CottageDollies

I am frequently asked why I expend so much time and energy to making dolls and clothes and for me the answer is quite clear: I love the creativity involved with making the one of a kind designs and I love the feel of different kinds of fabrics. On a day I’m feeling a little blue, sometimes I spread the fabrics all out in front of me and it just makes me feel better! I also love to make the dolls, although they are a bit more tedious and harder to complete. But, my mother made us dolls like these when we were little - they were good, high quality, and although they are worn through love and lots of play, they still sit on the bed. Part of my objective is to make products that will last as long as a child wants them to - a lifetime if need be as mine has.

When asked how I started making these products, I go once again to my childhood. My mother made us dolls and entire wardrobes of doll clothing when we were little. She made my first doll when I was just short of five years old. It was New Year’s Day and all the stores were closed, but my father had to work. All she had for the doll body was a new pink sheet and she made me promise not to tell him if she cut it up. We certainly didn’t have a lot of luxuries and for a woman who could stretch two pounds of hamburger into a week’s worth of meals, cutting up a new pink sheet was quite a sacrifice for her to make; however, I couldn’t wait for my father to come through the front door to tell him what she had done. I can see him yet coming out of the bathroom, holding the doll and slyly commenting on what a great job she had done and what beautiful fabric she had used - she knew immediately I had snitched and we have all laughed about it for a lifetime.

My sister, who was several years older, and I received our first grown-up dolls when I was six. I was in half-day kindergarten, and all fall I would get home from school in time for lunch and sit with Mama to watch the Garry Moore show in the afternoon. Every day she hand-stitched clothes for my sister’s Christmas doll, but what I didn’t know was that every night, she worked on an exact duplicate set for my doll - that way she could interchange them afternoon and evening without my knowing it. What a surprise for me on Christmas morning!

So I guess you could say that my love of sewing and fabrics started at a very early age and that I associate it with love and laughter. Fate surprised me with two boys, but even their teddy bears and stuffed toys had pajamas and blankets that matched, but once I had granddaughters I knew that making dolls with pretty dresses, nightgowns, play clothes and accessories was a passion I had to pursue.

The shop was named by a dear friend whose confidence in my ability never faltered. She was not privileged to see the creation of her namesake Cottagedollies, but the name is a constant reminder of her love and support.