Although staying busy comes naturally for Helena s Millie Ruckman, her repair and restoration skills have greatly improved with practice over the years and word of mouth has helped her develop a loyal clientele. Millie Ruckman s dolls are like her children. They sit in the chairs and on the couch in the living room. Dressed in their prim dresses and fluffy hats their faces are frozen in sweet smiles. The little ladies stand on the side tables and lean against the walls and peak out from behind the furniture.
Baby dolls wrapped in blankets sleep in cradles on the floor.
Judging by the house s number of tiny inhabitants, it looks like Millie has been collecting dolls her whole life, but she hasn t. It s only been since she retired that the dollies have taken over. Before retirement, Millie said she didn t have much interest in dolls even though she had sewn her whole life and played with dolls as a child. I made doll clothes when I was a little girl, Millie said. I learned to sew on my mother s old treadle sewing machine, she added.