Auguste Tiefenbach

Auguste moved to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada when she was four years old; having been born in Pernitz, Austria.  Married at age eighteen, Auguste moved to Vancouver.  She had THREE kids in the next 14 months!  Ok, two were twins!  Her firstborn is Sonja, now thiry-seven. The twins, both a boy and a girl, Tony and Mona, are thirty-six. This was the third generation of twins in her family!  Her mother is a twin.  Auguste had a twin brother who died shortly after birth.  Once her kids were in school, Auguste worked part time for the next ten years at Sears.  By age thirty-eight, she was a widow.  She left Sears and went back to school.  She took computer courses and got a job at the accounting firm KPMG, where she has been for seventeen years.

Auguste's first collection doll was a Nolan Miller Barbie® that she found through the Internet.  In Vancouver, collectors are limited to purchasing their dolls from The Bay Barbie Center, which is very expensive.  Her second collectible doll was a Tyler® Party of the Season.  Thanks to Tyler, Auguste became hooked on the larger dolls and now has about thirty, including Gene®, Alex®, Brenda®, Sydney®, Fashion Royalty®, CED® and Cissy®.  She loves them all!

After looking for a nude Black and White Sydney for over a year (been there, done that!), Auguste traded her dressed Sheer Glamour Sydney for Black and White Sydney from Cathryn....  As a little thank you gift for the trade, Auguste made Cathryn a doll outfit.  Cathryn loved it and posted a picture of it on Prego® Doll Message Board.  Immediately, people started commenting on Auguste's talent and starting emailing her for other designs!  "My daughter suggested a website... and offered to create it fo rme as a gift!" Auguste laughs, "Thank goodness, as I know nothing about that end of computers!  She's doing a wonderful job on it!  You can see it at www.augustedesigns.com ." 

Auguste frequently corresponded with Alexandra Forbes (frequent contributor to HM!) and sent Alex some of her outfits as a thank you for the help and guidance that Alex gave her.  When Alex would receive the outfits, she would take pictures (Alex takes fabulous pictures!) and post them on the doll boards to show them off!  Thanks to Alex's pictures, collectors scrambled to get Auguste's outfits.  Auguste has received so much support, enthusiasm and information from both Prego and The Dollhouse® that she has donated a few dresses to each as thank you gifts.

Taught by her grandmother, Auguste has been crocheting since she was six years old.  She often makes tablecloths and bedspreads in thin yarns for gifts, wedding presents, and friendships!  "My biggest thrill is to make a tablecloth and have someone display it when I'm visiting!"  She notes, "That moment is worth every stitch!  It's a little bizarre that this has led me to making doll clothes. But it gives me pleasure and pride, so I'll keep on doing it until my fingers won't let me anymore!"

Auguste finds that using silky, shiny, thin yarns (Opera or Cebelia) works the best for her designs.  But she is challenged to find these brands, especially if she wants a specific color!  Being able to buy them online has been a great help in expanding her designs.

Auguste fits each dress individually on Tyler, Cara, or Cissy.  "The hardest part is getting the right patterns." she notes, "I need small stitch designs that allow a lace look but that don't have too many holes either.   Each pattern I find is a challenge."  She has a crochet stitch pattern book that she uses.  She usually fits in her crocheting in the evenings and on weekends when she is not playing with her three grandchildren, all boys, Trevor, one, Tyler, five and Cole, seven.  Being a widow, she finds she has a lot of time alone ,and the crocheting fills that gap nicely for her.  "It's been what got me through the good times (gift-making)", she states, "and the bad (gets my mind off of my own problems when I'm immersed in a project.)  Crocheting is a lifeline that just keeps giving . . . entertainment, pride, joy and friendships... what more could one want from a hobby?"  Luckily for all of us doll collectors, Auguste's hobby gives us immeasurable pleasure also!