Many signs lead me to the idea of the Fall Fashion Show and Boutique.  On a Wednesday this summer Zinny and Eva measured all the dolls and made careful pencil lists of their sizes.  More and more customers are asking for outfit switches on their look alike doll. A couple of moms suggested their little Bundle moms wanted to change outfits and dress their girl at bedtime. Then there is that absolute love I have working with children and dolls.

On Saturday, November 19 four children registered for the event - Zinny and Eva, of course, and Eva and Zoe. We had fun with the two sets of sisters about different pronunciation of the E name and that one of Z's was the youngest, the other the oldest. I made bow tie mac and cheese and a favorite, Green Cake for lunch. Remember, there are two sets of sisters and immediately all are best friends.

Alice, Chloe and Eva.  We made the observation that arms are as long as legs; and using the body, sleeve and leg pattern pieces they created their very own pattern.  Off to the fabric cache to pick and choose. And lace too.

Zoe brought her own sewing machine and Eva was sorry she hadn't brought hers.  Scary but pretty sane was the cutting.  A break for lunch. Seconds on everything. Wash hands. Back to work. But first the girls wandered around the gallery looking for the perfect outfit for their doll. Zoe chose Cecelia's; Eva chose Abigail's but in lavender, please.  Zinny loved Sharon's pants and blouse but doesn't need a furry vest. Eva, a serious reader, loved Laura's.  Their $10 fee goes toward the wardrobe item for a birthday gift.

Into the heritage room to Bonnie's Nancy Necchi and Zoe's magic plastic wonder. While I stitched little Eva's nightie with her little foot on the control pedal, big Eva assisted Zoe. The girls learned to pin and press. Lew is not a stitcher; he normally is the stuffing helper, but he documented the event gladly.  We could have used his help because Eva and Zinny have to come back to finish their nighties. Darn! Will I love that! But here are those finished nighties on Stephanie's sleeping bag made by Zoe at another workshop.

Everyone, including Silvio, had a blast.

Words. Important phrases. Directions. Friendly helpers. Teasers. Identification. Clues. All these uses for words put together or standing alone.  In yards. Of stained glass. In fabrics.  On highways. Caution. Wait. Stop. Suddenly here in Chester signs are very, very important.

There are these two special bridges just south of town that funnel traffic north and south, especially the tourists, and they have simply been broken. Now they are being fixed - from May 20 to July 17. That's not really too long, is it? It is a unique situation since Chester is at the crossroads of New England. But every business, especially those south of town, has been impacted. Everyone has bright ideas on how to fix it. Everyone has an experience or story to tell that strikes a negative cord.  The girls here (and a few boys too) love visitors. They are beginning to take afternoon naps with Silvio, our mascot, and move around from seat to seat just to create excitement.

My most important sign is the carved and stained glass that identifies my business in my yard. Given it is in need of an uplift, but years ago Karen Savage made us two stained glass creations of Andro, our logo.  Our little hanging sign tells a passerby that we are "on the web," and we soar in those visitors. Then there is a worn and frazzled Open Flag that tells one that "Yes, we are here when the flag flies." Banners that say Gallery Entrance indicate hospitality. And Andro herself beckons folks into our three-room gallery.

Our visitorship is not measured by driveways full of cars. Ours is measured by the experience of coming to meet the doll maker and her creations face to face in small by mighty numbers. This is not the 1980's when my dolls were $40,  and the local inns all sent visitors who sought a real Vermont-made doll. This year first big occasion for significant visitors is the Vermont Crafts Council Open Studio Weekend. Okay, we were down in numbers of visitors, but not orders. Little Burma Shave-like signs saying, "Sheep grazing." "Cats crossing." Turtles racing." Beware of bears." -- all these words connected the visitor to the motif-eyed dolls during their visit, and I enjoyed telling the stories of how they were created.

Nonetheless, it is quiet in Chester. Some creative businesses have devised a

scavenger hunt for the stores on Route 103--fifteen both north and south, very much affected by the bridgework. Little green triangles with numbers correspond to a leaflet. Finding the doll here in the gallery with the clue will gain a visitor a stamp and a chance at $400 in sweet prizes on July 23d at a celebration when famous Bridges 8 and 9 are open, safe and beautiful. Obey the signs. And as simple as they are, look for the fifteen triangles and come visit anytime.

That's a good thing. We know they return for many reasons.  Quality. Originality. Ageless appeal.  An addition to the family. Color and variety. Yes, some must come back to use their 10% Customer Appreciation Award.  They purchase and get another certificate. Pretty good. Thankfully Bonnie's Bundles are not American Girl dolls, but are made in Vermont, not China. We can make a lookalike but he or she will be soft and lovable and even washable and guaranteed for a lifetime. The truth is my team and I make incredible dolls!

Where do the customers come from? Chester. Small Yankee Magazine ads. The web. Those craft fairs from the summer and fall and the Vermont Welcome Centers. The nice feature is that they come back again and again and again.  Take Denise.  Her eleventh doll this year is an 1880's masterpiece bearing Millicent's beautiful face and her fabulous costuming, including "her bustle."

Chester's Inn Victoria needed a Jane Austen for a special birthday celebration in December. She's a winner and heading into our storybook group. Mr. Gummy Man is the imagination of a four-year old boy whose father added all the color directions so we could make The Man.

For all the custom design requests this year and all the challenge with happy results, it has been an excellent year in other ways too. Imagine half the sales were multiple dolls, repeat customers (some for years), the success of Yankee advertising, fulfillment of Denise's dream of a doll a month and finally, a packed Promise Room. Lew and I realize we love marketing together and are getting better and better about our instincts. Our new beautiful multi-use postcard arrived from the printer today and promises to be versatile as a rackcard and a snail mail piece.  At year's end there are 63 dolls in inventory, the sale is over, and the new price list went up New Year's Day.

We wish you the bounty of family, outdoors, and love in your life for 2011. Maybe we'll see you. That would be very nice.  Thank you for coming to us, and do please keep coming back!

We began the fair circuit in Quechee in mid-June at the 31^st Annual Balloon Festival.  Everything was perfect - the weather, the crowds, the orders, the sales. It was like the mid-eighties for us all over again. We were next door to Bella and her family again and even appeared on WCAX-TV one night.  The balloon launches werre magical, and I am always brought back to the years when our little girls would draw hot air balloons while their Dad took pictures, out of which came the Jennifer doll.  Does it get better?      

Keep in mind for all the fairs this year the weather was with us except for one windy day in Baileys Meadows this fall.  Fletcher Farm is always a treat. Cynthia does a great job of organizing the July and August Saturdays and Space No. 39 is about as perfect as it gets, and we're smack in that spot year after year. We saw old friends like Diane, Cec, Fran and Doc. We ate our own healthy food and watched the fries and sodas walk by. Lew had fun taking feet pictures of the fair goers; and as is customary we heard over and over, "We drive by your house and always wondered what a Bundle was!" So now you know to stop in when the flag is out.

Give me the Chester Green any weekend and the nostalgia runs high. Years ago vendors were all local merchants and craftsmen.  The Spater boys would love to sell make believe vampire blood in little bottles from the basement of their dad's store. Our girls would set up their crafty station in our booth - mini skirts, rainbow signs, Ghost Printer cards. This time around I even saw my friend and neighbor Betsy with her daughter, and grandchildren -- all three generations are Bundle owners. I got hugs from all my little CAES friends.

The Chester Rotarians did a splendid job and Chester was utopia. Lew split his time working at the church tag sale and with me, busy with his camera. The orders are falling in just as hoped. The lining here was not only a hug from my former Girl Scout Michelle but a box of her fudge too!

When it comes to the Peru Fair I can count on Lew to deliver me, set me up, pick me up, and off he goes to Saint-Gaudens for the Sculptural Visions day. This year he was blessed with Kara and five of our grandchildren who made sculptures of their hands. My helpers were Margie and Leah, two sweet fourteen year olds. who own and love their Bundles. I got an insight into what is important to a teenager, and they could answer anyone's question about how the dolls are made. Owen was the most popular guy that day.  The veggie egg rolls sold by Burr & Burton were delish. If everyone who asked for a card follows through, I might be nervous about filling special orders.

The ninth and tenth day out was Woodstock Apples and Crafts. My sweet friend Monica was not a constant companion (she's growing up) but Lew was. Our very own Kelly showed up to help us button up and to enjoy a bit of the excitement we always experience at this fair. We connected with the granddaughter of a former famous Chester artist and will be making a Veontha doll for her great. I always respond to Nora (my legal name) and it usually means someone from my distant past. Yes, it was my high school classmate Ruth from Franklin, NJ. And I got to see Kai, Maggie and Katie and Chester friend Gladys. Lew's Canon concentrated on hats and dogs.

The canopy is stored away until next June.  The deacon's bench needs a paint job, as does the knitting nook (Silvio's winter bedroom over the heat register in the doll shop). Meanwhile the Yankee Magazine ad is kicking in, our web site visitors are at all time high. The clipboard is full of face images for portrait dolls -- a new kind of commission doll.  I'd say if your wish is not on the clipboard and the work in progress is not on the dining room worktable, you ought to hop to it and place your order very soon.

Your favorite person on cloth in embroidery, calico and a soft yarn can be your silver lining especially if you use our search engine search engine to find "Order Me Now" which means there are 77 dolls ready to ship just as you see it.