About the Artist
I grew up loving dolls. One year I got a special doll for Christmas and my grandmother had made an entire wardrobe for her. This was my introduction to sewing. I wanted to be able to create "outfits". From then on, I watched my mother whenever she sewed, began making dresses for my dolls and once I outgrew that, I made dresses for other kid's dolls.
For many years, I dressed a doll for the Women's Salvation Army Auxiliary each Christmas, and like my grandmother, made extra clothes. About 20 years ago, I just started making my own designs and haven't stopped.
I have no formal art training, but I have been fortunate to learn from some fabulous doll aritists including Elinor Peace Bailey, Patti Medaris Culea, Ruth Kuykendall Landis and Tracy Stilwell. One of my dolls hung on the White House Christmas tree in 1993. In 2004, my dolls were featured twice ib Art Doll Quarterly and most recently one was included in Patti Medaris Culea's book Creative Cloth Doll Couture.
My dolls are inspired by color, nature or a simple stroll through a fabric store. They represent people I've known or seen or made up. Whimsical or serious, each doll is unique and a symbol of the feminine spirit.
- Michele Cokl Naylor
