin yarns in the other weave direction, singles yarn, Z-spun). Previous repair (darns) on right arm and right leg; 'shoes' made of green cotton velvet, topped with small bow of green and white cotton check fabric (missing from right foot).

Arms and legs are attached to torso in a crude way, right arm: large overcast stitches using white thread (S-twist, 2 threads used as one), left arm: herringbone stitches using a different white thread (S-twist, 2 threads used as one); right leg: slip stitches using green cotton thread, left leg: small, fine overcast stitches using white thread (S-twist).

Arms and legs were either loosely filled, or filling has dropped out; as it is, the filling has compacted at the hand and foot ends of the limbs, leaving the torso-end floppy and empty of filling.

Undergarments Knickers large white cotton tabby knickers embroidered with pink chain stitches surrounding leg holes, waist was (probably) elasticated but elastic has failed and gone hard; a safety pin is enclosed in the sleeve (at centre back waist) through which the elastic has been drawn.

Vest Knitted of light blue wool; neck: crochet detail with drawstring tied at front in same wool; 6.5cm long slit at centre front neck; vest is too large and wide for doll

Dress Short sleeved, high waisted, made from green/beige/brown check wool (tabby, singles yarns, Z-spun) and in-set side panels (gathered at waist) of beige/red/black print crêpe material (tabby, cotton and synthetic yarns), narrow vertical tucks are stitched into this fabric; bodice section is lined with turquoise coloured finely woven cotton tabby fabric (light blue and white yarns); 15cm long slit at upper centre back, extending into skirt section, fastened with three white plastic buttons with metal shanks (Ø = 0.9cm) and corresponding hand-stitched buttonholes, buttons and buttonholes both stitched using light green cotton thread; neck is surrounded by feather stitch embroidery using light green cotton thread (same as above); each sleeve is trimmed with two c.1cm wide bands of bias cut red tabby cotton fabric, machine stitched in place using brown thread; the section of the centre back slit that extends into skirt section is finished by encapsulating it using a bias-cut strip of the same woollen check fabric; hem of dress finished with overlocking stitches using brown thread