April 7, 2004
Brunas creates characters from cloth
Interlochen resident designs dolls rooted in history, literature and pop culture
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
From Henry the VIII and his six wives to famous authors to 1920s flappers, Marilyn Brunas sculpts a host of characters from whole cloth.
The Interlochen resident has been making dolls for the past 13 years out of her home, selling them on consignment or outright to art galleries in the region, Luddington and Florida.
She recently donated three dolls fashioned after American literary icons to the Interlochen Public Library: Edgar Allan Poe, Mark Twain and Louisa May Alcott. Just as she hopes to inspire patrons of the library to explore these figures and their writings, Brunas's dollmaking gives her an education.
The owner of Classy and Sassy Dolls delves into history and fashion to ensure that every detail is grounded in reality for dolls such as Victorian brides, 1940s women, flapper girls and other literary greats. She also makes dolls reflecting popular culture, including Bette Midler, Princess Diana, Marilyn Monroe and even Madonna.
"With the authors and historic figures, I research their lives," said Brunas, who has crafted dolls of French novelist Colette and W Somerset Maugham.
Despite her enthusiasm for literature, dolls of that genre are not big sellers.
"Literary dolls are not that popular," noted Brunas sadly, adding that the flapper dolls and 1940s woman doll are the biggest sellers.
A market savvy dollmaker, who has had a web site for her business for six years, Brunas has found Traverse City a dud market for her creations.
"They haven't done well in Traverse City, people there just don't seem to be interested in dolls as a group," she said.
Brunas began making dolls for her kids years ago, mainly crafting clown dolls. In 1991, when she still lived in Omena, a friend encouraged her to take a doll to a local gallery looking for consignment items. Brunas mustered her courage and took the one doll she had at the time to The Artisan's Medley, which has since closed. The clown doll sold even before she drove home and a new career was born.
Her dollmaking skills, approach and sophistication have increased dramatically in the intervening years. She estimates she has made 3,000 dolls in the past 13 years, some selling as far away as Australia.
"For the first dolls, I would buy the hands and the head and crochet the bodies," she recalled. "But that wasn't right, then I found out about doll face material and began making my own heads."
She now hand paints faces on each head with her distinctive style. She also enjoys custom doll commissions meant to represent someone, enjoying the challenge of making the doll match a 'real' person.
"I learned by trial and error, still am," Brunas added, noting that her style was almost unique and that, despite making multiple copies of one doll, no two are completely alike. "I don't know of anybody else who makes dolls like this except for one lady in Louisville, Ky."
Her husband, Fred, an upholsterer for 50 years, has sewed the doll bodies for the past six years. He makes six bodies at a time, cutting out the pattern and taking three or four hours to sew each one together. Each body takes another hour to stuff.
"I don't mind doing this, I like putzing around with them," he noted.
Brunas and her husband moved to Interlochen seven years because they did not have enough work space in their old home. Since relocating, they have dedicated one large bedroom in their home to dollmaking. This room is filled with fabric and feathers, costume jewelry baby shoes and furs. She even has a wall of wigs, another of earrings and third with necklaces.
Watching her business' bottom line, Brunas scours garage sales, flea markets and resale shops for most of her doll clothing and accessories. She buys second hand dresses with interesting fabrics to cut up and use for doll clothes.
Brunas culls through doll magazines and clips pictures of ideas for future dolls to add to her line.
"I make whatever strikes me, what I want to do next is a Cleopatra doll," Brunas said. "But I'm not sure how to do the headdress- yet."