THOUSAND OAKS : Woman Restores Neglected Dolls

Rose Carl Edelen remembers a childhood of Texas poverty in which her mother handcrafted her family’s clothing.

Edelen, 80, of Thousand Oaks believes it was the example of her mother’s labor that led her to a magical world of dolls and dollhouses.

It began more than a decade ago, when Edelen was searching for a doll to give her granddaughter as a gift.

Instead of a new doll, Edelen found an obviously neglected one and set about restoring it.

The enterprise become her singular dedication and creative passion--sewing with her own hands the dresses of lace adorned with buttons, bows and embroidery that fit each of the more than 500 dolls she has rescued from garage sales and swap meets.

They fill every room in her house, lending an atmosphere of elegance and reverence for things old, forgotten, abandoned and perhaps abused, but nevertheless appreciated anew.

Edelen has been an artist, teacher and writer most of her adult life.

She taught music during the Depression and experimented with constructing theater sets cut from corrugated boxes.

Her passion for collecting and restoring has another side.

Edelen said it represents a very personal inward journey “to find the little girl who was lost in me.”