MARS — Isabel Boynton picked up a bow smaller than a dime, then demonstrated how she takes a piece of ribbon only a few inches long, wraps it around her fingers and ties it.

A member of the Mars General Federation of Women's Clubs, she's made hundreds of the bows since the group started making dolls in 1998.

“I once had a girl call me Isabow, because I make the bows,” said Boynton, the group's conservation chairwoman.

Called play pals, the two-dimensional dolls are an evolution of paper cut-out dolls. They are about 10 inches long and made of fabric. The hair is made from yarn and the face is embroidered on the material.

The group sells the dolls to benefit local organizations like the Mars Public Library.

Each member of the chapter plays an integral role in making the play pals, whether it's attaching the hair, cutting the cloth or creating the facial features. In fact, there are generally eight to 11 people who work on some part of each doll.

Twice a month the women meet in the community room of the Mars Library and spend the morning putting the dolls together. It can take weeks to complete one doll, but as Norma Bond, the chairperson of the group, said, “It's worth it.”

“It's a joint effort and everybody has a part in making it,” Bond said. “It's really therapeutic for us.”

The idea began after the group heard that the GFWC Butler chapter had been making dolls with a similar concept. When the Butler group stopped making the dolls, the Mars group jumped at the opportunity, taking it over and recreating the design.

“They were doing it for a while and then stopped,” Ruth Beilo, a co-founding member of the dolls group said. “I asked, ‘Can we do it now?' ”

From 1998 onward, the group has sold hundreds of dolls and donated thousands of dollars to local community organizations. More recently, they started a scholarship program at Mars High School. The group also looks to expand and donate to the Butler Food Bank.

“Everything goes back to the community,” Bond said.

The dolls double as toys for children of all ages. Each comes with a carrying case containing nine outfits that can be attached to the doll with Velcro.

“It's a quiet time type of entertainment,” Bond said. “People like the dolls because they can take it with them to the doctor and are great for traveling.”

As the evolution of the dolls drastically changed over the past 13 years, the talents of the group have been perfected. They now make soldier and ethnic dolls that feature intricate costumes.

“We have changed the dolls to the point where we keep getting better and better,” Bond said. “There is so much talent between all of us.”

They also made a Troy Polamalu doll and several Steelers branded items that caught the community's attention during football season.

“We're thinking about sending two dolls to Troy to get Mars on the map,” Bond said. “We'll see where it goes from there.”

The dolls also have become international travelers. Bond remembered a time when a woman wanted to take a U.S-made toy overseas. She turned the group because the play pal met her criteria.

“She was just so excited,” Bond said. “It was something personal, from America and handmade.”

The group's success relies on positive results in the community. One doll not only benefits local organizations, but can also change the life of a child.

“People don't realize that these dolls can be a child's security blanket,” Bond said. “You never know where it will lead, what soul has been salvaged or inspired by one doll.”

They also rely on community donations of fabrics and materials that can be used to make the dolls. The library has provided a storage room that the group uses to store their supplies.

Bond explained that all donated materials are utilized at some point or given to another organization. The group constantly looks for donations so that they don't have to take from their budget.

The dolls are available at the library for $20 each.

“We love what we are doing,” Bond said. “There's al lot of work involved, but it's always worth it.”