Doll Retreat 2013

This Year's Retreat Teacher was Leslie Molen.  We did her Santos Cage doll.  Here is a picture of mine...I still need to work on her hair.

Doll Retreat 2012!!

Here is my WIP doll from this year's Sisters of the Cloth doll retreat. The teacher this year was Brenda Gehl. The class name was "Gratitude" and the objective was to understand how the face and hands are part of the costume and theme of the doll and really belong more to the "costume" then to the body. I probably spent the majority of the class time just working on those two things...particularily the hands.

I had hoped the class would focus more on the rest of costuming, but as usual with classes...you never really have enough time to get to the costume. I worked very late Saturday night after the teacher, and most of my club, and gone to bed to get the costume worked out on my own and she is really just pinned here. As each doll was different we got to invent our own costumes to match our doll. There were no clothing patterns. Each person's doll turned out great.

We each had to come to class with our doll bodies already made and we could use any pattern we wanted. I chose to make Arley Berryhill's Le Femme pattern. I am very pleased with how she turned out!

Brenda uses paperclay on top of the cloth to sculpt the features instead of needlesculpting. I really liked that and hadn't tried it before.

I have more work to do, but my doll is going in the right direction.

Of course...the most fun of the yearly Retreat is really my fellow doll makers and time spent gossiping, sipping wine and staying up way too late...oh...and the snickerdoodles...ummm, ummm, good!

Doll Retreat with Christine Shively

This year's retreat featured a class by Christine Shively to make her "Elizabeth I" doll. I need to collect more pics of the dolls themselves but here are a few of us having fun!

The "official" class doll by Christine.

A student version in progress (I don't remember whose doll this was!)

Smiling doll club members Michelle and Kelley.

Christine Shively...Christine had the most wonderful jewelry all weekend!

Me at work on my doll. Looks like my doll has a hand up crying for help..LOL.

Another of Christine's wonderful dolls.

The Fat Lady Sings!

Yep..she is done!

Barb Schoenoff Class

Here are some pics of my "Fat Lady" from the circus. I had a fabulous time and Barb is a great teacher!! I haven't finished all the trims yet...I hope to get that done over this long weekend. I'll post more pics as I go.I used 5 different fabrics...the body color and 4 others. I have some close ups below where you can see the patterns. I need to reposition her head so she looks up when she is draped over her chair!

She will have jet black hair which reallys ets off her eyes...I love her fat little face!!

Jan 2010 Doll Retreat

This year's retreat teacher was Cyndi Mahlstadt and the doll was her "Annie" doll. We all had a wonderful time!

Here is me with my doll

Here are the step by step photos I took during the construction process!

The wire armature

The basic face after needle sculpting

With the eyes in

The armature wrapped in batting..note the feet are apoxie clay.

Testing out the hands and head

The torso cover is now on.

The finished, painted head.

The body wrapped in fabric strips

More fabric wrapping

The sweater vest and hair are on

Vest embellishment

Shoes are done!



Final doll!

Group photos

Doll Retreat With Adele Sciortino

These pics are from the January Retreat with Sisters of the Cloth...I am just getting around to unloading pics from an old camera card!

The Retreat was Viva La Carnival. We used a Carnival theme for the whole retreat...which was out in Temecula as usual.


I made name tags for the retreat using purchased Mardi Gras beads with blank white medallions. I then scanned some mask fabric and used photoshop to print the names. I cut them out and glued them on the medallions.






















This is the mask fabric.

Here are some of the almost finished dolls!

This is my Cat!

Wendy Froud Class- Last day

Today was painting and costuming...take a look at the finished dolls!

Here is the fairy Toby made.

Wendy, Toby & me with my creation.

This is the creature that Wendy made in class!

The final doll at home.