Search This Blog

Thursday, March 14, 2024

It's All About Tiny Pins!

 Harlene was able to reserve her community clubhouse for the March Phoebe meeting. What a great place for us to meet! It was a beautiful warm and sunny day. The lovely venue was perfect for our meeting, show and tell, and the "Tiny Pin" enrichment session led by Anne.

Calendar
April 13 Meeting, (Saturday). We hope to meet again at the Georgian Manor Community Center. Check your emails for confirmation. Drop-in social get-together will start at 11:30 A.M. to 1:30 P.M. Business meeting will start at 1:30 P.M. Sharon will be showing us how to make decorated manilla folders (see photos on March post). She will be providing some of the materials (file folder, scrapbook paper, doily, some graphics and lace). She asks that you bring white glue, scissors, ruler, a pencil, and any special graphics or ephemera you might want to incorporate. 
Enrichment 

Anne had sent everyone copies of Deb Shitil's patterns and instructions before the meeting, A big thanks to Deb for sharing them with us! Most Phoebes had cut out and stuffed the body parts so Anne could start tutoring the methods of sewing, assembling, and decorating the tiny figures. Some were people, others were animals, and each one was unique and adorable. It was an intensive amount of work and a test of manual dexterity, as well as time consuming. Most people took theirs home to finish. We hope we can see them completed at the next meeting. Thank you, Anne, for all the time and effort spent to enrich all of us! 
Linda joined us on Zoom and sent a photo of the little darlings she had finished. 
Donna brought other types of pins she has received from Phoebe members over the years. She also brought two pins and a nametag she had made in previous Phoebe challenges. Marcella displayed her wonderful collection of assorted pins made by other artists.

Show and Tell

Colleen has been having a great deal of fun pouring various types of paint on ceramic tiles, which are then coated to permanently seal. She has also been pouring paint on white canvas backgrounds. These five tile photos are absolutely fantastic!
to incorporate
to incorporate


Sally shared her wonderful and whimsical painting of "Walking Houses" with us.
Betts created this cute fabric house embellished with lace from one of her favorite places, the lace museum.
Betts celebrated Valentine's Day with an Anna Corba class. Anna supplied antique tea dyed baby dresses which each person decorated with items chosen from a multitude of vintage treasures Anna offered. 
Betts had three nested boxes which she embellished with French papers, sheet music, French stamps, and vintage flowers. Perfect for storing her stamp collection.  
Caroline brought packages of the tiny shoes to share with the pin makers. Sally cut out these cute animal graphics to give to Suzanne R, our "Animal Expert" who volunteers as a docent at the Oakland Zoo.
Sally displayed one of her latest art journals. 
 Each and every page is an original work of art.
Her creative imagination is always amazing. 
Daisy exhibited a felted bird she just made, which pretty much matches the little house with sunflowers that Geri felted. The house will be part of a tiny scene in a teacup she is currently working on. 
Sue is displaying her pretty felted bead necklace and several of her tiny pins.
Carolne and Jenifer have learned how to make 31/2" x 5" fabric origami butterflies from watching YouTube. 



Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Phoebes Fall in Love with Felting


The February Phoebe meeting was much more than a meeting! It was more like a play day or extended enrichment session focused on needle felting. Colleen, Geri, and other members experienced in needle felting brought a huge number of tools and materials—such as foam, fabric, needles, and many bins and bags of wool roving. We also had a potluck luncheon that was brimming with finger foods, savory entrees, sweets, and a special birthday cake baked by Anne for Marcella and Betts. Happy Birthday, ladies!

Calendar

March 9 Meeting, (Saturday), 11:30 A.M. at the Georgian Manor Community Center at 1419 Buckingham Way, Hayward. Please park in "guest parking" only. Thank you, Harlene, for reserving this venue for us. We hope to meet there in April, if possible. Drop-in social get-together will start at 11:30 A.M. to 1:30 P.M. Business meeting will start at 1:30 P.M. For enrichment, Anne will be leading us in assembling Deb Shitil's unique and whimsical beaded cloth pins.
*Check your emails from Jennifer and Anne for details and list of materials, patterns and tools you will need.
Also, please bring your felting projects to share with us.

April 13 Meeting, (Saturday), Drop-in social get-together will start at 11:30 A.M. to 1:30 P.M. Check the newsletter and Phoebe emails for confirmation of place, date and time. Business meeting will start at 1:30 P.M. Sharon will be presenting the enrichment session.
Enrichment
Felted items are created by using felting needles of various sizes to push wool fibers into a fabric, one strand at a time. It is very repetitious and time consuming. Only a very high quality of wool yarn, called roving, should be used. 
Colleen began the enrichment session by showing us some of the many types of items that can be made by felting. Above is a handbag.
Here are two felted hats. 
And she felted purple wool into a piece of silk to make this large scarf. 
The above project was made by felting a huge amount of wool into a large piece of cloth and also making another small hat. 
Once, quite a few years ago, the Phoebes invited world renowned sculptress Lisa Lichtenfels (who lives in New England) to conduct a figurative cloth sculpture class here in the Bay Area. Google her name to see her work, including many of her famous life-size figures. She taught us how to needle sculpt a small doll made from nylons and stuffing. This is the doll Colleen made, and then used felted roving to add her hair.
The Phoebes gathered up the needed materials, which included a solid work surface and a piece of foam, found a comfortable spot, and got right to work. 
Suzanne and Geri, like the others, were seriously concentrating on their work, which can result in a stabbed finger if one is not careful. We hope to see some completed projects at the next meeting.
 
A Sample of March's Enrichment Project
The March enrichment session will be led by Anne. We will be making some of Deb Shitil's famous tiny pins. Deb made them for years and they were a big success at the many craft shows she participated in. Now that she has moved on to other media, she gave the Phoebes permission to use her patterns and instructions to create our own interpretations.

Samples of April's Enrichment Project
In April, Sharon and her friend Linda will be leading enrichment and will demonstrate how to make a decorated envelope using a file folder. It could be used for storage of photos or other types of memorabilia. Linda created the one above, and Sharon, the ones below. 



Show and Tell
Barbara used die cut pieces to construct this adorable little paper armoire.
Barbara is using her antique fabrics and trims to make little dresses. 
And she continues to work on her "book of dresses." This is the third dress she has completed so far. Each set of pages feature a different dress design and accessories and trims, with French papers she collected on her trips to France as a background. 
Geri used her paper die cut pieces to assemble these paper shoes, beautifully adorned with ribbons and flowers. 
Jennifer die cut many paper hearts, which she assembled into a heart shaped book. Perfect for Valentines Day!




 

Thursday, January 18, 2024

Happy New Year to All

 

2023 has come and gone and it's time for a fresh start. Before we know it, Valentines Day will be here. The high points of this month's meeting were planning activities and events for the coming year, such as assigning enrichment sessions for the monthly meetings and planning a design for a challenge Valentine card that will be due at the February meeting.

Betts got our imagination stimulated by conducting an enrichment session that featured bins full of her "All About Hearts" collection. So many items featuring hearts—including buttons, trims, lace, stamps, boxes, papers, fabric, ephemera, words, sayings, and so many beautiful heart-themed arts and crafts she has made or collected. Then, she handed out to each of us a kit with blank cards, envelopes, and bits and pieces of decorative items we could use in our design. Thank you, dear Betts, for your inspiration and generosity! 

The challenge this month was something "Wintery" and some of the Show and Tell photos are examples that represent the theme.

Harlene made and handed out special LOVE pins to members. Thank you, Harlene, for your thoughtful gift.

Calendar

February 10 Meeting, (Saturday), 10:00 A.M. to 4 P.M. at Marcella's. We will be having a Play Day and a Potluck Lunch (please bring savory and healthy dishes). The Play Day activity will be all about needle felting. A supply list will be sent out to everyone before the meeting. Colleen, Geri, and other members will be supplying some materials, but if you have roving, needles, etc. in your stash, start rounding them up.  The challenge (not an exchange) for February is a Valentine card.

March 9 Meeting, (Saturday), 11:30 A.M. at Marcella's. Drop-in social get-together will start at 11:30 A.M. to 1:30 P.M. Business meeting will start at 1:30 P.M. Harlene will be presenting the enrichment session. 

Show and Tell

Colleen displayed this lovely decorative tabletop piece that consists of melted and fused glass shards that are displayed on a wooden table lamp stand. 
Her spice tin people are adorable and are designed to hang on a wall.
Their sculpted faces are so cute!

Colleen has also been busy with watercolor painting and created these great cards, including two wintery scenes.
Jennifer has been focusing on creating books and experimenting with various techniques such as adding 3 dimensional decorative pieces, using various binding styles, and adding tabs and tags.

One of her books is about herself and her brother and has photos and mementos to capture memories. She is planning another book which will celebrate the life her late father and will be titled "The Edgar Chronicles."
 Barbara has completed a beautiful "soft book" inspired by a class with Anna Corba. It is the first in a series to be entitled "My Little Dresses."  The pages are made from fabrics, and she used her printer to print the vintage text. 
Sue used a Christine Shively pattern to create this dainty cloth doll. She is dressed in winter colors. 
Suzanne models the new scarf she crocheted to keep warm during the winter cold. Harlene made a lovely new vest made from a dresser scarf. What a clever idea!
Donna displayed her watercolor painting of a wintery scene. 
Since we will be felting next month, several members brought examples of felted items they have made. Sue created both of these remarkable items that surely took a great deal of time and effort!
Anne has quite a collection of felted items. Her daughter made some of them (the animals), while others she has made and collected over the years.
Pretty sure two of these (top 2) are collected and the one on the bottom and below are an Anne originals. 


This "wintery" Santa Clause was made by Anne and is an example of the stuffed animals and dolls she made when she worked for the DAKIN stuffed doll company. She designed and made all sorts of dolls, including Santas, bears and a bunny, some in hot air balloon baskets.  She gave this Santa to a friend, and more recently received a photo showing that her friend still had it and treasured it! 
Marcella displayed several of her dolls. They are amazing and include felting. Labor intensive, like most of the Phoebe dolls!

Daisy's "Winter Dragon Rider" is the perfect choice for a Winter challenge and a felting example. So original! Kudos!
Exquisite cards and tags are Geri's specialty. These examples (above and below) show the blend of die cuts and a wealth of special embellishments made from a variety of papers, ribbons, fringe, fabric and a multitude of materials.

Sorry, I'm not sure who made these, but the fringe definitely makes these winter scenes lovely and unique. 
Rosie has been busy sewing more oven mitts, like the one above and those below. Great job! They always make nice gifts!

Donna recently made some more bowl cozies. Two each of these three prints.