August 2018 Newsletter

August 2018 Newsletter

Upcoming Meetings

August 18 - Denise - How to make an awesome journal

September 15 - Joan - Make a portable cutting mat

October 20 - 2018 Challenge Doll Judging

November 17 - Annual Show and Sale

December 15 - Annual Christmas Party and needlebook exchange

Member Birthdays
We have two birthdays this month.  Elena and Andrea are another year older but forever young!
Happy Birthday!

July Meeting Minutes
Sixteen members met in July for a meeting full of fun.  Present were Vicki, Leslie, Ann R., Nita, Ann C., Katie, Jude, Martha, Maggie, Julie W.,  Julie G., Ron, Sue, Virginia, Andrea, and Janet.

Show and Tell
Sue shared a sweet doll she had purchased on etsy and a Unicorn she had made.

Sue's etsy doll

Sue's unicorn

Virginia shared a Goth Doll and an Aardvark named Jenny.

Virginia's Goth Doll

Virginia's Aardvark

Vicki brought her Penguin and Zebra.

Vicki's Penguin

Vicki's Zebra

Nita made an elf made from an Allison Marano pattern at a recent retreat at Threads of Time.

Nita's Allison Marano elf

Jude made a "Nita" doll and brought her Barbara Schoenoff  Faery Doll that she entered in the Indiana State Fair.

Jude's Nita Doll

Jude's Faery Doll

Julie G. shared her Sleeping Mermaid homework she has done for the Marla Niederer workshop in September.

Julie G.'s Mermaid homework

Andrea brought  a troll doll made by Barbara Schoenoff named "Mist" which Andrea had dressed and Barbara's Mountain Girl which Andrea had been given.

Andrea's Barbara Schoenoff Mist

Andrea's Barbara Schoenoff Country Girl

Business
Several people entered the Indiana State Fair this year. Katie, Jude, Elena and Andrea entered dolls and Martha has a quilt she entered.  Be sure and check them out in the Indiana Arts Building.  Do you see all the ribbons!

Elena's entry

Jude's entry

Andrea's entry

Katie's entry

The people who are participating in  the Round Robin/Brown Bag Doll challenge exchanged bags in July.  The next step is to put shoes on their bare little feet and bring them back to the August meeting for the next exchange which will be adding embellishments.  The end comes in October when each of the dolls will be returned to their original creator.  October will be amazing!
Plans for next May's meeting with the Cincinnati Doll group was discussed with a suggestion of a tour of some Cincinnati shops.
Katie passed out bookmarks advertising our November Show and Sale to be distributed around the area.  She will bring postcards to our August meeting.
The November show and sale was discussed and layout of the tables in the room. Plans are for a table for a special display of  some of Barbara Schoenoff's dolls.  That will definitely be something to come to the show and sale to see!

Program
Virginia was our presenter for this month's program.  She makes really fabulous faces on her dolls and generously showed us how we too could do this.  Her techniques and tips and step by step demonstration were excellent.  We each attempted her techniques on doll heads she had made for us.  Everyone's looked a little different as no one can make a doll face quite like Virginia.  Didn't they all come out great?  Well done!

Virginia's example

Member's faces

Next Meeting
Denise will be presenting the August meeting showing us how to make an awesome journal.  This will be a make and take program and Denise will have kits for us so we can all play along with her.

The only optional things for you to bring are:

 (2) - 5x5 inch squares of paper or fabric for the cover 

 (2) - 3.75 x 3.75  inch squares of paper for the inside cover

 - Med sized beads for decorating the tails from sewing the signatures in place.

This journal will be the one like her  Round Robin doll carried during the exchange last year. This will be a fun project for all.

Upcoming Challenges and Events

Sept. 29-30 - Marla Niederer class
Oct. 12-14 - Retreat weekend at Threads of Time in Danville, IL

Oct. 20 -  Challenge Judging - "Growing Old Outrageously"

Nov. 17 - Show and Sale

If anyone has questions about our doll club or would like to contact us, please email our club at Indyclothdollmakers@yahoo.com.

August Check List

• Nametag
• Show and Tell
• Round Robin/Bag Dolls with shoes
• Items as described above for journal making

July 2018 Newsletter

July 2018 Newsletter

Upcoming Meetings

July 21 - Virginia - Faces

August 18 - Denise - How to make an awesome journal

September 15 - Joan - Make a portable cutting mat

October 20 - 2018 Challenge Doll Judging

November 17 - Annual Show and Sale

December 15 - Annual Christmas Party and needlebook exchange

Member Birthdays
Summer birthday wishes to Danielle, Nita, and Vicki.

June Meeting Minutes
Members attending our June meeting were Ron, Julie G., Kathryn, Elena, Ann C., Andrea, Katie, Jude, Julie W. and Joan.

Show and Tell
Julie G. has been enjoying retirement and went to the Bead and Button show where she took a class to make a beaded vessel.  She also took a class on armatures.  Ann C. also went and made the beaded vessel and took a class on soldering.

Julie G.'s Beaded Vessel

Ann C.'s Be

Elena was so happy about a doll she made and has already sold.  Fortunately she has a picture of her Green Circus Dancer to share.  This doll has a clay face and hands and is quite lovely.  Great work Elena!  She also made a Scribbles doll for our charity project and brought her May Beastie challenge which is a dog made from felt.

Elena's Green Circus Dancer

Elena's Beastie

Elena's Scribbles

Katie brought two of her clay dolls she has completed.  Aubrey is made of polymer clay with a beautiful body and costumed in a magnificent beaded organza gown.  Maia is a full body sculpt of paperclay, a technique Katie learned in a class at AFICC with Kathryn Walmsley. Her costume is quite original with beautiful beading.  Check out Katie's blog for more pictures and information on these OOAK dolls.  Beautifully done, Katie!

Katie's Aubrey

Katie's Maia

Business Meeting
There are no more openings for our Marla Neiderer Mermaid class.  Patterns and homework have been sent to  those paid up participants.
Katie is getting our bookmarks for the November Show and Sale and will bring them to the July meeting to pass out.
A reminder the 2018 challenge doll is "Advanced Style:  Aging Outrageously" depicting an older character expressing life with a flare.
The Round Robin/Brown Bag Dolls are due at the July meeting with their clothes on.  Members participating will swap and bring them back again in August  with their new shoes.  Finally at the October meeting they will be completed with embellishments and accessories.
Andrea recapped our River City Luncheon for those who were unable to attend.  Next year it will be our turn to host.  The theme for that challenge will be a Cage Doll.
Also next year  is AFICC around the end of April.  We hope to have Cindy come to one of our meetings prior to give us a preview.
After our meeting was over several of our members stayed and worked on making some Charity Dolls.  Thank you those who were able to stay and do this. For those who were unable to stay or come to the meeting we will be accepting any dolls you can make over the next few months and present them to the Children's Bureau nearer the end of the year.

Scribbles for Charity

Upcoming Meeting
Our July program will be presented by Virginia on making faces.  She has been hard at work sewing faces for us to use.  Andrea has volunteered colored pencils from the library or you can bring your own.  This will be a great learning experience for new and old doll makers, so be sure and come for a fun time!

Upcoming Challenges and Events
Sept. 29-30 - Marla Niederer class

Oct. 20 -  Challenge Judging - "Growing Old Outrageously"

Nov. 17 - Show and Sale

If anyone has questions about our doll club or would like to contact us, please email our club at Indyclothdollmakers@yahoo.com.

July Check List

• Nametag
• Show and Tell
• Pencils and Pens to make faces
• Round Robin/Bag Dolls

June 2018 Newsletter

June 2018 Newsletter

Upcoming Meetings

June 16 - Charity Dolls/Advanced Style Video

July 21 - Joan - Make a portable cutting mat

August 18 - Denise - How to make an awesome journal

September 15 - Virginia - Faces

October 20 - 2018 Challenge Doll Judging

November 17 - Annual Show and Sale

December 15 - Annual Christmas Party

Member Birthdays
Happy Birthday, Martha, Dimple, and Ron!

May Meeting
Our May meeting was a joint meeting with our friends from the River City Doll Club and held at The Sherman in Batesville.

Doll Makers at the Sherman

Members from River City attending were Holly, Liz, and Brenda. Indy Clothdollmakers included Elena, Julie W., Vicki, Ron, Julie G., Kathryn, Sue, Virginia, and Andrea. 
We started off with show and tell including our Beasties challenge.  Julie W. brought her beastie that was a dragon named Primo made from a pattern by Michelle Munzone in a back issue of Soft Dolls and Animals magazine.  She also shared her round robin/bag doll from this past year made from one of Sue Odell's original designs.
Elena brought Yogi, Wisdom Health, an original design of her own.

Elena's Yogi

Vickie brought her giraffe named Dottie.
Brenda made a creature she made out of paper mache.
Liz had a whole family of beasties.  She also shared some art pieces she had made in honor of a nephew who had gone missing.  These pieces were entitled Hope.

Liz's Hope art

Holly created a princess and the pea bed designed by Cindee Moyer and also brought her Charlie doll she had made in a class at Silk Road with Charlie Patricolo this past year.
Kathryn brought "This Little Pig Went to Market" and her round robin/bag doll from this past year that started out from an elinor peace bailey pattern.
Julie G. shared her rag doll made in a Jess Brown workshop in Colorado.  It was a treat to herself for having retired.  (Congratulations on your retirement, Julie G.!) The doll's shoes are made from the fingertips of gloves.
Andrea brought her Flower Faery from Barbara Schoenoff's workshop last year.  Also she brought a doll she had made from a pattern designed by Nita, her Picture Book Doll from last year's challenge, and a Beastie Owl.
Sorry, there are is only one individual Beastie picture.  Hope you can pick some of the others out in this group photo of all the dolls everyone brought.

Our Creations

Holly led us in our pin doll exchange and gift bag exchange.  The gift bags had all sorts of fun fabrics and embellishments to make future dolls from and the pin dolls were delightful!
The Sherman served us with an excellent meal.  It was a good place to meet with our friends from River City.  Thank you River City Doll Club for hosting us this year.  We look forward to our meeting again next year!

Happy Doll Maker Friends!

Next Meeting
Our next meeting is June 16 and we will be back at Irvington Library.  We will have a workshop after our meeting and we will make Scribbles dolls to give to a local charity. Scribbles is a free cloth doll pattern by Cyndy Sieving that can be made for charity.   For each doll, bring 2 arms and 2 legs (sewn and turned), 2 head pieces (one with face), and 2 body pieces (cut out), and hair.     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.    We may have some machine embroidered faces to share, so you could also bring some bodies without the face attached.  You could also bring ribbons or fiber for hair, tools for embroidery, stuffing tools, etc. 
We also plan to have an Advanced Style Video to watch that may have some inspiration for this year's October Challenge Doll!

Upcoming Challenges and Events

July 6-8 - Danville, Illinois Retreat

Sept. 29-30 - Marla Niederer class

Oct. 20 -  Challenge Judging - "Growing Old Outrageously"

Nov. 17 - Show and Sale

June Meeting Checklist:

• Nametag
• Show and Tell
• Scribbles Charity Doll body, arms & legs
• Fibers/ ribbons for hair, embroidery floss for face, needles, thread,  scissors, etc 

May 2018 Newsletter

May 2018 Newsletter

Upcoming Meetings

May 19 - Beasties Challenge and Joint meeting with River City Group

June 16 - Charity Dolls/Advanced Style Video

July 21 - Joan - Make a portable cutting mat

August 18 - Denise - How to make an awesome journal

September 15 - Virginia - Faces

October 20 - 2018 Challenge Doll Judging

November 17 - Annual Show and Sale

December 15 - Annual Christmas Party

Member Birthdays

Happy Birthday Mary Jane, Virginia, and Janet.  Hope your special day is fabulous!

April Meeting Minutes

Members present at our April meeting were Julie G., Ron, Barbara, Colleen, Jude, Ann R., Vicki, Kathryn, Cindy, Julie W., Andrea and Elena.  So glad our Illinois members could join us!

We did not have an official meeting as we met at Newfields to tour the Bes-Ben exhibit.  Janet Brandt, our docent, guided us through the exhibit.  She gave us a history of Bes-Ben founded by Benjamin B. Green-Field who was known for his elaborate, humorous, and flamboyant hat creations.  Many hats in the exhibit had been donated to the museum by a member of the Ball family and others were on loan from a Chicago museum.  He crafted hats for many famous celebrities of his era such as Lucille Ball, Marlene Dietrich and Elizabeth Taylor.  The exhibit showcased hats with birds, horses, dogs, fruit, and so many more things beyond your imagination.  Janet showed us some of the materials used to make hats and inspired us to make hats for our own doll creations.  Thank you, Janet, for such an enjoyable time at Newfields.  It is definitely a place to return to.  The grounds were beautiful with all the brightly colored spring flowers.  After our tour we had a wonderful lunch at The Cafe' at Newfields.  Everyone loved their soups, salads, and sandwiches.

Janet, our Docent

Materials of Bes-Ben

Celebrities

Benjamin Green-Field

Fruit Hats

Swan and Dog Hats

Horse Hat

Hat Hat

Members attending Bes-Ben

Next Meeting

Our May meeting on May 19th will be a joint meeting with the River City doll club from Cincinnati.  River City is hosting this year and have invited us to meet at 'The Sherman"  a German restaurant in Batesville, Indiana.  We will meet there at 11:00 a.m.  River City challenged us to make a "Beastie" doll.  You may also bring Show and Tell dolls.  We will be having a pin doll gift exchange and goodie bag door prizes for those who want to participate.  These are all optional.

Upcoming Challenges and Events

May 19 -"Beasties" Challenge with River City
July 6-8 - Danville, Illinois Retreat

Sept. 29-30 - Marla Niederer class

Oct. 20 -  Challenge Judging - "Growing Old Outrageously"

Nov. 17 - Show and Sale

May Meeting Check list:

• Nametag
• money for lunch
• a couple of show and tell dolls
• your Beastie challenge doll
• a wrapped pin doll to exchange
• optional: a goodie bag for the door prizes