April 2014 Updates

A photo of artist Frida Kahlo reminds us that the theme of
the postcard exchange for April is MEXICO!

Calendar of Events for 2014

 

April 1 through 30, Zanaib's Altered Book Display celebrating the 54th anniversary of the B Street Book Shop in Hayward. Many Phoebes are participating and while the original goal was 54 books, many more are expected to be on display. Be sure to go by and see it.

April 17, Phoebe Monthly Meeting, 6:30 P.M., Alameda County Office of Education, 313 W. Winton, Hayward. The Exchange is a "Mexico" themed postcard. Theme of the meeting will be "It's a Small World," so bring any of your small dolls, whether pins, miniatures, collections... made by you or not... we want to see them! Patterns for small dolls will be available at the meeting, along with a discussion on tips for making them. Don't miss it! Also, read over your copy of the new by-laws, as we will be voting to approve them at the meeting.

April 26 and 27, Betts Vidal "Frog Prince" Workshop, Saturday and Sunday, to be held at Always Quilting, 4230 Olympic, San Mateo (on the border of Belmont). Contact Stephanie at smitharts2002@yahoo.com to sign up. Contact Betts at bettsbetz@aol.com for information.

June 28 (Saturday), Phoebe Alameda County Fair Outreach Day. Set-up at noon. Open to the public at 1 P.M. Sign-up sheet to work noon to 3 P.M. or 3 to 6 P.M. will be at the April meeting. Each Phoebe is requested to make at least 25 stump dolls for this event, or donate push-mold polymer faces. Start going through your cotton stash for colorful doll fabric, and also for glitzy embellishments you would like to donate for the event. Bring your dolls—and stuffing and sewing tools—to stuff and sew at our monthly meetings.

July 7 through 11, Lisa Lichtenfeld Workshop, Boy Scouts Building, San Leandro. Class limit is 18 students. Contact Stephanie at smitharts2002@yahoo.com for details and to sign up.

September 2014, Phoebe Doll Exhibit at the Castro Valley Library. Date to be determined. Each Phoebe is asked to make their original interpretation of the Nola Hart cloth doll pattern (you may enlarge or scale it down a maximum of 10%). You may also submit other dolls you have made. Dolls will be due in August.

EXCHANGES AND CHALLENGES

The theme for the March postcard was France. Here are two examples of the very beautiful and clever cards that Phoebes made for the exchange.

The first challenge in 2014 was due at the March meeting. In January Mary Porter Vaughan had handed a bag with a CD in a tin and some origami papers to all who wished to participate. The challenge was to use one or more of the challenge bag items to create some original art. Here are a few of the many one-of-a-kind creations the very imaginative Phoebes came up with...

Harlene Strauss turned her CD and its tin into a working clock entitled "Time to Smell the Roses."

Daisy Kiehn covered her metal tin with the brown paper from the challenge bag 
and created a boudoir scene inside.

 

Elise Bozzo, our dear Phoebe who lives in Washington state shipped her challenge. It was
an amazing bunny doll with a clay head—the CD tin was covered for the body
and the arms, legs and head were then attached.

Suzanne Rudisill made a miniature table from the CD tin and added chairs.
Perfect for a tiny tea party.

Zanaib Green used her tin as a base for a fabulous assortment of cut and folded paper
shapes, including beautiful butterflies.



Zanaib also made the most wonderful pendant necklace from the CD buy heating,
cutting, and drilling it, then coloring it with alcohol inks to get a
stained glass effect.

PARADE OF DOLLS

 A special event at the March Phoebe meeting was the Parade of Dolls, which consisted of everyone bringing a doll they had made or collected, and wearing something that matched their doll.

Daisy Kiehn is shown wearing African prints to match those of her newly completed
cloth doll. Using some of the techniques she learned in the recent Leslie Molen
workshop, she made and inset the eyes into the cloth head and engineered the doll to stand alone.

Harlene Strauss matches her "Minnie Me" rescue doll. Harlene's scarf is made from a colorful tiny-print fabric, from which she cut little circle motifs to adhere to the doll's costume.

Anne Klocko is shown with her colorful clay figure riding a bicycle.

Bonnie Hoover wore lavender clothing to replicate the colors of her
original cloth doll, Millicent.

Elizabeth brought her fanciful "Timekeeper" doll made from a Barbara Willis pattern.
Elizabeth added an clay over-lay to the face and a feminine cuff bracelet for 
the timekeeper's wrist.

Marcella Hardy dressed as a babushka to match her three "traveling sisters"—dolls
she had made in a Sally Lampi workshop some years ago.



Rosie Dennis donned a cone headpiece with a sheer train to mimic her
Betts Vidal workshop doll, "Princess of Procrastination."

Stephanie Smith came down the runway wearing a French beret and proudly
exhibiting her lovely French doll with ruffles and lace.

Suzanne Rudisill wore stripes representing the colorful Julie McCullough doll that had
extra long legs in matching leggings.



Zanaib Green coordinated look included her original and famous stump doll, wrapped
in material from Ghana. Zanaib wore a matching twisted cloth necklace and headpiece
made from the same gorgeous material.



Tani Martinat swirled her skirt and presented her original doll, which is crowned with
a colorful abundance of yarn and fiber hair.

 

ABOUT ME BY STEPHANIE SMITH

 

 A special segment of the March meeting was devoted to our on-going "All About Me" presentations, where Phoebes talk about their artistic journeys and the road that led them to the world of doll-making. Stephanie Smith led us on an inspiring walk through her life. She was already sewing and making dolls by the time she was seven. Her past was hugely influenced by her Godfather, who was an artist and window dresser for the Emporium store in San Francisco.

Stephanie brought an assortment of dolls showing her progression from porcelain and mold-making to polymer and cloth dolls.

Stephanie at one point was seriously into bear making. A barber by profession, her barber shop
in Noe Valley in San Francisco has long been a popular attraction where people love to view the window arrangements of the bears and dolls she has created.
The name of her shop is Barbers and Bears.

Stephanie is also into making the most fabulous polymer and lamp
work beads, which she turns into beautiful jewelry.
 

Stephanie also shared her knitting and needlework creations with us. A woman of many talents!



Prominently displayed were pictures of her late parents who lovingly
supported her many endeavors and of her Godfather, who instilled
and encouraged in her artistic appreciation and pursuit of her creative talents.