"I just want to pick up and hold each doll," says this customer from Bedford. The Making of a Doll: Turner Doll Factory Blue Tour, Checkpoint Five: Turner Doll Factory. I’d never visited a doll factory so decided to check out this “point of interest” on the Lawrence County Self-Guided Tour. A few miles outside the small town of Heltonville, I pulled into the lane. The tour book said visitors are welcome, so I asked for a tour of the factory. This workshop is where dolls go from Virginia Turner’s imagination to the arms of her appreciative customers. It is a bustling shop where nine workers do their part to create life-like, collectible dolls made of either porcelain or vinyl. Virginia Turner has been making dolls for twenty years. She and her husband Boyce were approached by his sister Judith, who sculpted dolls, to join her. The daughter of two artists, Virginia had until that time “tried to stay as far away from it as I could.” Boyce had never done anything like doll-making in his life, but together they decided to give it a try. It was soon apparent that Virginia had a knack for designing dolls. Today she says, “I’ll be 65 this year, and as long as I can keep going this is what I want to do.” Virginia designs and creates each doll from start to finish. She sculpts each doll from clay and designs and hand-makes the clothing. She is said to be the only artist left in the United States who does. Boyce Turner does all of the photography and designs the ads and brochures. Together they travel to doll and toy shows, having just returned from the Toy Fair in New York City in February. Virginia Turner with Story. "As long as I can keep going this is what I want to do." The Turners happily explain what they do and even seemed to welcome ideas. When I met Virginia she was carrying Story, a doll who got her name from a woman in Texas who asked Virginia to name a doll after her daughter. Virginia wasn’t quite satisfied with Story’s dress and was looking for something to “break up the pink.” “Do you have any ideas?” she asked. Boyce Turner designs ads and brochures Boyce asked the same question of me while he worked at his computer, trying to come up with a vignette that would describe Cindy’s story. He wants to use more of these vignettes in his brochures rather than just physical descriptions of the dolls. The Birth of a Doll Virginia first sculpts the dolls’ heads out of clay. From this original Boyce makes a mold out of plaster of paris. Next the porcelain is poured into the mold. If Virginia is still happy with the doll and decides it is suitable for vinyl, the porcelain head is sent to an artist who casts it in wax. From this a metal mold is finally made which can withstand the heat of the ovens where the vinyl parts are formed. The arms, hands and feet are also hand-sculpted. “Real hands and feet” have also been made by taking an actual mold from the Turner’s granddaughter for the doll named after her, Baby Julie. Each doll is then hand-painted and all the details added. Fran gives the dolls eyes, brows and applies eyelashes. Myra applies and styles the hair with bows and braids. Throughout the process the staff interact with each other and Virginia and experiment with new ideas. The clothing is originally designed and made by Virginia, then patterned and sewn both in the shop and by outside seamstresses. The dolls wear real baby’s or children’s shoes, and each doll comes with an extra item like a teacup or maybe a toy that it carries. Each doll is numbered and has a Virginia Turner stamp. The finished dolls are sold on-site in a shop, as well as on-line and through distributors. Turner dolls have gained world-wide recognition. This month the Turner doll Cherie graces the cover of DollReader Magazine and Virginia Turner is the featured artist in the April, 2001 issue. Whether or not you think of yourself as a doll lover, a visit to the Turner Doll Factory will leave you with an appreciation for the talent that goes into the making these fine dolls. And chances are you’ll find one doll that you just might want to take home. For more information call 800-887-6372 or 812-834-6692 or see www.turnerdolls.com. For a map and self-guided tour of Lawrence County call 800-798-0769 or stop by the Lawrence County Tourism Commission at 1116 16th Street in Bedford.

All Feature Articles, artwork and photographs ©2001 by Dervish Design. Some information on the 'County Info' pages is taken directly from brochures published by Visitors Bureaus and Chambers of Commerce.