As she approached her teen years, peer pressure forced Sher­rod to suppress her love for dolls. By the time she was a young adult, responsibilities quickly consumed any time she would have had to revisit this part of her life. She spent her days working for AT&T, and when she was home, raising her son was the priority.

On a fateful day at work in 1981, Sherrod saw her coworker Carolyn Bov­ender making Raggedy Ann dolls for her granddaughters during their lunch hour. It was a mesmerizing sight that reignited Sherrod’s desire to immerse herself in the world of dolls. As spare time became available, Sherrod collected dollmaking materials and books and took classes. She said, “I was excited to make my first doll — a Raggedy Ann. It was a mess, but I was in love.” After she retired from AT&T in 2010, her focus shifted to making dolls, and she has no regrets.

By 2012, it became necessary to give her dollmak­ing business a name. Sherrod did not need to look far for inspiration. “I had a wonderful, artistic, God-fearing father who raised me and two of my broth­ers as a single father,” she said. “He constantly indulged my love of dolls, and he purchased my first sewing machine when I was still a teenager.” It seemed fitting to incorporate his name into the work that had become so near and dear to Sherrod’s heart. Today, her dolls are sold under the business name Starkey’s Daughter Cloth Dolls.

A doll’s eventual personality is generally used as the basis for its design. It influences the hairstyle, fabric selection, buttons, shoes, and more. Sherrod said she starts with the face molding and then paints the features. This is followed by the cutting and stuffing of the torso, head, and limbs. The dolls are made of ei­ther pressed felt or a cotton blend. She said, “Turning the limbs and defining the hands are the hardest.” Once the dolls are com­plete, it’s on to the clothes; some are made from scratch, while others use modified patterns. Sherrod said she prefers to work with cotton-type fabrics, adding that she probably has enough to open a fabric store.

Looking at the dolls she creates, it is clear Sher­rod is drawn to making dolls that depict histori­cal people or events. When asked about this, she said, “Being African American in America, the history is so rich and full of important and col­orful events. It is a great thing for any artist to be inspired to create and an educational tool for the young.” She added, “Designing and making dolls is my happy place. Motivation and inspiration come from everywhere: a color, a song, a cute little child, a beautiful piece of fabric, cultural events, and history.” So, although she often looks to the past, Sherrod doesn’t let this limit her creativity.

Always happy with the result, she doesn’t have just one favorite doll of her own making. How­ever, Sherrod said The Four Little Girls was a par­ticularly memorable set. The dolls depicted Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Car­ole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley, who were killed in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing on Sept. 15, 1963. The dolls attracted significant atten­tion on Facebook, reminding everyone of the precious lives lost.

As someone who took up dollmaking later in life, Sherrod is an advocate for others to give it a try. In fact, she is in the process of planning a book and would also like to teach dollmaking to anyone who wants to learn. She said, “It is absolutely never too late to start making dolls. You will experience so much joy.”