Just Playing

Thanks for all the wonderful comments on our doll display. The club really enjoys it and I think it is just a push some of us need to finish a doll or two in time for the show. The meetings before are spent working on Unfinished Dolls and trying to solve problems so they can be finished. Thanks too for the kind words on my purse. I have since added an outside pocket for my cell phone and some beautiful trims I got at the show from Quilter's Fancy. Oh my! What wonderful things she has! You can visit her site here http://quiltersfancy.com/

Last night I took some time to play with my die cutter and grunge board. I had been thinking of trying this for a few weeks now and was spurred on by one of Quilting Arts latest enewsletters. I need a clasp for a purse commission and I think this will work. The background purse color is Eggplant. I used Tsukineko Walnut inks, Twinkline H20s, pearl-ex powders and Dimensional Paint on the flowers. I think they will work just fine with some frayed gold and green Lame behind them. They would look good on my new purse too! Now to do the purse! I did finish the doll and the article--just have to mail it, I am almost done with my Hoffman Challenge doll. She is currently "mulling". I like to have her just there so I can decided if everything works and what needs to be fixed--two things so far but both are minor so they can wait. I am also working on two new doll classes. I think you'll like these!

Doll Display at the Quilt Show

Our doll club was asked to do a special display at the Garden State Quilt Guild's Quilt show last weekend. This is the 4th year there has been a display, second for our current club configuration. It is always so well received and we usually attract at least one or two new members. This year, we had about 28 dolls on display--a few were from our friends from Sew Sew doll club too.


Dolls by Margaret Fretz, me, Diane Kearney, Flora Hand, Tery Favo, and Mary Klawetter.
Dolls by Evelyn Bermudes and Janice Anderson.

Janice's again, Maria Quinones, Mary Klawetter, Margaret Fretz (on high), and the dream Rider by Mary Klawetter. The next dolls are from our doll class with Marilyn Halcomb and are by Mary Klawetter and Linda Helmstaedter.


Classs Dolls, another view starting with Mary and Linda's, then Margaret Fretz and Diane Kearny's from Marilyn's Class. The center 3 are from the Viviana class given by Patti Culea and are by me, Diane K. and Linda H. The last four are from Arley Berryhill's Madame Peacock class and are (top row) by Linda H. and Tery F., bottom Emily Bollman and Maria Quinones who did the most amazing sculpt for her head. As you can see, we had a very busy 2007-2008! Aren't these dolls great?????

How does my garden grow..

My flowers are doing great this year. Thought I would share some pics. First are roses and Daylilies, next are my Chinese lillies, then Spiderworts growing around a tree, and last my Clematis. All Perenials. Love that they pop in each year to show off!

Hoffman Doll Progress

I have been working diligently for the past week or so on my Hoffman Challenge doll--thought I should get it started so I am fitting it between dolls for classes and a commission piece. I used new wire for the armature. It is 16g stainless steel double hard. It makes a very sturdy doll though it does take a bit of muscle to bend. I don't think this doll will get crushed like One Kiss or Secret Garden. I had design issues with her dress and had to redo twice before I was happy. I also just couldn't get the head just right. I thought I could use the head with the suprised look, but I had to make the doll a little bigger than planned so that head was too small and try as I could, I just couldn't duplicate it--even after 3 tries!!! I decided to take one of the reject heads (no picture. Hmmmmm wonder why? NOT it was just tooo ugly) and put a skin over and set in eyes. If that didn't work, I was going to take another and add some clay and a skin over. I like this one though and I'm going to stop here - for now. So here is the line-up. In order, the original head a bit too small, reject #2 short stubby nose, reject #3 just not right and the nose underside has a "pimple", head #4 (done over reject head #1)with the set in eyes (plastic oval) and skin over. When I feel ambitious and after I get her done, I may try the clay on head #2.

After all the stress of making the heads, I decided I needed a doll break and also a new summer purse. Mine was wearing out and I happened to see some batik I really liked. This purse is actually two in one--I wanted to be able to carry my sketch book with me. Here is the larger of the purses. The clasp is made of grunge board painted and the edges distressed, the motif is done with a metal stencil and copper Embossing Paste, beaded and placed over frayed lame strips. I like using this board because it is flexible and I'm not concerned about it breaking and chipping. I think as I use it and it gets a little distressed, it'll look great. Not sure how it will wash!

Here is the smaller purse for my sketch book and other art stuff. The bag is machine quilted with metallic threads. I also painted the fabric with very diluted Lumierre Halo Gold, Green to give it a little sparkle. This clasp is made from fun foam heated and then stamped into. The stamp is from a block of wonderful deepcut square designs. The foam started out as grass green, then I painted it with metallic fuschia and highlighted the raised part very lightly with a gold leaf pen. There are two trims and a beaded fringe added as a base for the foam. Again, this is very flexible and won't dry out or chip. We'll see how long it lasts, but for now, I'm liking it!

Thanks to everyone who has such nice things to say about my faces. I think I had such a hard time with my Hoffman doll because I hadn't been practicing. Shame on me!!!! I'm going to start again. This week is the Quilt show and our doll club is going to have a display. Since I will be sitting guard most days, I'll have plenty of time to sketch. If you are at the show (http://www.njquilts.org/) please stop and say hello.

Long Time Since Posting!

I can't believe I haven't posted in so long. I guess I have been busy. I have 4 new dolls in the works--2 will be online classes and the third is my Hoffman challenge doll and the 4th is for an upcoming issue of a magazine. Have to be mum on that one! I also attended a Scrapbook/Stamp show and bought some new stamps, twinkling H2Os, some stencil paste from DreamWeaver (worth checking out!!! http://www.dreamweaver.com/) , took a Bargello class with my EGA, and had meetings with the Garden State Doll Artisans and Sew Sew doll Club. We are readying our display at the Garden State Quilt Guild's show June 12-14th at the New Jersey Expo Center in Edison NJ. This year I am curator of our exhibit but I have lots of help.

I have also been sketching in my Face Book. I have tried to take those sketches and translate them into cloth. Here is the first, Jasmine. Her face is done in a cloth over cloth style with set in eyes made from wood. Not bad for the first try but her eyes need to be set in a little more--she looks like she has Graves disease and her nose is a but large though it doesn't look quite so big in person. I was going for a 1920's flapper look. Oh well, maybe the next one!

The next is my OhOh face based on this picture from a hair dye ad.

Here us the sketch.

Here is the head. Not sure I am happy with this one yet. I'm sure she will look better with hair!

I have also been working on the faces for my CQ doll class--the kits contain completed heads. I sketched them out then scanned them and manipulated the files until I got faces that printed out OK. I also have been making some more sample dolls so I can time all the steps to make sure the doll can be completed in 2 days. Here is a sample with a printed face. I think I need to make the features just a bit smaller. Her colors were taken from the focus fabric print on her bodice right--another piece of tie fabric.

Thanks to everyone for your kind words about my class pieces. I am excited about teaching them too.

Second Version with Paperdolls

I wanted to give the students some options so I made another sample. I also wanted to work with a paperdoll. Originally I was going to use a stamp, but decided to make my own body to use. The heads are from a pressmold. The crowns are stamped on clay and then cut out. The hearts on the top of the poles are made from polymer clay. Her dress is a piece of napkin on fabric then painted with glossy medium and pearl-ex powders. Each doll is set against an open curtain of sheer fabric or lace. The background fabric/paper is printed tissue with solid hearts over it. The hearts were cut out on my Big Kick. This crown is actually from foam. The clay is very brittle and breaks too easily so I switched to the foam.

The Golden Queen's overdress is embossed velum--embossed with the Big Kick. Love this tool! Her crown says Create.

The Pink Queen's dress is also embossed then glitter glue is used to highlight the embossing. Her dress is silk paper.

The back is decorated with hearts in different medium. The pink hearts are Fun Foam, the large yellow heart is fun foam over embossed vellum and the smaller gold hearts are scraps from the other two base fabrics covered with a thin layer of gold paint. The purple hearts are water soluble paper over the same heart stamps as the pink hearts. Hope the students have fun with these two options.

Upcoming Teaching Project

I will be teaching a mixed media class, a class on the Collage fabric Purse (think Paisley Purse simplified), and a Beaded Butterfly Pin class as well as doing some demos September 11-14 and October 16-19 at the RibbonSmyth Studio in Perkasie, Pennsylvania. The setting is a beautifu old farm and the studio is located in an old barn that has more eyecandy than you can take in during the four days of classes. The barn and studio are owned by Victoria Adams Brown, who has taught all over the world and is the author of two wonderful books on Silk Ribbon Embroidery, will also be teaching some wonderful classes. Here is one of the class samples using materials and techniques we will be exploring in class. I call this "Save the Birds, Save the Planet." Back View.

The first house is the flower house. The base of this and all the houses is fabric/paper made with muslin and tissue paper. Techniques include lace dying, beading, and collage. The second center house is trimmed with pearl buttons, and trims. The "gingerbread" is cut from a doily like napkin.

I call this the Heart house. This house is embellished with lace, fabric beads, dimensional paints, beads and sequins. The backs of each house are also embellished. The birds are purchased and the sticks are from my back yard. This class is open for lots of possiblities as far as the shape of the pages and the materials that can be used. For more information on the classes, go to the RibbonSmyth site. Feel free to browse but I warn you--don't expect to come away without buying something!