Meet Carolyn

Hi! I’m a one-woman doll making factory based in Durham, NC. Familiar Dolls started in 2020 when I was finishing up some sewing projects and realized just how much scrap fabric I had. Wanting to use the scraps for good (cats) instead of evil (landfills), I decided to use some of my scrap fabrics to make dolls. So I drafted my own patterns, designed some clothes, and started whipping up some cats.

My husband will only let me have so many real feline friends, so I thought this would be a good way to expand my collection while not adding additional litter boxes to the house. Delightfully and unexpectedly, the internet liked my cat dolls, and here we are! Overtime I developed more and more policies to make my doll-making even more sustainable and eco-friendly. I feel good about my products and hope you do too!

When not making cats, I enjoy sewing other types of dolls (as well as quilts and clothes), painting, accidentally killing houseplants because I overwater them, watching movies, hanging out with my real-life cats and husband, celebrating Halloween all year, and obsessively rearranging furniture in the house.

I’m so happy you’re here and interested in these dolls. I hope they bring you as much joy as they bring me.

Please connect with me on my Familiar Dolls Instagram account to see more dolls!

For Halloween all year (and custom haunted houses), please see my spooky branch of art, The Haunted Cactus.

Cheers!

Carolyn