Story Photos
 Photo courtesy of Patti LaValley Patti LaValley works on the head of one of her unique dolls. |
Bringing dolls to life
Monday, January 12, 2004 7:26 AM PST
By Christy Caballero
Printable version
E-mail this articleRAINIER --- Patti LaValley's 30-year journey of handcrafting dolls began when a century-old dollmaker chose to teach LaValley her craft.
"I used to be in health care, and I took care of a 103- year-old woman who was a doll maker --- Grandma Morgan," LaValley said. "This was in California, where I lived for 27 years. She had a stroke and lost her vision and couldn't make dolls any more. But she was able to relive that part of
her life through me, when I made dolls using her patterns."
Despite her blindness, Grandma Morgan kept a close eye on LaValley's work.
"She would feel them, and tell me if it wasn't stuffed hard enough or if the eyes were crooked. I still have dolls made from her patterns. One is on display here in the shop in Rainier."
Beginning with Grandma Morgan's vintage patterns, LaValley forged ahead with designs of her own n poseable, articulated figures, with a whimsical one-of-a-kind flair.
"I just have a passion for manipulating a flat piece of fabric into something that has three dimensions, texture and color," she said. "I use a lot of ‘found objects' in my dolls, a lot of ethnic pieces."
LaValley's creations have appeared in magazines, including Doll Costumers, The Cloth Doll Magazine, Art Doll Quarterly, Soft Dolls and Animals, Doll Crafter and Dolls United.
"Cloth dolls are becoming recognized as an art form. It's really evolved and very diverse." LaValley said that sometimes her ideas take shape just as she envisions them; other times, the doll has other ideas.
"When I make a doll, I really make a mess. I get out all kinds of fabric and trim, trying to see what's right for this creation," she said. "A lot of times, the persona of the doll won't result in anything like my original vision. It's almost like the doll expresses itself n and the doll is usually right. Mostly only other doll makers understand this."
She tries to keep her dolls affordable, with a wide range starting at about $25 and up to $300 or more. LaValley, when asked her age, said she's "a person of undisclosed years." In 1998, she moved to Oregon from California, where she had already established herself in doll-crafting circles. She remains in demand to teach for doll clubs and conferences all over the country n she's been as far east as Chicago and as far north as Alaska.
"They called me ‘LaValley of the Dolls' at craft shows," she said. Although she's had shops of her own in the past, LaValley said she doesn't like being tethered, without time to create. Three days a week, she minds the store n and makes dolls n at the Capricorn Palace in Rainier, where some of her creations are displayed and for sale. She typically is in the shop from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
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