I'm a Sew Sew Girl

A Little Horsing Around

2010-01-17T16:58:00.000-08:00

Oh my gosh! Can it be that I am back so soon for another post? Easy does it Ev or you might burn yourself out and disappear from blogland once again. Well, now that I am done talking to myself, I would like to share some photos of a day spent with a marvelous little girl named Sarah. She is what I might call my little student but by the end of the day I believe our roles were reversed. Children have a wonderful way of thinking and all things are possible through their awesome imagination.
Sarah really wanted to learn how to sew on a sewing machine and after months of her patiently waiting for my room to be finished she started her lessons. It only took one round of connect the dot sewing, on paper, for me to realize that she was ready to sew a simple pattern on cloth. I chose a horse ornament pattern by Samantha Jenkins. It was featured in the November/December issue of Cloth Paper Scissors. This magazine should be called Cloth Paper Scissors Rocks, because it does.

I prepared the horse pattern in different stages in order to work along with her.
However I did not show her my finished horse so that I wouldn't influence the direction that she would go in. I think I did this as much for myself as I did for her, hee hee. She did not disappoint. The colors and materials she chose excited me from the moment she chose her blue foundation color. She calls it her moon horse and had a whole story to go with it. Due to a senior moment I can not share this story with you at this time.

We raced to get her horse done before her mom came to pick her up. Sarah's moon horse finally met my polka dot loving horse and they gave each other a horsey nuzzle before departing. I'm talking about the horses people.

Back in the Sewing Room

2010-01-16T15:23:00.000-08:00

So happy indeed, to be back in a space I could call my own. My home has been in a state of construction since Spring'09. I was unusually patient waiting for my new sewing room to be completed. Just before Christmas my wish came true. My hubby must have sensed that his luck was running out and that I would soon go Mr. Hyde on him LOL. It's like that when I go for long periods without creating a little something. I don't remember taking any before pics, unfortunately. This room used to be half it's size. I chose a very light blue for the walls called mountain air by Behr. I especially like the wood floors and the the long table behind my Koala sewing table. It was made by my generous co-worker, Mike.

My poor loom which has become more of a display rack for various projects. Hope to weave a little something in 2010.

These three stockings are the first thing I made. They were a gift to my niece Tristan and her family. Hope you all like my sewing room.

Hello?

2009-11-03T16:25:00.000-08:00

All is well in my world.

Wiltwyck Quilt Show

2008-10-19T14:31:00.000-07:00

This Saturday I visited the Wiltwyck quilt show at SUNY Ulster. Not only was there a beautiful collection of quilts but also a art doll exhibit. It's nice to see these dolls make an appearance in a venue like this. Mix that with the many vendors offering their wares and it makes for a inspirational day. Word of advice, make sure you charge that camera battery. Luckily I was able to get some photos before my camera went kaput.

Madame Helena by Denise Giardullo

Henrietta from Harry Street by Colleen Geraghty

Guinevere from Camelot by Lisa Starger

Luna by Lexi Langley

Tamara the Tarot Reader by Lexi Langley

Cornelia the sister of squash by Colleen Geraghty

Visiting the 3D Doll Club

2008-10-13T17:44:00.000-07:00

I was invited to attend the 3D doll club's October meeting the day I returned all the dolls they generously loaned to me for the Pine Bush quilt show. It was a day of show and tell, sharing and creativity. Here are some dolls that were created by the 3D members.

This doll was the result of the hanger doll challenge offered at Day of Dolls.

Doll Exhibit

2008-09-30T17:52:00.000-07:00

Me, Tery and Doreen

Denise Giardullo and Doreen check out the display

I'm happy to say that the doll exhibit at the Pine Bush quilt show was a success. The dolls displayed were contributed by the Sew Sew Dolls, the 3D Cloth Doll Club and a member of the Garden State Doll Artisans. This two day exhibit not only attracted quilt aficionados. Quite a few people stated they came just to see the dolls. Being entrusted with so many beautiful creations can be a bit nerve racking.
I thank each and every person who did. Did I mention how beautiful the quilts were?

Words Remembered, by Mary Wirchansky, won a viewers choice ribbon

Mi Frida

2008-09-26T11:27:00.000-07:00

Frida is my latest doll. She was inspired by a book that I discovered on art blog, A Fanciful Twist. The author of this blog, Vanessa Valencia, had a giveaway where she featured a hardcover book named Self Portrait in a Velvet Dress. In this book you will find photos of artist Frida Kahlo and the contents of her wardrobe which were found in her home La Caza Azul which is now a museum in her honor. This book is filled with so much eye candy that I don't think I will stop at one. Aside from the rich colors and textures of her wardrobe this woman had an eclectic style of her own and a immense life story. I love finding inspiration in which I am carried away into the project with an urgency that sees me through 'til the end of it's creation. Coincidentally, I have had a photo of Frida in my artspace for a very long time. Her images and lifes tale has always filled me with a sense of sadness,connection as a woman and most of all an appreciation for her art. She was much more than this, though. Read her story or if you must, rent the movie titled, Frida. On the technical side, her shirt know as a huipil is silk dupioni, her top skirt know as a isthmus is satin with a cotton underskirt trimmed in lace. She will be on display at the quilt show at Pine Bush H.S. this weekend.

A Trip to Mount Vernon

2008-09-26T10:28:00.000-07:00

Gwen and me with The Modern Woman

Doreen and Gwen

Doreen and I took a trip to Mount Vernon, N.Y. to visit Gwen at her home for the purpose of picking up dolls for a quilt show Doreen's guild is having this weekend at Pine Bush H.S. in Pine Bush, New York on the weekend of Sept. 27th and the 28th. I was so excited when Gwen, the president of the 3D cloth doll club, agreed to lend us some dolls for the show. She and her club members were sooo generous. I placed all the entries on the carpet of my artspace so that I could prepare labels for each and get a count of the inventory. I soooo wanted to take a pic of myself laying on the carpet with all these dolls around me like that girl did with the rose petals in American Beauty but with a big T-shirt and sweatpants instead of naked. Alas, I was tired and punchy and the brain forgot to take the pic.
Speaking of missed picture opportunities, I would like to know how you bloggers handle photo ops without being rude and intruding on someones space. I ask this because I really wanted to take a picture of Gwen's living room, with the abundance of beautiful dolls she had throughout. I did not want to intrude on her privacy by showing these pics on my blog on top of all she did for us already. I'm sure she would not have minded but I guess I sometimes over think things then the opportunity passes. Maybe Artful Blogging will address this in the future.

D & D

2008-09-13T16:12:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be fun to make a shadowbox featuring an image of my friend Doreen.
I made her child like holding Def the leopard slug I gave her a few months ago. She liked him so much that she expanded his name to Defloyd Wolfgang Leopard. That's a whole lot of slug. Doreen enjoys quilting and making dolls.

Sophie's Apron

2008-09-11T19:59:00.000-07:00

I started hand embroidering again. I first started embroidering when I was in my early teens. My mother had a metal hoop with a cork interior on the top shelf of our linen closet right next to a metal can where she kept her buttons. I still have and use that hoop and yes I have the button can sans buttons. I take a project along with me to work so I can embroider during my lunch hour. I even found myself embroidering on a bench in Walmart while the hubby was in the auto section and also in the car while I waited for him to come out of Walmart on another occasion. I pretty much carry around with my hoop, fabric and threads wherever I go. No sense in wasting good waiting room time when at the doctors. In the end you have all these embroideries that are just asking to be made into a pillow, quilt or this little apron I made for my little niece Sophie. I say help mommy and put stains on that apron Sophie. That's what it's for.

Vintage Treasures

2008-09-11T18:14:00.000-07:00

Sharon Webster is a lovely lady that works in the same facility that I do. She recently went through her mother's attic and found some treasures that she most generously has given to me. This first picture is a box from Wanamaker's. Sharon said that this store was considered the Macy's of it's time. If you had a box from Wanamaker's you had something special. The contents of this box are better than chocolates.

Here are an assortment of beaded lace,trim and glass buttons.

This piece of lace, beaded with an assortment of glass seed beads and bugle beads, also features sequins throughout. Sharon says it was part of an old flapper dress. Can you imagine? I don't have a project for these pieces yet. I do enjoy taking them out of the box and looking at them. I am in awe of the workmanship that went into them. There is an energy that I feel coming from these pieces. I drift into thought, wondering about the people who made and wore these items. Upon recieving them I definitely had a what did I do to deserve this moment. It's better than jewelry. I mean it.

The Dragonfly Princess

2008-08-16T20:26:00.000-07:00

My mother-in-law, Iris, love for dragonflies, inspired this piece. This is a pic of her when she was just a little girl. The sheet music in the background is the Borinquena. It is a national anthem of Puerto Rico, Iris' birth place, written by Manuel Fernandez Junco.

The land of Borinquen where I have been born. It is a florid garden of magical brilliance. A sky always clean serves as a canopy. And placid lullabies are given by the waves at her feet. When at her beaches Columbus arrived, he exclaimed full of admiration: Oh! Oh! Oh! This is the beautiful land, that I seek. It is Borinquen the daughter, the daughter of the sea and the sun. Of the sea and the sun,of the sea and the sun, of the sea and the sun, of the sea and the sun!

Translation by Samuel Quiros

Lantern 2

2008-08-16T19:20:00.000-07:00

Hello to you. I'd like to share my latest lantern. It was made by layering pieces of tissue paper onto muslin with a diluted glue mixture. This is the same technique I used to make a photo album cover in an earlier post. After the piece dried, I cut it into four pieces then sewed them together. I added some squiggly black stitches around some of the shapes. I trimmed the edges in faux leopard leather then added some bead trim for a little sparkle. The circular shape is maintained by a wire circle I made with 18 gauge wire covered in white floral tape.

Traveling Slug

2008-08-07T20:12:00.000-07:00

Amanda, of Mandigirl-Muses, had so sweetly shown an interest in my slug, that I decided to send her one of her own. Looking at this video my friend and I commented on how sad and vulnerable the slug looked before his journey. Was it all in our imagination? Amanda took pics of the little guy when he arrived and posted them on her blog. Don't think I'm crazy, he looks like he's smiling, LOL. Go see for yourself.

A Fairy's Garden

2008-08-07T18:46:00.001-07:00

Often when a fog is present, in my brain, I sit on the rug by my shelf of magazines.
One publication which I have not yet tired of is Cloth Paper Scissors. As I thumbed through my stack of valuable resources, I came across an article focusing on the art of Kelly Rae Roberts. This is my similiar (and I use that word lightly) version of her paper collage technique which incorporates the use of gel medium and acrylic paint. My version uses rub on transfers, letters and photo images I had in my stash.
A thick charcoal pencil was used to outline the fairy, flowers and some of the background. I consider this a very tame version of her technique. Check out her work in the past issue, November/December of 2007. Her stuff rocks. Her colors rusty and rich. Going through the pile of issues was like unwrapping a present I forgot I had. You know how it is, you buy the mag, get busy and put it on the shelf after you quickly look through it. So many techniques, so little time, UGH!

The Paper Lantern

2008-07-20T19:13:00.000-07:00

I know what some of you are thinking. Suzi Blu again, what the heck? I discovered Ms. Blu months ago and check in on her blog several times a week. This past week she had the idea of using her journal pages to make a paper lantern. I decided to jump on board and make one of my very own. I think it's finished but you never know. Thanks again Suzi.

Chunky Stampin'

2008-07-19T17:33:00.000-07:00

Hello friends. I last posted about my continuing creative slump. I decided to get on my knees and pray to the Lord. After doing so this is what happened.

Yipee! I have a mess again! On Wednesday, the sun peeked through my brain cloud and I suddenly remembered that Project Runway was starting it's new season. I don't know what it is about that show, it gets me going. So I made this Chunky Bee Bag for my "Blue Fly" accessory wall.

Friday, I decided to make a funky but not chunky paper lantern. It is still in the works. I'd say 90% finished, so, I'll be posting that later. That evening, I visited my neighbor Anna. She had been talking about making curtains for months. She showed me her kitchen curtains that were made of a retro floral heavy weight material, along with some groovy fringe. Anna likes fringe. She handed me some chicken, three ears of corn, green washed lettuce and a 2 liter bottle of Pepsi. When I got home, I called her and asked for the measurements of her kitchen window. So, here is what I did this Saturday.

I marked a grid pattern, with a air erase marker, onto a muslin curtain panel I sewed.

I used these chunky stamps, fabric paints and tools.

Using yellow ochre I stamped the floral pattern.

I then used a pencil eraser to stamp small olive circles throughout.

Here are the finished curtains, complete with yellow pom pom fringe, light and refreshing. Thanks for the chicken and I hope you like them Anna.

All the time in the world to do nothing

2008-07-16T07:55:00.000-07:00

Let me explain what I mean by nothing. I've been on vacation for about a week now. The thought of having time off filled me with excitement. I daydreamed of hours in my art space, sewing and creating. Instead, I should run to the pharmacy, buy an E.P.T. 'cause I'd swear I was nesting. I've been mostly cleaning and organizing. Don't let that sweet face staring into the Quilting Arts mag fool you. My creative well is dry, LOL. I don't know why I find this funny. Hey I find peace in organization which leads me to the next pic.

What's wrong with this picture? The space is too neat. If I was busy making stuff, it would be pretty messy. All is not lost though. I have spent much time surfing the web and came across this free Sweet Bird pattern by Tina Givens, so, I made myself a sweet blue bird of happiness.

Along with some floral embellishments, the bluebird will sit on top of this glass jar filled with these magnetic words. I thought of as many garden related words that I could come up with. I ran the sheet of printed words through my Xyron machine with the laminate/magnet cartridge. Word of advice, glue the sheet to some heavy cardstock before running it through the Xyron. It will make it easier to handle the words. What's great about this project is that you could really personalize the subject matter,depending on the person or occasion. See me in a few weeks for the finished look. HA HA!

Suzi Blu made me do it

2008-06-30T17:46:00.000-07:00

Suzi Blu has made a believer out of me (see my fave links to check her out). I can confidently pick up my journal and draw or write whatever pleases me. I know that whatever manifests itself on those pages has served me well. It is my buffer between projects. It is my calm, my therapy. I don't have to try to be the best. I just need to get lost in the moment and let the paint, pencils, glue and more do their thing. Okay, maybe I should take a few art lessons. HA HA!

Art with a black Sharpie

Lunch break doodle colored with water color pencils

You didn't think you would get away that easy. I was seriously PMSing on a beautiful sunny spring day. I was like, OH MY LIfE SUCKS. Why does everything seem so dark and dreary? I don't care that the flowers are blooming around me...boo hoo.Anyway, I channeled the negativity and got over the PMS. Yahooo!

I'm Crossing my Fingers

2008-06-28T20:29:00.000-07:00

Man oh man! I finally finished editing all my posts. This required my deleting the photos which were not showing up and uploading the photos again. That meant I had to search all my cd's to find these pics. I still don't know why my blog was acting funky. It was really discouraging. I'm hoping that this does not happen again. Hmmm? I'm thinking of the last post I did in May. Perhaps Fernando should not have made his appearance. After posting his pics, my blog started acting up. It's a thought. I have been very busy getting my garden, at home, together. I was not going to do anything with it this year and held out 'til two weeks ago. Once I started, I had the bug and have not stopped pulling and planting. It now feels like a little retreat once again. Since I have been creatively stagnant I decided to post two pics.

The first is a scrapbook collage page I made of my niece Meagan. I fiddled with the image of her in Adobe, then layered paper and other elements to achieve this rusty antique look.

The second is an image I created in Creative Keepsakes scrapbook software. I imported a scanned image of a angel paperdoll I made using scrapbook papers and brads to attach the limbs. I altered the colors giving it a sepia tint. I also added the weathered paper behind her using the software programs library of images. I dig it.

Fernando el Vejigante

2008-05-31T12:36:00.001-07:00

Finally, after much debate, I decided to post a picture of Fernando el Vejigante. He started out as a gift for a member of my doll club. I wanted to give her something personal, something that represented a part of my culture. It was this idea that fueled the inspiration and allowed me to move ahead and quickly produce this fellow. I showed it to a select few and the reaction I received was positive as well as conflicting. Some, who knew the recipient of this gift, thought that perhaps it was not suited to her taste. Those who do not know her were perplexed as to why I would chose this theme for a Christmas gift. The subject matter contradicts my christian upbringing. In my mind, it was not made to glorify the devil. The rich colors of the art and masks that I saw while visiting Ponce left an impression on me.
It was as simple and as hard as that. In the end I made her a boudoir doll that can be seen in one of my earlier posts.

Doug the Slug

2008-05-28T20:00:00.000-07:00

Hello, I'm a little slug that lives in Evelyn's garden. Don't let my innocent look fool you. I can munch through a lot of greens in no time. My other skills are dodging salt shakers, hiding under pots, and....poetry.

I am Doug
Doug the Slug
Please don't mistake me
for a ordinary bug
I'm not being smug
I'm sweet, not a thug
And though I am slimy
I sure like to hug

Handmade

2008-05-26T17:10:00.000-07:00

Sophie's Doll Family

2008-05-08T18:08:00.000-07:00

While surfing the web, I came across a site which had Edith Flack Ackley type dollhouse doll patterns by Sara Cole. I decided to make one doll to represent each member of Sophie's family. I like this simple pattern. It brings me back to my doll making roots. The hair is made of needlefelted wool. The clothing was partially painted and I also used various cotton prints to finish off their look. I can't wait until she gets them.

Hehwoe my name is Shal dah Shawamandah

2008-04-30T16:18:00.000-07:00

Nice to meet cha. My name is Shal. My muddah, Ebahwin, made me fwom a book by Awanzi Awonzo (Aranzi Aronzo) named Dah Cute Book (The Cute Book). Hah fwend Coween gabe hah dah book faw Cwishmish (Christmas). She inshtintly fehwill in wahve wit me. When my poppa Cwooze came home and shaw me, he name me Shal. He taught it wash cute...dat poppa. Shumtimesh if my muddah and faddah awe angwy at each udder I will weave voich meshahgesh on dah chellphone. My cutenesh awaysh bwingsh dem back togeddah. If you weave a comment, pweese weave it in Shal tawk. I gahwhantee it wheel put a shmile on yaw faysh. -Wuv Shal

Eli makes a doll

2008-04-26T21:20:00.000-07:00

I invited my, ten year old, nephew Eli to visit me this week. As I imagined, after checking out the contents of my workspace, he decided that he wanted to make a doll of his own. I asked him to start by making a quick sketch of the figure he wanted to make. After fine tuning the lines of the drawing and enlarging it thirty five percent, he took the copy of the drawing and layed it on fabric. He did a great job sewing it at the machines lowest speed. Not bad for his first experience sewing on a machine. He used fabric paints for the clothing, made a cloth cape and polymer clay horns. I sculpted the muscles with button thread. I asked Eli what he thought of this experience. He said it was fun and exciting.
Precision sewing

Drawing the details

The finished doll

Where have I been?

2008-04-11T18:25:00.000-07:00

It's so easy to get caught in the trappings of everyday life that you sometimes forget to stop and feed the side of you that craves ART. Each day when I get home from work, I climb the steep steps that lead to my attic...I mean...studio (HA HA) and if even for a short while, pick up a needle and some thread or maybe a paintbrush and just do whatever comes to mind. Something has to come out of even the most aimless work that one creates. It must lead to something inspired eventually. The character in this painting was an outline doodle that my niece Tristan drew. I painted the background using acrylics, a brayer, brushed and rubber stamped accents. I then added the doodle and added color to it,again, using acrylics and some lumiere paint.

This next piece was based upon a doodle that I made many years ago. I was searching through the "archives", blew the mummy dust away and built upon this gals face. It reminds me of a nightmare where little innocent children come out in the dark. I don't know how innocent this girl is. There is something sinister in her smile. Oooh, really, it creeps me out. Don't mind me, I recently saw the horrific movie 30 day of night. Scaaaarry!

Okay, so I felt like doing something in cobalt blue. I added some green brushstrokes then decided to experiment and drip red paint over it. Miss Morbid started thinking,hey,it's the ocean and there has just been a shark attack. The red was so bright so I added some pearl ex pigment powders to tone it down. Now I'm seeing the aftermath of a shark attack, when the sand has been disturbed and there is decay everywhere. Naturally the only thing to do was to add a melancoly mourning mermaid or is she the victim. Where is her other half? No more caffeine for me past 3pm. Enjoy.

Sophie's Portland Birthday

2008-03-17T18:51:00.000-07:00

My beautiful great niece, Sophie, will be turning one this March. I decided to make her some art to go along with the nursery set that I made for her last year. I decided to let rainy Portland inspire the piece. It was made using collage and acrylic paint techniques. She will be having an outdoors party. A sunny warm day and many blessings is what I wish for her.

Here are some pics of Sophie's nursery set. The quilt design was my adaption of a pattern found in a quilting magazine which featured a larger striped quilt with more columbine flowers. The color palette was also changed to give it a retro shabby chic feel. I decided to make a window valance to match. The kitty design on the pillow was hand embroidered. The picture frames were purchased as is.

Garden Fundraiser Project

2008-03-02T08:50:00.000-08:00

Some of the employees, at the long term care facility that I work in, started a adopt a garden project last spring. The result of doing this was very rewarding. I got to see a different side of our residents. Those who usually would not spend much time outdoors, became regular visitors to the garden. The garden was made possible by the donation of time, plants and money raised by the decorating commitee and individuals. To top it off the eagle scouts made beautiful wood benches. A decorative pond was also installed near the gardens and the sound of running water added to the serene atmosphere. A garden committee now exists and we are looking for ideas to raise money for future projects, one of them being a healing garden. I thought these pins could possibly serve as a fundraiser item. The "butterfly dog" is my bosses dog, Linus. His wings are made of foam which have been heated then stamped. The other pins are vintage victorian portraits which I mixed with scrapbooking elements. For the sake of cost and ease I am trying to keep these projects simple. Any ideas are welcome.

Suzi Blu: It's never too late

2008-02-29T15:14:00.000-08:00

My Completed Mannequin

2008-02-24T13:11:00.000-08:00

I know, it took me a while to post pictures of my completed mannequin from Arley Berryhill's costuming workshop. I started out with a very colorful inspiration fabric, but with the plight of our planet in mind as of late,I decided to go green and serene. Taking this workshop was fun for me because the best part of doll making for me is the costuming. Mannequins are a great way to practice. I keep seeing the base as a really funky table lamp. Right?

Big Kick Mania

2008-02-20T15:17:00.000-08:00

My fellow doll making friends, Colleen and Tery, discovered the wonder of using the Sizzix Big Kick for fiber arts and dollmaking. Their enthusiasm towards this machine was infectious. Before I knew it I became the proud owner of one. This machine can cut through foam, fabric, chipboard, craft metal sheets, paper, etc.. I think I will use it to try making some Shrinky dink charms. If I iron Heat and Bond onto fabric, I can also use these die cuts for applique projects. I'd like to hear of some of your ideas.

Playing at Stephanie's House

2008-02-13T06:36:00.000-08:00

February the 10th and 11th, I was very thrilled to be invited to Stephanie Novatski's home, for two days of creative fun. She taught us a decoupage technique which we used as covers for a photo album. Here are Teri and Colleen busy planning their layouts.

Heidi and Stephanie

We had a ball. It was past midnight when we finally laid our weary heads to rest.

Heidi' photo album.

My album titled: TO BEE

I finished my album by day two. The journey that lead to the theme of my album was an interesting one. I kept seeing african bees covering the album background. Somehow they got lost in the back ground and the bee children emerged. Thanks for bringing in those stamps, Colleen. Stephanie got us started on another project on Monday. We assembled a fabric collage, which will be made into a purse, using gorgeous leftover scraps. Stephanie generously provided us full access to her supplies and the girls brought great stuff with them too. Thank goodness because I packed a whole lot of everything and a whole lot of nothing, ha ha. One last thing. What was I thinking of? I did not take a picture of the other three photo albums. I hope I can fix that this coming Sunday at our doll club gathering.

Eva the Fairy

2008-01-31T10:42:00.000-08:00

I mentioned in my last post that I received a doll in our club gift exchange from my friend Colleen. Well, here she is. She's a beauty. I jokingly told her one day

that if she kept on getting better, I wouldn't be able to afford her dolls. Little ol' me is now the proud owner of one of her creations. I wasn't kidding when I told Colleen that my excitement surpassed the feeling I got when my husband, Cruz, gave me diamond stud earrings for Christmas. Aren't I sick? Sorry Cruz. Eva does not stay in one place too long. I find her in my sewing room, my kitchen, even my bedroom. Can she be trying to find her way back home? NAAHH!!

Arley Berryhill comes to town

2008-01-31T09:45:00.000-08:00

This January, our club president Tery, invited Arley Berryhill to come to New Jersey and teach a two day class on costuming. We showed up to class with our mannequins and were eager to begin. Our club members, and invited guests, had the opportunity to learn from a very talented doll artist, in a relaxed and fun atmosphere, thanks to the generosity of our sweet club member, Anne Marie. After our class came to a close, on Sunday, we enjoyed a wonderful dinner, had show and tell, and our clubs holiday gift exchange. I can't put into words, the surge of energy that went through the room when we handed each other our hand made gifts. Colleen made me a beautiful fairy she named Eva. A great time was had by all.

Some samples of our dolls

Maria's Queen of Hearts

Stephanie's Hyacinth

Arley instructs the class

Missy and me

Arley and me

The Christmas Gift

2008-01-21T22:00:00.000-08:00

Our doll club had a gift exchange this year. We all got to draw a name from a bag. I was excited about making something special for my person. I asked my sister, Diana, for a special piece of fabric for this project. She handed me a small wrinkled plastic grocery bag. My first reaction was disappointment until I opened this crumpled bag and saw this gray shimmery piece of cloth. The tag attached to it read, Poganza. I never heard of it but fell in love with it. I must have more. I wanted this doll to have an antique boudoir look with a modern twist. How did I do?This past weekend I handed over my gift in a no frills package. I'm ashamed to say it was a postal box inside a garbage bag. Hey, give me a break. I was burning the midnight oil for the past week. Her reaction was more than positive. I was touched by it.

A Shop Warming Gift

2007-12-09T20:30:00.000-08:00

I recently visited a friend and fellow doll club member, Anne Marie, at her beautiful shop in Hillsdale, N.J. The name of the shop is Yarn Diva and More. When you step in, it's like walking into a candy shop. Your senses are overtaken by all the colors and textures. Yum! I made her a shop warming gift which reflects her store color theme, pink and chocolate brown. She is another incarnation of my Grinning Annie doll. Check out her knitting needles. I made them out of toothpicks and knitted some perle cotton under a magnifying lamp. The polka dotted bag is a miniature copy of the bags she sells at her shop. I had fun making it and thought it would add a unique touch. I gave Anne Marie a larger version of this doll, dressed in red with red yarn hair, a while ago. She liked it so much and said she keeps it in her sewing room. So, I decided to make her one for her shop. Along with yarn, she also was kind enough to give us a venue to sell our handcrafted dolls. What a gal. I can't wait to see her reaction to the doll.

Sophie and Sabrosa

2007-11-24T20:32:00.000-08:00

How can I forget to share my littlest muse, Sophie. She is the daughter of my niece Tristan and her wonderful hubby, Chris. They came for a, much too short, visit from Portland, OR, this past summer. When I spotted Moda Fabric's line of sock monkey inspired prints, I couldn't help but make her, her own little sock monkey. I made the curl on top of it's head because I knew a baby would just go for it. Sure enough, Sophie did not disappoint. The first thing she did was stick that curl in her mouth. Her parents named the monkey Sabrosa, which means tasty in spanish. I also made Sophie's little shoes. Unfortunately, she's outgrown them since the picture was taken. I can't wait to see what else this little beauty inspires me to make.

Creature Feature

2007-11-21T22:06:00.000-08:00

This fall I got inspired to create a few odd creatures. The cat was a pattern that I created five years ago. My husband took a liking to the original, so, I decided to surprise him with one this year. He asked that I place a boot mark on his belly. I'll have to think about that. The moon is made of a stuffed felt circle. The craters and facial details were needle felted. Shading was added with a prismacolor pencil. The little witch is my halloween version of my Grinning Annie pattern. She is approximately ten inches tall and has a wire armature. The little monkey looking fellow was inspired by the talented artist, Magda Trzaski. She was featured in the fall issue of Mary Englebreit's Home Companion. Since I was toying around with armatures, it was the perfect opportunity to make one of these creatures just for myself, and add my own twist. He hangs out in my attic workspace, threatening to run away in his melancoly way.

Birthday Surprise

2007-11-21T16:41:00.000-08:00

This September, the Sew Sew Dolls, a talented group of women who share a passion for making dolls and most things creative, celebrated our first official birthday. Tery, our club leader, glue, and gate keeper, gave each of us a present at our club meeting. In it we had the fixings for a quick lesson in silk fusion and a sewn body from Pamela Hasting's Hot Flash pattern. She transferred our faces onto the pattern. It was quite the hysterical surprise. Some of us started stuffing the body before we even went home. Each doll was to have a color theme chosen by the recipient. My favorite color of the moment was yellow. I had a ball embellishing this body. I appliqued, reverse appliqued, embroidered, and beaded. Her hat is embellished with tassels and needle felted beads. Her bag was a die cut made on the Sizzix Big Kick. Inside, a secret note is sealed away. Although I appreciate all the modern conveniences available to crafters and artists these days, I can't get away from the trusty needle and thread. The yellow palette goes well with my squinting face, don't you think? I can't wait to see what the other gals came up with.

Hoffman Challenge 2007

2007-11-20T15:24:00.000-08:00

This year I thought I would attempt to enter the Hoffman Challenge 2007. I purchased my materials well in advance. I have to say, I did not care for the busy fabric. I also bought a few coordinates to go with it and placed them amongst my fabric stash. Once in a while I'd take a peek but I hadn't a clue as to what I'd do with them. It wasn't until I started playing with some leftover scraps of material, combining them with Angelina fiber and freemotion, that I realized I had picked up the colors in the main challenge fabric. It took off from there. With one month, to get it together, I was on a mission. Unfortunately (?), I did not meet the deadline and she remains with me. It was such a great experience working on her. Since naming my dolls always is a difficult thing for me, my sister Nancy came up with Priscilla, the butterfly wrangler of Haldonberry. It's got a good sound to it. I think I'll keep it. I have seen the challenge fabric for 2008....hmmm.