She designed her "Doll Babies" with input from children she knew,[3] made them by hand, and sold them at craft fairs around Louisville, Kentucky.
Roberts created his own version in 1978, and in 1982 he licensed the dolls to Coleco for mass-production under the name Cabbage Patch Kids.
Around this time, while Cabbage Patch Kids were so popular that buyers had to join a nine-month waiting list, Thomas sold a line of craft items through Fibre-Craft based on her original Doll Babies that allowed buyers to sew up their own doll.
Cabbage Patch Kids at this time sold for $30 to $150; Thomas's Doll Babies supplies cost about $16 total.
She was an artist in residence at her children's elementary school and did workshops with the local girl scouts and other organizations.