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SHERBURN - Trudy Merrifield never outgrew her dolls.

Even as a grandmother now, she admits she loves putting her dolls in different outfits. If she had her way, no doll would ever wear the same outfit twice.

"I really love the 18-inch dolls, like the American Girl dolls," Merrifield said. "And who doesn't love Barbie? I mean she has everything! But Barbie is fantasy, and the American Girl is like a real little girl, and other little girls can dress her to look like them."

From Barbie and American Girl to delicate porcelain dolls, Merrifield has collected a large variety and now offers her finds to the public with KC's Dolls in Sherburn.

"I've been collecting dolls for about 30 years," Merrifield said. "I've always loved them, and it's gotten worse as I've gotten older."

Along with her love of dolls is her love of sewing, convenient for giving her dolls their fabulous wardrobes. Merrifield has had jobs sewing gowns for weddings and bridesmaids, pageants and costumes for dance troupes.

"The last dress I did was for a Miss Teen South Dakota pageant," Merrifield said. "It took me three weeks to complete it, and afterward, I got so many calls wanting me to make dresses, but I just couldn't do it."

Merrifield still holds a full-time job outside her doll and alterations shop.

"I opened up the shop in June," she said. "It was my brother and girlfriend's shop, the T and L resale, but my brother suffered some back ailments, and because of that, he is unable to lift."

Merrifield's family helps with the shop during the days, while she is usually on hand for weekends and evenings.

"When I lived in Des Moines, I pulled in $500 to $600 a month with the dolls," Merrifield said.

Merrifield was a long-time employee of Hancock Fabrics, which helped give her a creative flair.

"For their displays, there was a program where we could make a pattern and it stayed on display for about six to eight weeks, and then you could keep it," she said. "So we did a lot of seasonal stuff."

This is evident in Merrifield's recent project, a "witch" Raggedy Ann doll placed in a fall display. She's hoping to get a vampire Raggedy Andy made as well.

But her current pride and joy is an 18-inch doll made to look like a princess. It took the championship ribbon at the Martin County Fair.

"I am just so proud of her," Merrifield said, looking at the tiny girl in an emerald green gown with gold accents. "My sister's a beautician, so she did the doll's hair. I wish I had been able to take her to the State Fair to compete. But I like just having her here as a display."

As for the future, Merrifield hopes there will be enough interest in the area to start a "doll club." Her biggest hope lies in where KC's Dolls got its name.

"The K and C are two of my granddaughters," Merrifield said. "They love coming here and being able to play with the dolls. I understand how some people are collectors and I have some dolls that are in the box. But I also understand wanting to play with them and change their outfits, so I try to hit that variety ... I'm hoping that one of my granddaughters will take over and love these dolls as much as I do."