Merry Gentlemen	Mimi	Bobo & Boo	Sunflower	Pearl
Midnight Shopping	Sewing Elves	Ready to Sew	Decisions, Decisions	Market Day

My adventure into cloth doll making began in 1990 after discovering the delightful cloth dolls by doll maker, teacher and author, elinor peace bailey. This prompted the idea to design and copyright my own original cloth character dolls which I sell under the name, FabricImages. Thus began a love for cloth doll making that to date has resulted in over 600 original, one-of-a-kind and limited edition dolls.

Each doll is made and dressed entirely by me. I paint the eyes and face using acrylic paints, colored pencils and fine-tipped pens, trying hard to capture the expression I want the doll to convey. I use quality fabrics and natural or synthetic hair, depending upon the look I want to achieve. They range in size from 8” to 18” and each doll is signed and dated. I have developed a reputation for the use of numerous props and accessories and people are always asking me where I find the items I use with my dolls. I do make some of them, but I also enjoy searching for unique and vintage items in antique shops and flea markets. I also use key chain items, refrigerator magnets, Christmas ornaments and collectible miniatures to provide that perfect finishing touch.

I enjoy all aspects of doll making from stuffing to costuming, but I especially enjoy observing people, who will sometimes inspire my characters. I receive suggestions for dolls from friends, family and collectors and many of the subjects have included storybook characters, sports players, cowboys, a variety of professions, sewing and quilting themes, clowns, Santas, angels, fairies, wizards and Leprechauns. I also like to create tableaus with several dolls busy at a common activity.

I especially enjoy creating custom-order dolls that represent an individual’s favorite hobbies, recreational activities or occupation. I don’t promise to provide a portrait doll, but using their hair and eye color and general build, I create a “characterization” of the person. Adding the props and accessories used to represent their interests completes a very personal vignette.

Although I have had no formal art training, I have gone to numerous cloth doll seminars and conferences through the years where I attended classes taught by many well known cloth doll artists. I have also studied doll sculpting under Jack Johnston and June Goodnow. I credit elinor peace bailey for being my inspiration to begin cloth doll making and for guiding me and my growth as a doll artist.

My FabricImages dolls have appeared in many invitational and juried exhibits over the years, including The Figure in Cloth, Dimensions in Dollmaking, Manteca, and the Hoffman Fabric Challenge. In addition, the dolls have been entered in competitions throughout the U. S resulting in 80 ribbons and awards, including First Place Ribbon at the 2002 UFDC Convention. They have been featured in doll magazines and also appear in The Anatomy of a Doll and Finishing the Figure, by Susanna Oroyan, Cloth Dolls From Ancient to Modern, by Linda Edward, the Fourth Edition of Doll Values, Antique to Modern, by Patsy Moyer, and The Artists and Their Creations, Vol. I, by The Professional Doll Makers Art Guild. I am privileged to have them featured in doll museums in Rhode Island, New Mexico and Texas, as well as our local Brazoria Historical Museum.

I was elected to the Original Doll Artists Council of America (ODACA) in 2000. I have been an Artist member of the Professional Doll Makers Art Guild (PDMAG) since 1996 and I am pleased to be a founding member (1999) and presently serving in my second term as president of the Texas Association of Original Doll Artists (TAODA). I’m also a charter member of the Brazoria County Doll Club of Texas, which became affiliated with the United Federation of Doll Clubs in 1993. I was commissioned to create an Artist’s Limited Edition of 110 luncheon souvenir dolls for the 1998 UFDC Annual Convention.

I am Texas born and raised and I married a Texan 38 years ago. My husband, Wilbert, and I live in the small town of Brazoria (about 60 miles south of Houston) with our miniature Schnauzer, Max, and yellow tabby, Tom. After working more than 30 years as an office professional, I retired in June 1996. During the next five years I owned and operated FabricImages Gallery & Studio in Brazoria, closing it at the end of 2001. I have moved my doll making studio back to my home where I continue to create dolls. My hope is that the enjoyment I receive from making my dolls is shared with those who see them and own them, and that they always bring a smile to their faces.