Some girls just never outgrow the joy of playing with dolls.
At least not the adults in Cassandra Maxwell's dollmaking class.
Beginning with molds and some liquid porcelain, the students turned mere craft supplies into delicately colored ivory faces, soft life-like spirals of hair and detailed period clothing ultimately creating dainty works of art. The masterpieces will be on display through the end of July at Cassandra's, near the intersection of routes 22 and 66, in the Gene and Boots Candy Plaza, Salem Township.
Maxwell has been teaching porcelain dollmaking for 15 years, spending the last eight years at the current location. She describes her interest in dollmaking as something that started as a hobby and evolved into a full-time job.
"One day a long time ago a friend of mine bought a gallon of porcelain and a mold and we made a doll -- a really ugly doll," she said. But her failure didn't deter her from trying again. She decided to find a class, but locating a good porcelain dollmaking class wasn't easy, and Maxwell had to travel out of state to learn her craft. After seeing the need for a quality instructor in this area, Maxwell decided to open a shop where she could sell supplies and teach others the finer points of creating porcelain dolls.
"I think I've survived because I have such a unique shop," she said. "My students and customers come from the tristate area, as far away as Slippery Rock and West Virginia. My business is teaching, not making dolls. That's not my thing. My uniqueness of what I teach has kept me in business."
Maxwell has five classes a week consisting of more than 40 students who meet to work on the dolls. She said because her students work independently and at their own pace, the amount of time it takes to complete a doll varies.
"It can take four weeks or the rest of your life," she said, adding that for some people, once they start, they can't stop. "But you can complete a doll from start to finish in about four weeks."
The theme for the "She's a Lady" show at the store is Old World, with dolls crafted in a mid-19th-century look. The dolls range from a life-size mannequin wearing women's antique clothing to a 5-inch doll wearing a walking suit and hat and sporting a miniature umbrella, cleverly crafted from a toothpick and an earring back.
Other dolls in the show are replicas of two students' daughters, complete with replica wedding gowns that each wore. Another doll resembles the period's cancan dancer.
Barbara Cress, of Evans City, who travels an hour and a half each week for classes at Cassandra's, has been making dolls for more than 10 years. She's become passionate enough about the craft to have dedicated an entire room in her home for her collection. To date, Cress has filled the room with more than 35 dolls, and has given countless others away to family and friends.
"I first started making dolls because I found a christening outfit that belonged to my sister and I wanted to find an antique doll to put the dress on and give it to her for her 50th birthday," Cress said.
After her search turned up no suitable doll, Cress decided she would make one.
"I went into cold and was so afraid. I thought, 'Oh dear.' But Cassandra is a very good teacher," Cress said.
Years and countless dolls later, Cress' latest creation, Julia, will join the dolls on display at the shop.
She said her inspiration for Julia came from a movie she saw many years ago with Elizabeth Taylor sporting a red dress with black lace. She added that her late husband also liked the color red, and helped her choose the fabric before he passed away.
Maxwell said her students love to make dolls to look like their children, and they can give it the correct hair and eye color, and even dress the doll the way the child is dressed in a photograph.
To find the perfect clothing for the dolls, many of her students search flea markets and vintage clothing stores. But others make their own clothing.
"It adds so much to have the clothing made from vintage clothing. It's a lot of the appeal. But a lot of the students are excellent seamstresses who can do French hand sewing and smocking. The great thing about that is that the doll is never going to outgrow the outfit the way the kids do," Maxwell said.
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'She's a Lady'
