news&views Autumn 2018 | Page 27

Parts before construction — body, elastic, paint< and brushes. Prizewinner. Best in Show, Norma Award for professional dollmaking in 1989. Silk is from Dorothy’s grandmother’s dress (early 1900s), lace is from an old lace collar, handmade replica underwear from cotton, silk, or wool. and wool from older times. Dorothy used broken jewellery for decoration and made or bought shoes of real leather. She got her ideas from her imagination or from pictures in books. Most of her replicas are German or French. Dorothy had daughters and so her handmade dolls, while authentic, were actually made for playing, not just decoration. Her granddaughters and other family members have some of her dolls now. As you can see from the photos that accompany this article, looking at a work of such beauty knowing that she created it gives Dorothy a great sense of accomplishment. Her display case is full, and she has run out of space, so she no longer makes the dolls — but she has kept the sentimental ones. In 1989, her work won the Norma Award for professional dollmaking for Best in Show. Dorothy has also purchased some dolls to round out her collection. A Gibson Girl bride and an 1800s woman in scarlet were both purchased. Dorothy says that if you buy a porcelain doll, you must keep the box and papers for authentication to retain future value. It will be worth more — if you are ever willing to give up the doll. She recommends having a room and money if you want to embark on making porcelain dolls. There are also exhibits of these dolls. You can visit the Calgary Doll Club and the Edmonton Doll Club, as well as the Valley Doll Museum and Gifts in Drumheller where there are over seven hundred doll exhibits, a doll-themed gift shop, and children’s costumes for sale. Who says dolls are only for children? ● Janet Wees is a retired CBE teacher and has become a writer in her retirement years. She has contributed to news&views in the past and had her first full- length middle-school novel published in April, 2018. news&views AUTUMN 2018 | 27