Upcoming New Project(s)

Wanted to share with you two projects that I've been working on this holiday week. It's taking me to extreme directions in making cloth dolls and my un`supervised soldering craft. Anyhow, I've found time to squeeze both projects this week.  Between assistant cook on Thanksgiving and Xmas decor team leader.

What I've found out is that both projects show me ~ how to utilized each techniques into others craft areas. For the soldering and wire project, it's the use of color (picture in pendents) with metal.

The cloth doll, I've used the wire in the arms and fingers, (no pipe cleaners this time) as well as color coordination of attire (stocking and boots) and new eye lids technique. Small half moon shape fabric sew on the lids of her eyes and stuffed with a small amount of polyfill. Adds a completely different de-mention to the face of this doll.

Both project are not completed as of tonight, kids back to school tomorrow, and award Volleyball banquet in the evening.

But I do get to meet with June tomorrow,  she is the daughter of her late mother who was a professional "porcelain doll maker" and she wants to give me her doll molds, or she was going to throw them in the dumpster. I couldn't let her do this, it breaks my heart.

So ~ I'll keep you posted on the next adventure, of this crafting journey that I'm on ~And loving the ride.

Cherish all your happy moments; they make a fine cushion for old age.

~ Christopher Morley, 1890-1957

Much Love ~
Andrea

Thanksgiving Primitive Pilgrims

Happy Thanksgiving ye all ~

Just finished my primitive pilgrims this afternoon, and wanted to share them with you, before the actual day of Thanksgiving. This project was a lot of fun, the stuffing was becoming a bit boring, but had to forge thru it, because the embellishments are so fun to add to the dolls. New technique learned on this project as well, tea dye fabrics. Ten bags of tea in 2 gallon of water and soaked the fabric for several hours and dried them in the bathroom shower.  The male pilgrim is darker then the female pilgrim due to the dyeing process ~  One bolt of fabric was left in the tea dye longer then the other one.

But  ~ back in the 1500's - 1600's hundreds, the male pilgrim was out getting the wood and food, and the female pilgrims were in the covered wagons providing for the family, and not getting so much sun.

Well, that's when these pilgrims told me ~ "if you will"

             Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family ~ enjoy the love you share with each others.

Nothing is permanent in this wicked world - not even our troubles. ~                            Charlie Chaplin, 1889-1977

Much Love ~
Andrea

Soldered Class @ Piecemakers

Early last Saturday morning, a couple of new artiest friends and I, got together and drove down to Piecemakers in Costa Mesa, Ca;  We took a class by Robin Dudley-Howes "Treasure Necklace and Soldered Glass Charms". "As described by the Instructor: We will explore various techniques to encapsulate and preserve precious treasures by learning to cut glass and solder it into charms and explore uncommon objects like miniature vials, dice, dominos, small china or bisque items, small pieces of a plate you couldn't throw out..you get the picture."

Sounds like fun, would you agree? Yes.

Irene Sanchez, owner/operator of "The Garden of Beaden" and Dana Primavera, local instructor/artiest and me, cloth doll maker/artiest, departed from "The Garden Of Beaden" in Upland, Ca. around 8:00am; loaded up with coffee and lots of chatting to make the hour road trip, seem like a 10min ride.

First time for the girls at "Piecemakers", I wanted to make sure they saw as much as possible, in the short amount of time, before our 10am class time. Our first stop was upstairs to the various xmas rooms, class project rooms, candling room, vintage hats/clothing room, bead lounge, and a walk thru the other various rooms that that hold a barrage of mix match assessments of fun merchandise, and goes on and on.  Then we, headed down stairs to see, fabrics, tons of embellishments for every type of mix media craft project imaginable, felt, ribbons, patterns, ceramics, paints, threads, feathers, and to much to continue naming. I have a feeling that the seed has been planted for many more returns to Piecemakers for Irene and Dana.

We had a productive creative day, got to work along side other talented artiest. We got to work with the soldering iron, flux, copper tape, microscope glass slides, glass cutter, grinder, jump rings, bales, small bottles, etc. And of course, there was never a dull moment to hear creative conversation on new ideas and techniques.  These ladies consisted of Janae, mother, Stephanie, her daughter, Liz, corporate executive turned artiest, Carol, long time artiest blessed us with her unique style and ideas, and shared some wonderful stories of her artiest life and beyond. And of course my new friends Irene, and Dana, with their witty humor interjected into the fun.

Instructor jewelry display ~ Bon couture!

Class Instructor ~ Robin Dudley-Howes

Talented Artiest

Charms I created that day ~

"Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have.

Make the Now the primary focus of your life"

~ Eckhart Tolle

Much Love to you ~

Andrea

Seaside Doll Club ~ Annual Doll Challenge

Wow, I was burning the midnight oil last night, to the tune of 3:40am. Can you say "O'lay". My first doll challenge, it's exciting and nerve racking, both at the same time. Yikes!

So, I've been working on this doll for about the last 6 months, in between various art classes and home life of course. This pattern started out as a draft pattern for the Pattie Medaris Culea class, that I'm taking in Nov. at Piecemakers in Costa Mesa. However, this pattern turned out to be so much more, once I learned to properly use the cutting line verse the tracing line, things got much more clear.

I worked on the techniques, again and again, until I was able, not to tier, or poke thru the material, free hand her facial features, eyes, mouth, nose, and sculpting the face features.  I made a couple of them. Ya know.  To get the pattern right. Ya know. Perfection, if you will. So I made this pattern about eight to ten times. Arms, legs, body, head, hands, ect. Yes, that's right,  eight to ten times. I'm very humbled by this process.

Moving on ~

The doll club that I am a member of "Seaside Doll Club" is holding it's 4th Annual Doll Challenge. The theme of the challenge is "Eccentric Old Broad".  In our club meeting today, members unveiled all the hard work and success of this doll challenge. Each doll maker got to chat about the details of there doll and how she evolved. Lots of great tips and trade secret were exchanged.  We have such talented doll makers in our club, all the dolls are crafted with love and detailed, and of course humor.

On with the show, the dolls will be on display from Nov. 2 thru Dec. 5, 2009. During this period customers and employees of SewVac are welcome to vote, all the dolls will be prominently displayed with ballots and a ballot box to catch your votes.

SewVac Ltd.
1762 Clark Ave
LongBeach, CA 90815
562-498-6684

Without further adue, here are the dolls ~

"Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun." 

~ Mary Lou Cook