Project for the March 2011 meeting

You asked for it, you got it!  After seeing one of these cute etuis (by Willow Hill Quilts), there were several requests, so the meeting in March will feature this very useful little sewing kit.  Below are pictures of the ones that Andrea and her mother Dale made, so you can see what we will be doing.  The finished size is about 5 inches tall, and 8 inches wide when open. The supply list was sent out by email, and will also be in the newsletter.

Andrea's is the blue one with embroidered felt flowers, and Dale added tatted lace medallions and a vintage button to her elegant red and black one.

Everything is very secure inside, so you can just toss it into a bag anytime you need to have the basic sewing tools with you.

Andrea added embroidery stitches, vintage buttons, and a touch of beading to hers.  The scissors are held in place by a snap sewn to a ribbon loop.   The thimble pocket flap is decorated with a band of fancy flowered ribbon.

Dale finished hers much earlier than Andrea did by using purchased trim for embellishment!  Her scissors are held in place by ribbon looped over a large bead.  The red ribbon on the left holds a bobbin, so she can easily cut off just the thread she needs -- great for hand-piecing on the go.

We originally found the pattern in an issue of Quilter's magazine, but the designer Becca LoGiudice of Willow Hill Quilts also sells the pattern for her 'Wool Etui' on her website.  Becca has been very nice to work with in setting up a way for us to make her pattern as a group.  Thank you!

Pin Doll Sneak Peek

As you may know, we have been talking (for a couple of years?) about putting together a book of original pin doll designs.  It has taken a long time, but it looks like the club will finally, really have our very own pin doll pattern book!  The show-and-tell at February's meeting included some of the entries.

Want a sneak peek of some of the lovely designs that will be inside?  First up is Nita's very useful doll, Ima Pinkeeper, standing by with scissors at the ready.

Ima Pinkeeper, by Nita Butler

You will also find two sweet designs by Leslie.  Rosie has a definite Kate Greenaway air about her, and Punkin is a very tiny Waldorf-style baby doll.

Rosie and Punkin, by Leslie Wright

We can't share any more details than that, because they'll all be in the book!

Our hope and plan is to have some books ready to sell at the Saturday night swap meet at AFIC. So, cross your fingers and think good thoughts for Katie, who has volunteered for the formidable task of organizing our creative ramblings into something book-shaped. (Thank you, Katie!)

February's meeting

We had a good club meeting on Saturday, although we missed everyone who was traveling or sick that day!  We had TONS of good information to share, with discussions about:

• our March workshop with Annie Hesse (we're getting very excited!),
• a club display of dolls at AFIC in April (everybody should send one doll),
• our May luncheon with the River City doll club (don't forget your Zodiac-themed challenge doll).

And all of that was before we even got to show-and-tell.  Katie showed off her new needle-sculpting DVD from Gloria Winer.  We all agreed that the features were amazing, but the dimension of the eyes was most impressive.

Leslie also shared some 'doll-by-the-yard' panels that Anne R. bought for her.  I don't know exactly where Anne found them, but they are also available from different suppliers online.  Just do a search for 'malinda dalton doll panel'.  You can dress her with other panels that have pretty Civil War-style dresses.

But wait!  There's more!  We also had a mini-workshop presented by Katie, who shared Cyndi Mahlstadt's method of making wire hands.  This one was made by Ann Chulk, who got very nice proportions on hers on the first try.  The first picture shows the palm side, and the bottom picture shows the back of the hand.

Check back in a week or two -- the next post will have pin dolls!

More of January's show and tell

Just a quick post here to finish up the show-and-tell from January's meeting.  First is Katie, with a 'play' swatch of woven fabric strips, which was then stitched and embellished.  She was thinking ahead to our 2011 Challenge, which will feature a large-scale fabric print, and finding ways to break up a large print for use in a smaller doll-sized scale.

Katie's experiment

Next is another project from Denise.  And yes, that is two finished objects, but she doesn't make the long trek into town every month, so she has to prove that she's busy even when we don't see her!  In theory, this sculpted head is ready to be painted, but it is so awesome 'as is' that it will probably stay this way, at least for a while.

Denise's sculpted head from a Susie McMahon class

Finally, we have not a finished project but a birthday haul!  Bonnie made her first trip back to doll club after a serious illness (just to get the presents?), and we were all so happy to see her walking around again that we brought the good stuff from our stashes at home to share with her.

Bonnie's birthday presents

That's all for January.  Everybody sew like mad so we can have another lovely round of show and tell!