On Wednesday, July 9, a Repair Shop expert experienced a career first, admitting, “I’m a bit worried,” as she prepared to restore a unique World War II keepsake on BBC One’s Favourite Fixes.
Vanessa Budd brought in a cherished doll named Jill, a Land Army doll once owned by her mother Zoe, who had joined the Timber Corps at age 18 in 1942. Vanessa believed the doll was handcrafted during her mother’s early years in the civilian group.
Vanessa explained, “We think she made this doll within the first couple of years because this is the Land Army hat. But she joined the Timber Corps in 1942.” She described the doll as more than just a toy: “I think of her not just as a doll, but a symbol of what so many women did during the Second World War.”
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Eager to restore the doll’s clothing and reveal hidden details, Vanessa confessed she had never been allowed to undress the doll as a child.
On examining the doll, Amanda Middleditch noted, “I’m a little bit worried about her wobbly head, but you can see the wartime sort of hairstyle, can’t you? Yeah, it’s very sweet.” Julie Tatchell agreed: “It’ll be an honour then. We’ll be the first people to have looked underneath the clothes.”
Julie carefully removed the doll’s blazer, trousers, and shoes—all sewn securely onto the body. “We’ve definitely never worked on one of these before. Until we’ve removed all these clothes, we don’t actually know what work we’ve got to do,” she said.
Once the clothes were off, Amanda assessed the doll’s condition inside while Julie addressed the intricate and time-consuming task of repairing tears in the clothing.
“It was so important to keep this original jumper,” Julie said. “It’s not something we would have been able to replace. It’s definitely one of a kind, and that made me persevere with all this darning.”
Amanda then carefully removed the doll’s ringlet curls, recreated each one with meticulous detail, and reattached them individually. She described the process as “a complete adventure, amazing,” as the restoration neared completion.
When Vanessa saw the fully restored doll, she was overcome with emotion. “Oh, she’s lovely! She’s absolutely gorgeous. My mum would have been so proud. I just wish she was here today because she would have been 100 this year. What a birthday present,” she said.
Amanda reflected on the unique restoration: “It’s been like an exploration of trying to get into the mindset of your mum making it because it’s not like anything we’ve seen before.” She summarized, “She’s a really fitting tribute to that era.”