February 2019 Phoebe Meeting

The meeting this month was held at Kathy's in Berkeley. Over 20 members attended and were extremely impressed by her fabulously decorated and colorful home filled with wonderful art. A highlight of the day was Betts' special enrichment session featuring collages made using many of her treasures of lace, buttons and ephemera, which she has largely collected in France and surrounding areas over the years. In rapt attention are Sharon, Anne, Barbara and Harlene. Betts continues to be one of the most inspiring members of our club. Thanks again, Betts, for sharing your amazing collection and your knowledge.

Calendar of Events 

March 14, Leslie Keeble's Workshop, at Michael's, Union Landing.

March 16, (Saturday), 1:15-4:30 P.M., Phoebe Meeting at Barbara's. Please bring a folding chair if you are attending.

March 23, (Saturday), Phoebe Make and Take at the Castro Valley Library, 11 A.M. to 1:30 P.M. To volunteer, contact Suzanne.

April 13, (Saturday), 1:15-4:30 P.M., Phoebe Meeting at Sally's.

May (date to be determined), 1:15-4:30 P.M., Phoebe Meeting at George Mark. Daisy will be presenting a "make and take" session.

Heart Challenge

The challenge due this month was to make something incorporating hearts. Two of Anne's most recent ceramic wall hanging figures certainly met the requirement. One has a darling heart-shaped mouth, and the other a sweet little heart on his head.

Bonnie is still working on her very ambitious book filled with many pages of heart-themed collages. Each page is a unique design featuring a variety of heart shapes.

Donna has been finishing more of her embellished silk hearts, which can be made into a pin or a necklace. They make nice "thank-you" gifts, too.

Elizabeth felted her heart and trimmed it with colorful felted balls. Caroline cut her heart from a lovely vintage embroidered cloth.

Harlene made the beautiful "stuffed envelope" filled with glittered hearts (shown below) for the challenge, but she also modeled her latest vest. This one was sewn from an innovative and clever pattern she found on line. It is the perfect showcase for all of her colorful embroidery work.

When we saw the charming heart-shaped bound book Jennifer made, we all wanted to make one just like it. We are hoping she will demonstrate its construction at a future meeting.

Even though Jo has been extremely busy with the fabulous quilt show at Bay Quilts in Richmond, she found the time to make these two small squares with hearts. Loved the show... loved these hearts!

Linda not only created a wreath made of hearts, she made the beautiful heart necklace from vintage embroidered silk and sewed on a beaded edging using tiny seed beads. Lovely!

Mary shared her sketchbook pages of designs for dolls to be made using the wonderful polymer clay heads she has sculpted. Their costumes would be constructed from heart-shaped pieces of fabric. Mary's a great artist and a very creative lady.

Sharon brought samples of some of her beautiful paper heart ornaments. At the center of each is a doorway graphic and sweet vintage photos. 

Flalt Doll Challenge
Bonnie handed out a pattern for the flat doll challenge which will be due in June. The pattern shapes can be assembled in any configuration and modified and embellished in any way one desires. It will be exciting to see the different approach each artist will take. Below are samples of Bonnie's work for inspiration.

Show and Tell

Anne wowed us all with this assembled piece made using faucet parts, a vintage Brownie camera, a sink strainer, chalk tin, and tea pot top. It is sure to sell at one of her upcoming art shows.

Caroline's show and tell was this beautiful fiber necklace in her favorite color.

Daisy is gearing up for the next big Girl Scout event. The theme this year for the various teams of girls will be California native birds and each team will have their own symbol. So, Daisy is working hard to make 5 to 7 different birds. Shown here are the Condor, Quail, and Western Tanager. 

While several members brought "crinkles" they had made to donate to George Mark, Anne went above and beyond the call of duty by presenting a huge plastic bag of over 100 flannel and ribbon crinkles she made for the cause. George Mark, a hospital for critically ill children, dispenses the crinkles to the babies, who are amused by the sound the plastic inside makes, as well as by the bright colors and ribbon tabs. They are disposable, so they go through a lot! Thank you so very much Anne for your extremely generous donation of materials and time. 

Elizabeth shared with us this skillfully carved little house she recently purchased from an artist in Grass Valley. It even has a tea light in it for an inside glow.

Donna has been dabbling in watercolors after a 16-year hiatus from painting. Above is her first painting... a small original attempt to paint a face, hair and the steampunk crow she made from fabric.

 This is a small study painted from another artist's work...just to try to remember how to paint washes and petals.

And the third is a study of work by the artist she will be taking a class from next month, Jeannie Vodden, who will be teaching various techniques, including painting metals in a work with a steampunk theme. 

Our hostess for the meeting, Kathy, brought out these quilted pieces she has been working on. She is using scraps from men's silk ties... a very tricky fabric to work with. But, just look at the precision sewing of the shapes and the beautiful colors! Can't wait to see the finished quilt.

Zanaib, our Crochet Queen, has been making various motifs to paint with metallic and glitter paints, using Sharon's techniques for painting lace. Looking forward to seeing them on her upcoming creations.

And, last but certainly not least, above and below are photos of Zanaib's "border clusters." She discovered this idea on Pinterest. Certainly they will be beautiful on greeting cards, stuffed envelopes, and so many other possibilities!

January 2019 Phoebe Meeting at Rosie's

It was a grand reunion at Rosie's house after not having a meeting in December. About 22 or 23 members attended, and it was great to catch up on what everyone had been doing over the past several months. 

Calendar Of Events 

February 23, (Saturday), 1:15 to 4:30 P.M. Phoebe Meeting at Kathy's. The "Out of the Box" heart challenge will be due. Pattern parts will be handed out for flat doll challenge that will be due in June. Items for the March Castro Valley Library Exhibit will be due this month. The theme is animals, or nature-inspired dolls. Be sure you have everything labeled, including props.

March 14, Leslie Keeble's Workshop, at Michael's, Union Landing.

March 16, (Saturday), 1:15-4:30 P.M., Phoebe Meeting at Barbara's.

April 13, (Saturday), 1:15-4:30 P.M., Phoebe Meeting at Sally's.

Enrichment

 Sue (center) handed out detailed instructions and materials for all to participate in a needle-weaving tutorial. Note the beautiful necklace she is wearing. Below is another example of possibilities, which we are anxious to explore. Looking forward to seeing some amazing creations in the months to come.

Show and Tell

Above is a photo of the lovely polymer sculptured doll Sue recently completed. It is beautifully embellished with natural items, such as leaves, twigs and dried flowers. Perfect for the upcoming window display at the Castro Valley Library in March.

Anne and her daughter recently got together to seriously delve into encaustic art. Above and below are examples of the various surface techniques they experimented with, and the results were very striking.

Below are five examples of Barbara's exquisite creations, including ones she created on her most recent trip to France.

The beautiful graphic featured above is printed on fabric.

Next, is an altered book embellished with French vintage lace, including the teeny-tiny lace shoes and a graphic of a French chair with seed beads to represent tufting.

This is one of Barbara's "travel dolls" that accompany her on her many trips to France and other parts of Europe. The dolls interact with people she meets along the way and those moments are photographed and saved on Facebook or in memory books.

Above and below are two more "tres French" Barbara creations.The one below has a metal soldered frame—Barbara's first—and well done.

Marcella has been SO busy turning out wonderful doll blankets for the "stitch'n for kids" project for children in long-term hospitalization. Amazing, Marcella—and they will be so appreciated!

Above and following are photos of the tiny, beautiful dolls created by doll artist Colleen Calhoun that Geri brought to share. Barbara has been in contact with Colleen, who may be available for a 2-day Phoebe workshop sometime in the coming year. What a wonderful opportunity for us that would be!

Rosie submitted a photo of this ornament member Judy made for the holidays. Judy now lives in Florida, and the ornament features sea shells and items from the sea. Perfect!

Shawn is an amazing eclectic collector and recently has been finding fun animals at the Depot in Oakland, She shared part of her frog collection with us, including the frog purse she takes with her when traveling. She never has to worry about anyone stealing it, because it is so obviously identifiable and traceable. What a great idea!

Sharon brought one of the many collage items she has made recently. The latest embellishment she has been experimenting with is antique lace painted with metallic Rustoleum and Martha Stewart glitter paint, with beautiful results.

Mary is shown modeling the wonderful jacket she made from a Mary Tilton pattern. So beautifully and perfectly sewn, we all wanted her to make one for us.

Rosie displayed two of the beautiful greeting cards she has been making. Below are some of the many, many purse necklaces she has been sewing and giving to dear friends. With the side beading completed, she will now be embellishing them with more beads, charms, and other beautiful treasures. 

Dear friends and art—the most perfect combination in the world!

November 2018 Phoebe Meeting

Marcella once again offered her beautiful home to us for the November Phoebe meeting. Here she is shown wearing the fabulous necklace Sharon created and gave to her for the potluck and gift-exchange last month. A perfect accessory for Marcella's wonderful, artsy wardrobe! 

Calendar Of Events 

There will not be a Phoebe meeting in December. Wishing a very special Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all!

January 12 (Saturday), 1 to 4:30 P.M., Phoebe Meeting at Rosie's. Items for the March Castro Valley Library Exhibit will be due this month and next. The theme is animals, or nature-inspired dolls. 

February 9, (Saturday), 1 to 4:30 P.M. Phoebe Meeting at Kathy's. The "Out of the Box" heart challenge will be due. Pattern parts will be handed out for flat doll challenge that will be due in June.

March 14, Leslie Keeble's Workshop, location to be determined.

March 16, (Saturday), 1-4:30 P.M., Phoebe Meeting at Sally's. 

Show and Tell

There was no enrichment segment this month, but there were many items on the agenda to discuss—such as the meeting and challenge schedules for the coming year. We are anticipating many exciting opportunities for us to tap into our imaginations and create new things. The February heart challenge and the library display in March are two examples. Anne, Geri, Mary and others brought wonderful treasures for the raffle table. Not many people brought items for show and tell, but the ones who did brought fabulous creations. 

Kathy had completed a huge strip-quilted piece—so big that Geri stepped up to help her display it. Amazing!

Can't even imagine working on a quilt this big!

Harlene modeled her latest vest, which we all absolutely loved. All her vests are beautiful works of art, and this one, made from sweatshirt material and embellished with printed fabric appliques (an Elinor fabric) and decorative top-stitching and embroidery, was no exception. We all wished we had one like it!

Here's to happy holidays for all, and many more wonderful times together in the coming year!