RitchieCornHuskDolls

Welcome to my shop! I am very happy to share my Ritchie Cornhusk* Doll craft with you. The Ritchie family involvement in the arts and crafts of eastern Kentucky spans a large range from the collection and singing of ballads by my aunt, Jean Ritchie, to the crafting of quilts, the making of dulcimers, the painting of gourds, and the creation of cornhusk dolls. The Ritchie family is very proud of its Kentucky roots and heritage.

The craft of making cornhusk dolls has been passed down in my family for over 80 years. My grandmother, Abigail Hall Ritchie, made Christmas angels for decorations. She then taught her oldest daughter, May Ritchie Deschamps, to make them. May perfected her doll making during the Craft Revival Period (mid 1900's) and was an important innovator of cornhusk crafts throughout her life. She was featured in many articles and books written about the cornhusk doll making tradition. Her finished dolls are on display at many museums including the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

For more information on Ritchie Cornhusk Dolls, see my book, "Ritchie Cornhusk Dolls-A Family Tradition", available in my Etsy store. This book includes pictures and brief writeups about all of the Ritchie doll makers starting with Abigail Ritchie as well as hundreds of pictures of Ritchie cornhusk dolls that have been made over the last half-century.

As stated in my book, I started making Ritchie Cornhusk Dolls over 40 years ago. I am a third generation Ritchie and first learned the craft from my mother, Jewel Ritchie Robinson, and my aunts, Kitty Ritchie Singleton, Mallie Ritchie, and May Ritchie Deschamps. Over my life, I have made thousands of cornhusk dolls and each was an individual work of love. I've had my dolls featured at the Indiana State Museum, the Berea Artisan Center, the Appalachian Artisan Center in Hindman, Kentucky, and at many craft festivals. It's my hope that through my Etsy store, I can share my love for this unique and wonderful craft of cornhusk doll making with many others.

*Note: Cornhusk is an alternate spelling of corn husk.