Making dolls, hats is therapy for some DeKalb Co. seniors - Atlanta News, Weather, Traffic, and Sports | FOX 5

There's a group of ladies in DeKalb County who are keeping their bodies and minds sharp, and they're looking fabulous doing it. Fashion design is usually thought of as a young person's game, but the ladies at the Lou Walker Senior Center are breaking all the rules by dressing dolls, and making some beautiful bonnets.

The senior ladies at the center know how to have a good time. They say they get together a couple of times a week because they need to -- they make hats and dolls with their hands.

"It's therapy for me because you're doing something with your hands. It actually helps my arthritis, I think," said Beverly Rich.

For most of them, it's the first time they have taken up the hobby. Versie Ward says as a kid she never had a doll. She says she took Coca-Cola bottles and pretended they were dolls. Thanks to Ward's instructor at the senior center, her dolls are much more life-like.

"Once I make them, I look at them and a name comes to me. Ok, you look like Cynthia. And I talk to them," said Ward.

The ladies don't stop at making dolls. Once their dolls have all they need to look their best, they've learned to outfit themselves. Instructor Ora Dabbey says those that come to her class will leave with a hat. The ladies say the hats they make help them explore their creative side.

"It's therapy for me. Every hat I make, I say well I'm not going to make another one. Then I get excited about the next one. What can I put on it, how can I shape it," said one lady.

The ladies say the hobbies keep their hands busy and their minds sharp, but most importantly it reminds them that one is never too old to dream.

The ladies have gotten so good at doll and hat making that some of them are now selling some of their creations. For more information on the Lou Walker Senior Center, click here!