September Newsletter

Upcoming Meetings

September 19, 2015

ATC Trading Swap- Make 1 Artist Trading Card to swap

September 26-27, 2015

Traveler workshop with Angela Jarecki

October 17, 2015

Challenge Dolls Due

November 21, 2015

Our 13th Annual Show and Sale

December 19, 2015

Christmas party

Member Birthdays

 Wishing wonderful birthdays to Mary, Kathryn, and Denise!

Katie's sculpting homework

August Meeting Minutes

Members present:  Julie G, Jude, Ann C, Julie W, Andrea, Virginia, Janet, Ann R, Mary, Vicki, Ron, Sue, Sara, Leslie, Mary Jane, and Katie.

Katie's Windows Windows

Business Meeting

The Windows Online Workshop with Angela Jarecki is underway.  We had several great face drawings to show what a great class it is.  Looking forward to meeting Angela in person soon.

The Greenfield Art Center is available for the Traveler Class, so we will start class there at 9AM on Saturday September 6th.  You can bring your lunch or there is a restaurant next door and several fast food places in the area. The Art Center address is below.

Anya and Baby - The Traveler with Angela Jarecki

Saturday & Sunday Sept 26th and 27th

Greenfield Art Center 
2 W. Main St.
Greenfield, IN 46140
Class begins at 9AM Saturday Sept 26

$120 class fee, no pattern or kit fee will be charged

The class is full, but if you have not paid in full, please send the remainder of your fee to Jude.

Julie W's Windows

It's hard to believe, but the November Show and Sale is almost upon us. If you are going to have a table, start gathering your sale items.  Katie and Leslie are working together to make the postcards.  

The next Threads of Time retreat is November 6,7, and 8th.  This is a great time to finish up any Show and Sale items you are making.  Individuals have to make their own reservations at the Threads and Beds website.  

We discussed having another Show and Sale at the Threads of time and didn't come to a conclusion.  Think about it and we'll discuss again at the September meeting.  Do we want to do it every 2 years?  Also, bring your ideas for challenge dolls for that show.  So far ideas are Christmas in July, Halloween or Civil War prints.

Jude's Windows drawing

Our own challenge, Leather and Lace is due at the October meeting, October 17th.  We reminded everyone that it can be real leather or something that looks like leather.  It doesn't have to be real.

We talked about classes for 2016.  It was voted on to host our own Sue Odell in the Spring.  We're entertaining ideas for the fall workshop.  So far the two names that came up were Ute Vasina and Charlie Patricolo.  If you think of anyone you would like to see come to Indy for a workshop, drop Andrea an email.

Vivki's NICU quilts

Show and Tell

Katie is enrolled in an online sculpting class with Deb Wood making a pose-able armature out of polymer clay.  Her Windows face and small quilted frame are done.  She also brought her Australian fabric challenge doll, Kamira.  She embodies the freedom of the Aboriginal woman.  She was the winner of the People's Choice award at the Threads of Time Show and Sale.  Congrats!

Mary's vintage crochet hooks?

Julie W also completed her Windows face and frame, as well as the heart frame Angela included in the class.  Her Aborigianl challenge doll, Miranda, means pretty lady.  All of the little girls at Threads of Time loved Julie's doll!

Julie's Black fish

Ann R attended the UFDC convention is St. Louis and really enjoyed visiting a toy/ miniature museum there.

Ann C's aboriginal challenge were here two maple tree spirits made from Lucy Landry's pattern, all anatomically correct and really cute.

Julie G's beaded fish

Mary found a vintage sewing instrument at a garage sale, nobody was sure what it was or it's function, perhaps a crochet hook?  

Jude brought her Australian challenge doll, Gilly.  She was made from a Lucy Landry pattern.

Janet's Windows

Julie G brought in another beaded fish from Dot Lewellen's pattern from her AFIC class, very fishy!  She also had her Aboriginal challenge doll, Tinka, made from Lucy Landry's Bridgett pattern.

Julie G's Tinka

Janet had her completed Windows faces in frames.  She was one of several "over achievers" in our group :-)

Sara's AFICC dolls

Virginia was a darling pull toy, a black cat rolling on a platform made from Christine Shively's pattern from the AFICC class.  This will be a present for her aunt, Lucky Auntie!!

Leslie attended the UFDC convention in St. Louis as well, a dream come true!  The favor doll was done by Susan Frostnot. The theme of the convention was the Year of the Cloth Doll, right up Ann and Leslie's alley!  Leslie is also working on her Windows class, drawing faces.

Virginia's pull toy

Sara had three completed figures from her AFICC class with Deborah Klopp, Red Riding Hood, Santa, and a Day of the Dead doll.  They are all painted and adorably "weird." 

Mary Jane is into English paper piecing and she is working on piecing together one inch hexagons, tiny work!!

Close up of the kitty

Andrea - this lucky girl inherited a button box from her husband's grandmother, and she made three really cute button bracelets that she is giving various relatives.  She also showed off a beautiful read an blue vintage quilt top dated between 1890- 1910 that she purchased at a quilt show.

Leslie's favor by Susan Frostnot

Vivki's church, Faith United Methodist, has started an all day sewing group that meets on the second Saturday of the month, all are welcome.  They are making small quilts to be given to the NICU at Riley hospital.  She brought in a couple of examples.  You can contact Vicki if you are interested in joining.

Leslie's book from UFDC convention

Mary Jane won the nametag drawing.  Today's program was presented by Leslie.  She demonstrated her method for creating teeny tiny fingers.  Thank you Leslie!

Andrea's button bracelets

Next Meeting

Next meeting is the Artist Trading Card Swap.  Bring at least 1 card to swap.  You can bring more if you like.  They can be any media, not just fabric.  Sue and Virginia will be organizing and running the exchange.  Also, we have decided to do a swap meet.  Bring any items from your studio that you no longer have a need for.

Leslie's Window drawings

Upcoming Challenges

Leather and Lace- Due at the October meeting, make a cloth doll that includes the materials leather and lace in some way.  No restrictions on size or theme.

Fantasy Face Pin Doll - Make a pin doll of a Face that tells a story.  Due at the May, 2016 joint meeting with the Rivercity Figurative Artist's Guild. 

September Checklist

• Nametag
• Class Fees for the Traveler Workshop
• Artist Trading Card - at least 1 to swap
• Swap Meet items

May Newsletter

Virginia's Bunnies

Upcoming Meetings

May 16, 2015

Joint Meeting with River City

June 20, 2015

Eyelash Tutorial - Erin

July 18, 2015
Zentangle - Janet

Member Birthdays

 Happy Birthday to Virginia and Janet L and Happy Mothers Day!

April Meeting Minutes

Members present: Julie G, Ron, Jude, Ann C, Leslie, Ann R, Sandy, Julie W, Joan Webb, Andrea, Virginia,  Sue, Sara, Mary, Maggie, Nita, and Erin.

Julie and Nita's Dancing Doris twins

Show and Tell

Julie G and Nita surprised each other by each making a Dancing Doris for our AFIC bar display.  It wasn’t planned, but they both dressed this funky lady in polka dots.  So now we have twins at the bar! The pattern is by Jill Maas. 

Nita also made a critter pin doll that was very sweet.  She used felt and beads for her little birdie.

Andrea's scrapbook

Mary sculpted a ghostie who is super cute scary.

Virginia made a few more bunnies from the Scribbles patterns.  We have so many dolls to donate this year, thank you to everyone for your generosity!

Joan's sketchbooks

Andrea brought a memory book she made with vintage items from her grandmother’s sewing cabinet.  It’s filled with fabric, embroidery, notes, and other items.  What a great way to honor her talent.

Joan made a charity doll from the Scribbles pattern, and machine embroidered the face.  She also made several  types of sketch books with handmade covers.  We all loved the one with puzzle pieces under the rust dyed fabric.

Erin's Bunnies

Erin made a Mama and Baby bunny from a Judi Lynn pattern.  The mama is made from chenille upholstery fabric, and the baby is fleece.

Ann R made a bunch of Scibbles for our donation to the Children’s Bureau.  She used print fabrics for the hair that really look like hair.  They were probably meant to resemble wood grain or wheat, but it works great for hair!

Joan's Scribble

Business Meeting

The November Show and Sale is set to take place at the Irvington United Methodist Church in the Parlor.  It is $60 to rent but we voted to donate extra for their generosity.  We are able to set up the day before.  Maggie will go to take measurements and plan the arrangement of the room.  She wants to meet with the Show and Sale Committee this summer.

Joan's Scrapbooks

We voted to accept the new By-laws as written. Thanks to Leslie and Jude for all their hard work on this!

There is a new date for the Threads of Time Show and Sale.  We will have a retreat from July 24 to the 26^th in Danville, IL.  Our Show and Sale will be on Saturday July 25^th.  You do not have to attend to display dolls or participate in the Australian fabric challenge.   See the bottom of the newsletter for more information on the challenge.

The Greenwood doll show was May 2 and Katie and Nita had a table.  Can’t wait to hear how it went, and if we pulled in any new members!

Sara won the nametag drawing.

We finished our meeting with a presentation from Sue about Steampunk.  She is a wealth of information, and shared several books including 

Steampunk Style and the Steampunk Adventurer's Guide. Thanks Sue, it was a treat!

Next Meeting

We will not be having our normal meeting at the library. 

May 16^th

11 am

Clifty Inn at Clifty Falls State Park

Hoffman Room

1314 Clifty Hollow Rd

Madison, IN 47250

Our annual joint meeting with the River City FigurativeArtists’ Guild is May 16^th.  If you would like to carpool, meet at the library at 8:30 am.  When you arrive at the park tell the person at the gate that you are with the Indy Cloth Dollmakers and you will be admitted to the park for free.  Lunch will be $16 for the buffet including tip.

Mary's ghost

The meeting will mostly be a fun get together with a Show and Tell of dolls we created over the last year as well as our Paint Chip Challenge doll.  See below for information on the challenge. 

We do a few exchanges with River City.  The first is a door prize drawing.  Participation is optional.  Make a grab bag or two with items from your stash.  Past examples are coordinating fabrics and trims for a doll, or a book on dollmaking.  There is also a pin doll exchange (also optional).  Bring a wrapped pin doll and receive one from another artist.

In June, Erin will be giving a demonstration on making eyelashes with black organza.  No supplies will be needed.

Upcoming Challenges

Nita's pin doll

2015 Paint Chip Challenge- Choose a paint chip with coordinating colors and make a doll that includes those colors. This will be due at our next joint meeting with River City in May of 2015. If you haven’t received a chip, you can get one from Andrea or find one you like at your hardware store.

2015 Australian Fabric Challenge- Choose a fabric from Threads of Time’s Australian collection to use in a doll. Doll is due in Danville, IL in July of 2015. There will be a People’s Choice award.

Leather and Lace- Due at the October meeting, make a cloth doll that includes the materials leather and lace in some way.  No restrictions on size or theme.

Ann's Scribbles

May Checklist

• Nametag
• $16 Lunch Money
• Paint Chip Challenge Doll
• Grab Bags (optional)
• Pin Doll (optional)

April Newsletter

Upcoming Meetings

April 18, 2015

Tips on Steampunk - Sue

May 16, 2015

Joint Meeting with River City

June 20, 2015

Eyelash Tutorial - Erin

Member Birthdays

 Happy Birthday and wishes for beautiful spring days to Katie, Ann R., and Sandy!

March Meeting Minutes

Members Present: Erin, Julie G, Andrea, Sara, Mary, Katie, Ann, Jude, Nita, Virginia, Sue, Janet, Vicki, Julie W, Sandy, and Maggie

We welcomed Sara, our newest member, to our fun group!  Hope she liked us as much as we liked her.

Show and Tell

Janet made an adorable little detective named Steampunk Sadie.  She is based on one of the first police women in Indianapolis.  She also made a bunch of cute tablet wristlets to sell.

Nita made Jewelberry, an angel made from a Patti Culea pattern and fabric Jude gave her for Christmas.  She is perfect! 

Sue is almost finished with the bar for the AFICC display, so the floozies will have a place to order.  It looks great.

Katie has been preparing for AFICC in a little different manner than the rest of us.  She has finished a sewing tote, a tool tote and an iron tote!  They are all made from pretty sewing related fabrics.  She will be the envy of everyone at the next retreat.  She has also been working on felted fabric for her art to wear designs.

Mary is on a crochet scavenger hunt.  Each week she is making a secret block, and we're excited to see how it turns out!  

Our newest member Sara brought the Wicked Queen from Snow White.  She took a class with Arlee Berryhill and made an amazing candlestick doll.

Business Meeting 

Erin is stepping down as Secretary in 2016.  She has some big career changes coming up in her life, and is hoping to save some time for actual doll making.  If anyone is interested in writing our newsletter, speak up.  We are flexible on the format, and Erin is also willing to teach you how to use the blog or other newsletter format.

If you haven't already, please pay Jude for our $25 yearly dues.  Make checks payable to Doll Creators.

Andrea reported that 20 people have signed up for the Traveller workshop with Angela Jarecki.  That's great, but also a problem because the limit is 15 students... There will be a waiting list in case anyone backs out.

Our joint meeting with the River City doll club is on May 16th at Clifty Falls.  Lunch will be a buffet and will cost $16.  We will not have a regular business meeting that day, but will meet in the library parking lot around 9 am to carpool.

The sewing retreat/ doll show in Danville, IL has been moved to July 24th- 26th.  You do not have to attend the retreat to visit the doll show on the 25th or enter a doll in the challenge.  The challenge doll must be made from the Australian fabric line and purchased from Threads of Time.  There will be a People's Choice Award.

Mary won the nametag drawing, congrats!

After the business meeting, we worked our little behinds off making charity dolls.  At the end of the day, we had completed 32 dolls and still have more that people took home to finish.  Erin will be taking them to the Children's Bureau after the June meeting, so you have time to finish more on your own.  Thanks everyone for a fun day!

Next Meeting

Please read our new bylaws, the rules of our club.  We will be voting to adopt them at the April meeting.  Thanks to Leslie and Jude for their hard work on them.

AFICC is April 23, the weekend after our next meeting.  Please bring your Bar Scene doll for the group display to the April meeting if you cannot attend AFICC.  Sue and Virgina are wrangling those wild dolls for us.  

There will also be a display at AFICC of dolls from previous years' classes.  If you have a completed doll from an AFICC workshop that you would like to display, bring it to the April meeting to hitch a ride with Julie or Andrea.  Each doll must have a nametag, as well as a note that one of our members has permission to take the doll home.  Security is tight in the display room.

We will be hosting an Artist Trading Card "make and take" table at AFICC.  Julie is bringing stamped face fabrics, but is asking that we each contribute 10 business card size (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") pieces of fabric cut with pinking shears.  Please bring these to the April meeting along with any little buttons, embroidery floss, thread, embellishments, charms, yarns you would like to donate to the table, also embroidery needles, colored pencils, and/or embroidery floss you would like to donate.  Every little bit helps.

Sue will be giving a presentation on Steampunk, no supplies are needed.

Upcoming Challenges

2015 AFICC Club display - A Bar Scene - Create a character (about 14-16 inches tall) that you might meet in a bar or nightclub.  You may create just the doll, or include a setting like a corner booth or a bit of dance floor.  We'll display them together at AFICC in Columbus, OH in April.

2015 Paint Chip Challenge- Choose a paint chip with coordinating colors and make a doll that includes those colors. This will be due at our next joint meeting with River City in May of 2015. If you haven’t received a chip, you can get one from Andrea or find one you like at your hardware store.

2015 Australian Fabric Challenge- Choose a fabric from Threads of Time’s Australian collection to use in a doll. Doll is due in Danville, IL in July of 2015. There will be a People’s Choice award.

Leather and Lace- Due at the October meeting, make a cloth doll that includes the materials leather and lace in some way.  No restrictions on size or theme.

April Checklist

• Nametag
• Dues
• Read the bylaws (available here)
• Bar Room doll for our AFICC display
• Any finished dolls from previous AFICC classes with label
• Pre-cut ATC sized pieces of fabric as well as thread, embellishments, needles, etc.

February Newsletter

Julie W's embroidered Scribbles

Upcoming Meetings

February 21, 2015

Charity Doll Sew-in/ Challenge Judge Form Review

March 21, 2015
Eyelashes -- Erin

April 18, 2015
Tips on Steampunk -- Sue

May 16, 2015
Joint meeting with River City

Mary's award winning dragon

Member Birthdays

We'd like to wish a warm Happy Birthday to Julie G and Liz M!

Lizzie and Grandma's teacup pincushion

January Meeting Minutes

Members Present: Virginia, Sue, Martha, Lizzie, Maggie, Vicki, Ann R, Julie W, Robbie, Ron, Julie G, Jude, Nita, Katie, Janet L, Ann C, Erin, Andrea, and Mary.

Mary's Miss Galaxy 2002

Show and Tell

We had a few test Scribbles in attendance this month.  Scribbles is the Charity doll pattern we are using this year, designed by Cyndy Sieving.  Click the link above to get your copy of the free pattern.  Julie W and Jude were thinking alike and used their embroidery machines to make the faces.  They are so cute!  I can't wait to give a ton of these to little kids who need a friend.

Mary's Countess

Martha brought her granddaughter Lizzie who loves to craft.  They made a bunch of dainty teacup pincushions.  The results were so fun and easy that they bet their non-crafty friends will enjoy making them, too.

Mary brought a lot to share with us, starting with her beautiful mermaid Mareena, from a Patti LaValley pattern.  She belongs in the sea with her deep blue tones.  Next was Miss Galaxy 2002, a lovely lady in a black gown and striking green eyes.  Miss Galaxy was a Dollmaker's Journey challenge using the Sylvia Schorr pattern.

Virginia's fairy Kiss

Then a beaded dragon which won Mary 1st place in an online challenge.  Great job Mary!  The pattern is Celtic Dragon by Melinda Small Paterson. Finally, she showed us Countess, a Christine Shively pattern dressed in purples and blues highlighted in gold. 

Ann C's Troll Baby

Virginia worked hard to get her mom's Christmas gift finished in time, and she was worth the time off work!  Kiss is a whimsical fairy who won't let anything get in between her and her Hershey Kisses!  Virginia even hand-dyed the body fabric.

We have a collaboration between two of our doll artists, the Dragon Charmer and her Baby.  Barbara sent Ann C the adorable Berry to dress, but she had to have a baby!  Mommy is the Sybil pattern by Jennifer Carson. Ann's baby is made of some of the Australian fabric from Threads of Time, using Ute Vasina's Troll Baby pattern.

Barbara's Dragon Charmer

Janet made two new birdies.  One is a little orange and blue fella, and the other is the Distlefink.  She designed the pattern herself based on folk art drawings of the bird.  We love seeing her embellished birds.

Jude's embroidered Scribbles

Business Meeting

Last year, the Board revamped the club bylaws.  We will take a vote to accept them at the February meeting.  You can read them here, or they are listed to the right if you ever need to see one of our rules.

Katie was contacted by the Original Sewing + Quilt Expo.  We were going to have a booth at the Expo, but they have canceled the event this year.  Too bad, we were looking forward to sharing our art with other fiber artists.

But we still have the Doll Collectors show in May.  There wasn't enough interest to have a club display, but a few people are going to share a table.  Contact Leslie if you want to share the cost of the table to sell your dolls.

Janet's Distlefink

The Show and Sale has been growing steadily over the last few years.  We have decided to appoint a committee to handle all of the tasks in planning and setting up the event.  Maggie, Andrea, Vicki, Katie, and Ann R have volunteered for the committee.  Thank you all, this is a great opportunity to make the Show and Sale the best it can be!

Janet's cute orange and blue birdie

Our workshop for 2015 is set with Angela Jarecki.  We asked to NOT make a fairy or a mermaid, I guess we're a little burned out on fantasy dolls. Anya and her Baby will be a good mix of the techniques we requested.  Class size is limited, so we will start the sign-up at the February meeting.  Email Andrea if you cannot attend the meeting but want to take the class.

Anya and her Baby- The Traveller

September 26 & 27Saturday and Sunday (Possibly Friday night as well, that is open for discussion)
Cost -- tentatively about $120 

Angela has also made available her Windows online class to all of our members at a discount!  More info on that to come.

Anya and Baby by Angela Jarecki

Next Meeting

We ran out of time to go over Kathryn's judging forms from the Fairy Habitat challenge. If you would like to share your comments from Kathryn, bring your judging form and we will read them.  It's good to learn from each other and the comments from viewers. 

After our business meeting in February, we will be assembling charity dolls for the Children's Bureau.  Please bring parts for at least one doll, the pattern can be found here. Sew and stuff the arms and legs.  Sew the head pieces to the body pieces, but do not sew them together.  We will do that at the meeting.  If you'd like to make the ears, baste them to the head.   

Scribble arms and legs

Julie and Jude will be making some embroidered faces to share, so you can also bring some bodies without the face attached. We will have sewing machines and stuffing.  You can bring ribbons or fiber for hair, tools for embroidery, stuffing tools, etc.

Scribble's front and back

Upcoming Challenges

2015 AFICC Club display - A Bar Scene - Create a character (about 14-16 inches tall) that you might meet in a bar or nightclub.  You may create just the doll, or include a setting like a corner booth or a bit of dance floor.  We'll display them together at AFICC in Columbus, OH in April.

2015 Paint Chip Challenge- Choose a paint chip with coordinating colors and make a doll that includes those colors. This will be due at our next joint meeting with River City in May of 2015. If you haven’t received a chip, you can get one from Andrea or find one you like at your hardware store.

2015 Australian Fabric Challenge- Choose a fabric from Threads of Time’s Australian collection to use in a doll. Doll is due in Danville, IL in June of 2015. There will be a People’s Choice award.

Leather and Lace- Due at the October meeting, make a cloth doll that includes the materials leather and lace in some way.  No restrictions on size or theme.

January Checklist

• Nametag
• Dues
• Charity Doll body, arms & legs 
• Fibers/ ribbons for hair, embroidery floss for face, needles, thread, stuffing, scissors, etc.
• Critique from the Fairy & Habitat Challenge to share

Mary's Mareena mermaid