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Her real name is Melissa Spaulding, but she’s just as happy being called the Fairy Bow Mother. For someone who’s been making bows for little girls for the past 18 years, it’s a nickname that sticks.

“I told my husband, I’m going to have that put on my tombstone,” Spaulding joked. Well, maybe only half-way joking.

Back in 1992, Spaulding was desperate to find a bow for then three-year-old daughter Brandy. After searching Mount Sterling, Paris, Winchester and Lexington, Spaulding had to settle for a bow she didn’t like. Until she came up with a solution — Spaulding decided to just make Brandy a bow herself.

“I went and got some ribbon and a book. Of course, it’s addicting and I bought more ribbons and made more bows,” Spaulding said.

In fact, Spaulding made so many bows, she decided to try her hand at selling them. She started out sharing a booth with her aunt, who sewed dresses for little girls, at a local craft show and eventually sold so many she had to get a booth of her own.

“My aunt kicked me out. She said, ‘You’re selling too many,’” Spaulding said.

It wasn’t long before the bow business had taken on a life of its own. That initial bow Spaulding made for Brandy took about 30 minutes to complete, a bow she can now easily make in about 30 seconds. Now the Fairy Bow Mother can be found at Unique Creations on Lexington Avenue. Spaulding has two booths there and her own ribbon store adjacent to Unique Creations.

“It is addictive. You never have enough color, styles or sizes,” Spaulding said.

Her creations include streamer bows, custom made designs, headbands, bows with initials and even a patent pending waterproof bow for the beach or the pool. Prior to her husband’s unemployment, Spaulding worked on her bows full time, something she hopes to eventually be able to do again.

Of course, the ribbon store and the Fairy Bow Mother moniker would not have been possible without Spaulding’s first bow stand at Unique Creations. That bow stand has turned into two large booths that include headbands and ribbon bows designed by her daughter.

Unique Creations owner Kitty Hewson is working hard to showcase the talent of local craftsmen, like Spaulding. The store includes every sort of craft imaginable, including Ale-8-One windchimes, tobacco stick trees, miniature cornhole sets and custom made jewelry. The store celebrated its sixth anniversary on Friday.

Deloris Gilkerson has been selling her handmade doll clothing and restored dolls at Unique Creations for a year now, and has seen great success. Gilkerson has been sewing ever since she was a home economics student in Paris, Ky.

But her interest in dolls didn’t begin until 2002, after she retired from her job in the insurance business. An old friend of her mother’s, master seamstress Elizabeth Elam, asked Gilkerson to help her dress refurbished dolls to be distributed to needy children. Elam was living in South Carolina at the time, and Gilkerson admits that she was a little shocked when two 39 gallon trash bags full of old dolls arrived at her house. That first batch of dolls was refurbished and distributed to the children at the Meteer School in Paris.

“I make anything — pantsuits, night wear. I’ve made cheerleading outfits for certain schools,” Gilkerson said.

Like Spaulding, Gilkerson said it didn’t take her long to become addicted to her hobby. She has continued to refurbish dolls for more than eight years, a process that involves cleaning and disinfecting the dolls and washing their hair. Occasionally, the hair cannot be salvaged and Gilkerson shaves the doll’s head and replaces the hair with a wig.

Since she began making doll clothes, Gilkerson said that her projects have been varied. She once cut up a 37-year-old wedding dress to make three doll dresses for the owner’s daughters. A picture drawn by a nine-year-old girl inspired another outfit.

“I surprised her by making the outfit for her and duplicated it,” Gilkerson said.

On one occasion, Gilkerson said that one of her dolls triggered an Alzheimer’s patient’s memories of his daughter when she was a young child. Although the man hadn’t spoken in 36 weeks, after seeing the doll, Gilkerson said he began to ask questions and wanted to hold it. Another doll wears a dress patterned with women in poodle skirts, which Gilkerson shares with high school classes from the 50s when they have their reunions. That particular doll was taken out of the trash by a friend of Gilkerson’s because she thought that it could be restored.

Recently, Gilkerson has even branched out into furniture. She designed an armoire that will hold an 18-inch doll, the size of the dolls in the American Girl collection, and several outfits. The armoires come unfinished, so parents can decorate them to match the decor of their children’s rooms. The armoires are available at Unique Creations and cost about $200.

Hewson, Gilkerson and Spaulding love the arrangement at Unique Creations because it allows people to sell their crafts without the commitment of owning their own store. Instead, they can set up booths and get their products to the public that way.

“This is my home away from home,” Spaulding said of the store. “I’d be here 24-7 if I could.”

For more information on the Fairy Bow Mother, call 749-1748 or visit www.fairybowmother.com. For more information on Unique Creations, call 744-5684.

Contact Rachel Parsons at rparsons@winchestersun.com.

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