Doering was born in Hominy, Oklahoma and was the third generation of a family of basketmakers.

Beginning in the 1970s, she researched weaving techniques from books in libraries and museums.

She gathered her own materials and learned to make her own dyes from nut hulls, berries, and leaves, mostly obtained from her mother's allotment land near Tahlequah in Eastern Oklahoma.

In 1982 and 1983, she received majors commissions from the Oklahoma State Arts Council for over 50 baskets.

[2] Mavis Doering taught several contemporary Cherokee basketmakers, including Peggy Brennan, how to weave double-walled baskets.