The computer in the corner of Terri's sewing room is more than a way to keep records, or play games, or talk with friends around the world. It is a intregral part of her thriving business, a business that might not exist without that computer.

Terri designes and makes clothes for a very select client - the popular fashion doll named Barbie. She met her customers, barbie fans and collectors, on the InterNet; She solicites new customers through her self designed Websight; she gets orders via e-mail.

The business began almost by accident, said Terri. A Barbie fan herself, she first serfed the Net looking for other people with the same hobby. She told he InterNet friends about her then unrelated sewing business; one of them needed a Barbie dress for a friend of hers, she asked Terri to make it and "it just boomedfrom there, Literally boomed," Terri Said.

She said she had tried to sell her custom doll clothes at local bazaars and craft shows. The market wasn't here. "You can buy really cheap barbie doll clothes at Wal-Mart. Most little girls will put their Barbies away in a few years; there parents don't want to invest in custom clothes. But enthusiansts and collectors are a different matter.

Terri's customers are "adult collectors that are looking for certain designs, she said. They have spacific requirements. that can only be met by a custom design-and a custom designer.

One woman wanted all the dressed of her wedding party replicated for her Barbie dolls. One woman wanted a design no longer reoduced by Mattel, Barbie's manufactures. An original copy of the dress was available for about $650.00. " I can duplicate it for about $25." Another woman had a rush order. " She sent me a picture of the dress and wanted it in 48 hours, she wanted it mailed in 48 hours," Terri Said. She made the deadline.

That woman related the story to other Barbie enthusiasts on the net and posted a picture of the dress. That story and picture led to a impressive expansion of her business. "right now I have 50 orders waiting to be filled." she has sent custom costumes to Australia and England, one woman in New York City recently placed an order for 40 dresses.

Terri loves her work." I just have a ball."

She makes some of the clothes from existiong doll patterns." I have 100's of Barbie Patterns." Sometimes she takes bits and pieces from various patterns and combines them. Sometimes a customer will send her a picture-that was the beginning of a chiffon dress which was one of her recent projests. (Since Barbie loses much of its collectible value if it's removed from the box. Terri's photo showed only the front of the dress. She had to make a pattern for the back without seeing it.) "A lot of them I design myself."

She say's she wants to expand her business, selling not only doll dresses but fully dressed dolls. She has learned how to remove and replace the dolls hair and re-paint there eyebrows. She makes shoes, purses and hat's to match the dresses. "Doing the complete doll is major cool."

Terri conducts business on the net via her website; Terri's Doll Page including pictures of finished dresses, new dress patterns, dresses in progress. She worked with a company that specializes in designing web pages "and they kind of walk you through it." It took about 2 weeks to build the initial page, she said, "and I'll never be done."

Her original Website got so crowded she had to build a second one to hold the overflow. That is because the website is also a personal album of sorts, with pictures of family and friends; "I have a whole section on my cat."

In fact, the website and the internet are more than away to conduct business. It has opened a whole new world to Terri. "I have met friends out there I would not trade for love or money," she said. She operates a day care business from her home, which limites her opportunities to circulate, she said; the Internet has provided her with a whole new way to meet people. she said. "It's just a great group of people." she said of her internet friends. Beacuse of the nature of the computer the parties do not-cannot-judge each other on ther looks, or there status or there possessions' what matters is what is inside, she said. Of course, some people can and do misrepresent themselves, she said, but she usually can tell which people are sincere and which are not.

Because of her net conversational style, she has been dubbed Terri-Elmo in some chat rooms (computer programs where large groups of people can hold conversations). Now, Elmo dolls cluster around her computer monitor, her family bought her Elmo socks and slippers. (Elmo is a Sesame Street chatacter.) She and her husband are scheduled to go on a Barbie Themed cruise, and she said she plans to where her Elmo t-shirt so people in her chat groups can recognize her.

Terri said her life has changed in way's she has never expected when she sat down to her computer and went looking for other Barbie fans. The net has "totally, 100% changes out life," she said.

"It ( her computer) just better not ever crash."

Terri's Doll Page can be found at https://www.angelfire.com/ks/TerriS Terri's email address is brbhugs@kozi.com.

Note: When I retyped the interview I changed my real name to my internet name. hehehehehehehehehehehe

brbhugs@msn.com