Newsletter #39: I Think I've Done It!

 https://blue-heron-dolls.ck.page/posts/i-think-i-ve-done-it

Digital Doll Course is Launched!

Newsletter #35: Another Successful Doll Class

 https://blue-heron-dolls.ck.page/posts/another-successful-doll-class

Enigma Doll Class

 I'm just home after teaching my first doll class in a very long time. 

http://indyclothdollmakers.blogspot.com/2023/03/enigma-class-with-deanna-hogan.html

Here are a few more photos:

Feels so good...

...to get another unfinished project done!

 

This steampunky gal is "Vivienne." She was nearly completed at the end of a class taught by Michele Lynch at AFICC in 2013. I don't know why it took me so long to finish her sleeves and leather cummerbund. It didn't take that long, for Pete's sake, but it sure feels good to cross it off my list!

 

Michele is a wonderful doll artist, so be sure to check out her art and classes!

AFICC - Registration is in the Mail

Well, I did it. Took the plunge and registered for Artistic Figures in Cloth & Clay. The conference will be held in Columbus, Ohio, April 2013. It was difficult choosing which classes to take. It helped that I eliminated classes requiring a sewing machine, since I will be traveling such a long way and don't want to haul one with me.

http://www.cyndysdolls.com/AFIC%202013CntrlInfo.htm

http://artisticfiguresincloth.blogspot.com/

Up to my eyeballs...

I've finally finished my fourth Suffragette Sally sample doll for class, and I think that's sufficient. This one ended up being just a little shorter than the others (15-1/2 to 16 inches tall) - the difference in fabrics used, I guess. I really like the green print for her dress. It has a kind of vintage feel, I think, and it goes well with the red hair.

Tomorrow I begin packing in earnest. I'm so fearful I'll forget something. And I keep having those airline lost luggage dreams. Not at all restful!

Sally #3

Here's Sally #3, done except for her hat and chemise. I had to use an alternate location to photograph her, as there's a grandchild napping in the photo room. This doll's hair is made from alpaca roving - and it sure had a different feel than the camel. The overall fiber length seemed shorter, and obviously it wasn't as coarse.

She's a little washed out in the photo, but I'll take better ones when I have access to my photo room, lights and backdrop. And now that I've uploaded this photo, I can see that the angle of the camera was wrong - it makes it look like she has really long arms. They actually come to about mid-thigh, maybe a tad lower. Ok, so maybe they are a bit long.

The annual Santa doll for the ER auction is about 3/4 done. I know I'll be able to get him done this weekend.

A Face in the Crowd

I spent the morning getting studded tires on my van for the winter (the hills are starting to show off a little snow and the temps are dropping) and shopping for groceries. No Thanksgiving dinner for us, as we'll all be working. It's not so bad working this particular holiday - most folks stay home and stuff themselves. It's working the day after that I dread ~ it's a consistently busy day in the ER.

When those necessary chores were done, I spent the rest of the day and evening watching movies, sewing a third Sally doll and baking faces for the class. I'll pick out one of these clay faces for this newest doll, and the rest go in the bag I've designated for class stuff. I made wire armature to include in the kits, too.

Tomorrow will be spent stuffing doll parts, painting, and assembling the doll. I've found it's so much easier to finish dolls when the costuming is done before the doll. Of course, that only applies to dolls who have costuming that isn't sewn onto their bodies.

And then it's on to the annual Santa doll for the ER Christmas Party and Auction. I probably won't get to this one until next weekend.

Addendum: For those who have experienced the drawback of using polymer clay faces due to the weight and density of the clay, don't forget to make the back a little bit concave. This occurs naturally, if you use your thumbs to firmly press the center of the clay into the pressmold. By doing this, you make sure the clay goes into the facial features of the mold, making the concave indentation, and squishing clay out along the rim - which is the perfect handle by which to grab the clay and gently work it out of the mold. Of course, you'll trim away the excess. These faces now weigh just over an ounce.

Coming Soon!

I think I'm finally done with the pattern and instructions for Suffragette Sally, designed for this upcoming conference in Ohio. Personally, I'm really looking forward to meeting the other teachers and dollmakers who will be attending. I've checked out photos of Punderson Manor Resort, too, and what a gorgeous setting for the event! I'm looking forward to a field trip to an Amish community.

So far, there are about ten students signed up for my class. Exciting!

The official pattern for Sally won't be released until the conference in May. It's been kinda fun producing the pattern, though quite time consuming. While I'm in the groove, I'd like to create another - but maybe one a bit simpler.

Now I've got to think about some sort of hands-on demonstration for the conference.

Sally #2 nearly done!

I've been working most of the day on finishing Sally #2. The only thing left is her hat and sign. The pattern instructions are done up to this point as well. I also decided at the last minute to add instructions for a simple doll stand. It's not perfect, but works for the most part. I'm currently up to 20 pages. Hopefully I can keep the total number of pages at 22, plus the color insert.

This doll is 17 1/2 inches tall, including the stand. After the hat is sewn, I've got to start drawing the final pattern pieces onto printer paper. I'll have to use 8 1/2 X 14 inch paper for the dress, which is kind of a pain, but it'll be easier for folks to trace from that than tape the pieces together if printed on 8 1/2 X 11.

Suffragette Sally ~ prototype done... well, mostly

Finally finished Suffragette Sally's outer costuming today, completing her hat and sign. This is the second hat of the day and it's still a wee bit tight, but I managed to fit it on her head. I've made the necessary adjustments to the pattern for the next doll.





Now to move on to her undergarments and some pattern variations - individual wired fingers, for example.

No, wait. I've gotta finish  granddaughter Fiona's baby doll first. What was I thinking?

Suffragette Sally

Next May, I'll be teaching a class in Ohio: http://clothdollconnection.com/dollgatherers/flyer.html
The "Party" I'm representing is "Glory." Before beginning my new doll/design, I went to the Merriam Webster dictionary to look up the word glory for inspiration. What I found was "very great praise, honor, distinction. something that is a source of honor, fame or admiration. A distinguished ornament or source of pride."

Now keeping in mind that this is a patriotic-themed doll conference, and I have a particular fondness for dolls with a vintage look, I immediately though of the Women's Suffrage movement in this country.

I really enjoyed researching the clothing and hairstyles of the early 1900s. Here's my prototype for the class. Her clothing is removable. I'm still making her hat, and her shoes will be painted. She still needs some underthings, too. Oh, and she'll hold a sign saying something like "Votes for Women."

Harvest Moon Class

I taught my first in-home class this weekend. I had three students, and sewed along with them. What a pleasure, not having to lug all my stuff to a different location (and hope I didn't forget anything!)

From left to right are Roxanne, Ginger, and Rhoda. Wish I could say the dolls were completed in class, but we were able to focus on the trapunto style face (and attaching it to the head), the hinge joints, the shoes, and the face sculpting and painting.I also shared my "system" of logging/recording the dolls I've made. From my very first doll, they've all been recorded in a notebook. Each doll/entry is numbered and dated. The entries in the log include a description of the doll, the pattern used, size, etc. Once the doll's been sold or given away, the entry is highlighted yellow.

In about 2004, I saw a similar journal up for auction on eBay. This was Edith Flack Ackley's journal, and she included a little snippet of the fabric she used for each doll's dress by their corresponding entries. I thought that was a great idea, and started doing that myself.

Verity, Class of June 2009

Just home from Atlanta, I was thrilled to open my email box and find photos of the finished Verity dolls from my June class. I had a wonderful time with the members of the Dollirious! Doll Club of Arlington, Washington. What talented doll makers! This very active doll club has a Picturetrail account, where more of their dolls can be seen. Here are photos taken during class and their individual Verity dolls.

Thanks, Ladies!

Successful Verity doll class

I spent a wonderful weekend up north - teaching my Verity doll to a wonderful group of talented dollmakers - the Dollirious! Doll Club of Arlington, Washington. Class was held at the Stanwood Senior Center. Thanks to everyone for a successful class! Here's a slide show of some of the photos I took:

Homework

Yesterday I began making Verity sample dolls for an upcoming class in Arlington, Washington. I decided to make four bodies, to demonstrate various steps in making the doll.Today, I'll apply Messy Mix to all but one of the dolls. That one will remain as-is (the doll on the left), in order to demonstrate the needle sculpting. The doll on the right will be finished up to the facial features, which will be done in class.

I hope two long days will be enough to complete most of the dolls in class. The last class was a bit pressed for time, as the days were only about six hours long - not quite enough time.

Now I'm off to find a small jar with a tight-fitting lit...

Addendum, 6/1/09: Check out this blog link for information about Helen Pringle's Messy Mix:

http://sympletymes.blogspot.com/2009/01/izannah-walker-dolls-helen-pringle.html

Verity Class in Auburn Washington

I taught a doll class this weekend, at the Calico Cat in Auburn. It was good to see some old friends and make a couple new ones, too. I've posted some photos to my Picturetrail album. This particular doll (Verity) takes a long time to make, so I don't have photos of finished dolls yet but will add them as they come in.

Teaching in Moro

Last week I taught a class in Moro, Oregon. Moro is a city in Sherman County, and is the smallest county seat in Oregon. To paint you a picture, the population was 337 at the 2000 census. The drive along the Columbia River Gorge was was beautiful, and after turning off onto highway 97, I was delighted with the rolling expanses of fields with windmills used to generate power.

The class was held at "Lisa's in Stitches" quilt shop (on the right side of the street above), and it was small and intimate (see the link to her store under websites to visit). I had a wonderful, relaxing time. The students (and other citizens who stopped by) were so warm and friendly ~ I can't wait to go back! My greatest disappointment was forgetting my digital camera (I managed to remember the charger, though!). I had to stop en route and pick up a disposable camera. The photo quality is lacking - I'll be posting class photos to my picturetrail site shortly (www.picturetrail.com/blueherondolls) The photo of downtown Moro (above) is a stock photo from Wikipedia.

Out of Town

Packing up probably more gear than needed, I'll be leaving later this morning to teach my "Viola Ruth" class in Moro, Oregon at http://www.lisasstitches.com/. This class will be small, and held in Lisa's quilt shop. Sounds ideal, doesn't it?

I'll be gone for several days, and will be away from my email, Internet, Husband, pets, work, and hopefully rain. I'll miss everything but the rain and work.

I still haven't received my SD&A magazine, and pray it arrives before I leave. I need my fix.

Class in Auburn

I had the opportunity to teach my Viola Ruth (Alabama Baby inspired) doll class in Auburn this past weekend, and had a great time. While the doll is a simple one, making the clay heads and covering them with fabric and multiple layers of paint takes time and patience. Photos are starting to come in, so check the link below from time to time:
www.picturetrail.com/blueherondolls