FREE On Line Classes!

Check out The Life Book 2023 Free Taster Sessions for 30 mini classes in a 2 week period. FREE- my favorite number! I've only viewed the first couple of classes and am impressed. It looks like there will be a lot of faces that can only help improve your dollmaking skills. If you enjoy or would like to see if you enjoy mixed media art meet some of the teachers and taste the classes for free.

For the whole year long Life Book 2023 course in mixed media art & wellbeing classes with the 30% off offer that runs until end of Dec 2022 that would make the total about $118 USD. But the 2 weeks of taster classes are now and FREE!

I get nothing for promoting these workshops except the satisfaction that I shared it with you!

https://www.willowing.org/

Humble Beginnings

Faerie Pin Dolls From a 2000 Jody-Judy Class 

Made by Judy Skeel

    I moved into my grandparents home when I was 4.  While my brother was in school grandma wanted to watch her “stories” so she gave me fabric, a needle and thread and showed me how to make very simple Barbie Clothes.  All to watch soap operas!  LOL!  At 16 I saw an ad in a magazine for a needle sculpted gnome that I thought was adorable.  I ordered the pattern and made a strange little fella 8-inch out of panty hose: my first needle sculpting!

    Much later, I was always working on something at my boys’ baseball games and practices.  Some of the ladies asked if I could teach them what I was working on.  I was doing craft shows and lots of dried flowers and herb gifts and other small items at the time.  We met in my kitchen for a couple of years and I  came up with a variety of projects including silk ribbon embroidery, painting birdhouses to look like they were in a garden, decorating paper maché boxes and a 6” “Mother Nature” in polymer clay from a Maureen Carlson book.  Then one week they asked if I knew how to make a doll.  I said my typical response, "let me check into it."  I had seen some elinor peace bailey patterns years before at a local store but the new owner thought they were “tacky and disgusting” and got rid of them.  Dollmakers Journey wasn’t around yet so I went to every craft store in town.  I found some Goosebury Hill patterns and purchased an elf pattern who, seated, measured about 12” total and he was needle sculpted. I added a beard to mine and made him a leprechaun playing a figgle I had bought later.  I always had to do something extra when I made something.  I never started doing a basic thing, I always wanted to jump ahead and make the best I could, no matter the craft.  Anywhoo, I showed the girls the elf pattern and we started it the next week. 

Shamus O'Brian

    Still on my quest for good doll patterns, the last store I went to only had Goosebury Hill patterns, so I bought my obligatory craft store supplies (can’t go in one without a purchase!) and I asked the clerk if they had any epb patterns.  She said no and she had never heard of her.  Then I went to put my money on the counter and found attached to the glass a flier stating epb would be IN TOWN in 2 weeks!  I took the entire class to her lecture/ presentation of telling a story or singing a song about each of her dolls she brought and then tossing them out to be passed around the audience to be touched and viewed up close and personal.  Then her slide show presentation with photos of dolls at every skill level from a basic pancake doll to incredible NIADA DOLLS was mind blowing for us.  She talked about each one, sometimes telling stories about those doll artists.  We all 6 drooled in our seats and we all bought multiple patterns.  Funny.  I don’t remember teaching anything but dolls after that for years. 

    I joined the local doll club that hosted epb and became the Guilded Lilies (we're on Face Book).  I found Doll Street which was a big active on line club then and I learned a ton of things there, FOCD (Friends of Cloth Dolls) another on line group, and a third that I think it was called Dolls ‘N Stuff, which is no more.  About a year later Dolls ‘N Stuff had their 2nd retreat.  They were looking for things to do so I said Jody Miller and I wouldn’t mind showing people who were interested how we needle sculpt or do faces.  They advertised it as the Jody-Judy workshop and we instantly became doll teachers and they insisted on paying us.  We didn’t have a clue what to charge and really would have done it for free but as they insisted we charged $5 a person.  Mary Ann Kaahanui and Bonnie B. Lewis had just started Dollmakers Journey and MaryAnn attended the retreat and brought some goodies to sell. (Yay!  More Shopping!)  We never had an idea that DMJ would grow so big!  Big Kudos Paul! 

Faerie Pin Dolls From a 2000 Jody-Judy Class 

Made by Jody Miller

    Jody and I went to many Doll Conferences/ Retreats together as Jody- Judy because everyone called us that if they didn’t know who was who.  We said it didn’t matter, they didn’t have to get it right as we were interchangeable.  Then we’d laugh and introduce ourselves.  After dinner and evening events you could usually find us in our room showing people how we did faces, sometimes till 3 am!   No class, just girls hanging out, sharing.  Loads of fun and awesome memories!!!

    If you’ve never seen epb perform you have missed a real treat!  I understand now why so many call her “The Mother of Dollmaking.”

 

    I have recently been going through my old doll files, classes, patterns, photos, etc. I just last week finished editing my Cloth Marotte Workshop and this week Dollmakers Journey has it for sale!  I added a lot of information, some drawings and rearranged almost everything.  The Marrotte lesson One has 3 additional pages to it alone.

    Now I am working on Merabella Mermaid, another workshop with 4 lessons.  She is an all cloth doll, has a needle sculpted body and some fun beadwork and other embellishments.  She also has individual articulated fingers in a natural pose.  

So I'm off to eat my lunch and then back to work on Merabella!

Looking for Spring

  Originally published 2/1/14

 Not only are we dealing with subzero temperatures and high winds here at Skeelhaven, but I'm recovering from a total knee replacement from Tuesday of this week. I'm doing my exercises just as I was told and find that I can do more after pushing myself just a little farther. I can't drive, as I'm still on narcotics and frankly bending my leg to get it into the car is a real challenge. So  "house bound and crippled is what my dear cousin calls me. With these temperature that Ohio hasn't seen in several decades I'm thinking the timing is just right.
   I created something new I want to share with you. It's Jack Rabbit in a Box.

   Jack is a cute little stump bodies bunny dressed in his vest and scarf to keep the chilly air away. His ears are wired to give just the most wonderful expression but best of all I love his whiskers.

 

   The all fabric box is decorated with a Victorian County theme. Together they are a new online workshop that premiers at Joggles in April. I hope you consider coming to frolic in the fields with us as we catch our rabbits.

Back In the Saddle Again!

Well I can't believe how long it's been since I posted!  But I am so much better now than I have been for the last couple of years.

The last doll I made was a almost a year ago at "Artistic Figures in Cloth and Clay" (AFICC), which is held here in Columbus and run by Cyndy Sieving, the most organized person I have ever met.  My teacher was Paula McGee, and the doll was her "Willabelle the Weeping Willow."  Paula did my doll's face as I was having trouble with my hands shaking, which was the result of medication and no longer pesters me. (YAY!)

I used (I hope it's past tense!) to have what I lovingly called, "Pattern Acquisition Syndrome" and collected patterns from all sorts of doll artists, but never even opened the patterns, let alone made the dolls, so I have decided to at least read the patterns that appear to have cool techniques like different jointing, wings, variations on needle sculpting the face and wonderful costumes, etc.  I've been learning some fun stuff!  I think my next doll will be someone else's pattern, though I haven't decided who yet.  I'm still reading.