I grew up on the Colorado River, and was a true River Rat, fishing and swimming and hiking, a bit of a tomboy, but still loved my dolls and stuffed animals.

I actually played with dolls until I was around 12, graduating to a Miss Revlon fashion doll, the era’s version of Barbie.

My first doll was created from a vintage Little Lulu pattern for one of my nieces. She was well loved and played with, the yarn hair later being replaced by a human hair wig, and the clothing long gone.

I started making dolls for friends and relatives’ kids in my early 20’s. They were rag dolls and designed by me on the fly, each one always different as I did not use a pattern. They were very similar to the rag dolls made for me by my Grandmother. I soon ran out of friends and relatives to make dolls for, and had developed a very bad fabric habit, so needed to start selling some of my dolls.

I started making lots of dolls, country style, from other designer patterns, and animals to sell at craft shows. I was booking 2 shows or more a month and I soon became this one-person mass production factory. Rows and rows of arms and legs sewn at one setting, Stuffing till the wee hours of the morning. I was making dolls to please the buying public, and soon eventually burned out, and quit making dolls altogether.

          
 

Renaissance Fair, 1975

 I even made mop dolls (horrors!)

I was part of a vintage Crafters Co-op at Roaring Camp and Steam railroad Park, a living history park in early 1980’s. We did demos for the tourists and I sewed on a treadle machine.


I moved to Oregon in 1998, and met Judi Ward, Deanna Hogan, and many other very talented dollmakers and creative types. I started down a whole new road with my dollmaking journey when I took Judi Ward’s online class, How to Design Your Own Doll. I started to create my own designs, and market my patterns. My first design was I Dream of Flying, and I was so thrilled when Judi Ward bought the original.

I now have over 30 original patterns which I market, and sell my original one-of-a-kind dolls to galleries and from my Doll Shop at my website. 

In recent years I have taught classes at conferences and for doll clubs all over the country, as far east as New Jersey, and as far north as Alaska. Teaching is the ultimate experience for a designer, and nothing is more rewarding that being the one to start someone on their journey with their very first doll! In April of 2011 I will be teaching 2 classes at AFIC conference in Ohio, and look forward to meeting some of my online friends and fellow dollmakers there!

Eight years ago we bought some small acreage in a very rural area in Rainier, Oregon and we converted the detached garage into a studio for me. I love it, and have a view of Mt. St Helens and Mt. Rainier from my studio window. It is such an inspiring place to create! I teach classes at my studio for 1-3 students with classes tailored to skills they desire to learn.

I love to explore new techniques, such as surface design, free-motion embroidery, use of clays and Apoxy Sculpt, Paverpol, Tyvek, the list goes on and on, and there is always something new to learn. I try to incorporate these new techniques into my art dolls.

Some of my more recent work.



Altered Astra Stump Dolls, one of the classes I teach

 
Moon Raiser, OAK

The Wind, OOAK

 
Shadow, OOAK

Treasure, Ethnic Face Painting Class at AFIC
The Fishwife, 2 day class being taught at AFIC, April 2011

So that’s me! Thanks for visiting with me here at Doll Street! I hope you enjoyed your stay.

Past AOMs:

Judi Wellnitz

Christina Miles

Linda Misa

Cody Goodin

Michelle Munzone