Hoffman Winners!

I home from New Orleans, and boy, do I love being home. NO was wonderful, and I'm so glad I got to experience a little piece of it. Now we're back in the beautiful northwest, with its moderate weather - I sure don't miss the heat and humidity.

While we were out of town, the winners of the Hoffman Challenge were announced. I am pleased, but very surprised to have won the 3rd place award. Come HERE to see the doll winners, and click HERE to see the winners of all the categories.

I received photos of more Hoffman entries while I was gone, so now I'm off to update the website. Check back in a little while!

Helper Doll (raffle) for ODACA

It's 4:30 in the afternoon, and I'm getting nowhere fast. We leave for New Orleans at 2:30 a.m., and I've not yet started packing (and that includes lots of dolls for the Sales Room). Today I've been busy finishing a doll for the ODACA Luncheon raffle. The Luncheon is on Monday at the Sheraton New Orleans on Canal Street, under the umbrella of the UFDC Convention.

We've never been to New Orleans before, so the trip is pretty exciting. There should be lots to see and do. I even upgraded to First Class this morning - for at least part of the trip. Thought it would be a nice anniversary surprise for my husband Chris. I sure hope I can sell some dolls to help offset the cost of the trip.

Hoffman Finished!

I finally finished my Hoffman Challenge doll this morning. Now I've just got to round up a box, complete all the paperwork, and head for the post office.

I'm happy to say I was able to observe my New Year's Resolution of completing an unfinished doll before starting a new one. I've got a big basket of UFOs (UnFinished Objects), and my half-done Viola Ruth fit the bill and size requirements.

This year's challenge fabric was a really big print, so I decided to break it up a bit and try a weaving technique, though it made her pinafore a bit stiff. What a pain that was!

Viola Ruth is made using one of my patterns and pressmolds. She's 18 inches tall. Her face and the back of her head are made from polymer clay, sandwiched around a rudimentary stuffed cloth head. The gaps are filled in with paperclay. Then the head and upper chest/back are covered in a knit fabric. Her ears are fabric.

I've still got about a half dozen unfinished dolls to complete. It sure felt good to   eliminate one from the basket.

I've been hosting webpages to share others' Hoffman dolls, and have received quite a few so far. If there are more out there, please send them to me at blueheron61@charter.net.

Heavenly Wings

I've finally managed to finish Carole's pin doll, won in a raffle at the Doll Gala. She was very nearly done within a week of returning home from the Gala, but has been awaiting a few finishing detail. Gotta get her packaged and in the mail. 

Happy Independence Day!

BOM ~ July

Yesterday I worked on and finished the July blocks for the Craftsy Block-of-the-Month class. Left is a traditional Dresden, and right is a modern version. I chose to hand sew the pieces to the background fabric, as I find it relaxing. The project would have gone much faster if I'd chosen to machine sew them.

Fourteen blocks so far. There will be 20 when the class is over.  I'm using a fat quarter bundle called "Fresh Flowers" by Deb Strain for Moda.

I'd intended to work on my Hoffman doll this weekend, but got sidetracked with this project. Well, I did apply some paint to my doll, so I guess I'm not a complete procrastinator. I'm planning to use one of my many unfinished dolls for the Hoffman, so that gives me a bit of a head start. 
I've also got to finish a pin doll for Carole, one of my students. That project is very nearly done - she just needs some hair and a pin back. 

BOM ~ June

June's blocks have been posted on the Craftsy website. Left is the Greek Cross and right is the Octagon block. Both are 9-patch blocks, and were pretty quick projects. I'm using a fat quarter bundle called "Fresh Flowers" by Deb Strain for Moda.

Here are all the blocks thus far. Picture them with plain white sashing between.

Portrait-Style Child Doll Tutorial by Victoria DiPietro

My friend Victoria has just finished a wonderful project, which she has made available on a CD. Her instructions are very clear and comprehensive. She's been able to incorporate a clay face using my Viola Ruth pressmold. Below is a description of her CD tutorial, which is available at Dollmaker's Journey.

Dollmaker's Journey: "Get ready to learn some amazing new skills as Victoria guides you through the sculpting of a child's face from a drawing or photo. You will receive 196 pages of comprehensive instruction along with 426 photos and drawings that will expertly guide you through every step. The CD comes with printed pattern pieces for a 17" – 19" child's body made of craft velour that can be made poseable or in a fixed position. As an added BONUS the CD includes a tutorial for EIGHT different wig designs to include wiglets, wefts and cornrows. If you don't want to make your own face DEANNA HOGAN'S "Viola Ruth" pressmold may also be used.  (Click HERE for Pressmold) Victoria's always innovative techniques are sure to provide endless hours of artistic satisfaction!"

Zip Line Fun

There's nothing like a bit of spontaneous fun to brighten your day. My friend Allison and I decided we'd try ziplining today. There's a new business just 10 minutes from home - called High Life Adventures.

After our "8-line tour" we spent the afternoon doing crafty stuff - painting glasses, vases and dishes with glass paint, followed by a barbecue.

Back to the Old Grind

I'm back home after an absolutely wonderful weekend. The Doll Party Gala was the first away-from-home conference I've ever attended. The resort was lovely, my students perfect, and the event itself was very well organized. Members of The Doll Gatherers doll club did so much work to make the conference a success. That the weather was spectacular made it even more enjoyable.

I took some photos during the conference and of my class, which I have posted on my Picturetrail site. You can find the album HERE.

Photo by Kathy Hudak, during Friday's vendor sales.

It was fun visiting with the other teachers - Lillian Alberti, Susan Barmore, Arley Berryhill, and Cyndi Mahlstadt.