Fabulous Results at the November 19th Meeting




 With so many activities going on during the Holidays, it was no surprise that the November meeting was filled with fun and variety. Many dolls from the Kate Church workshops were on display, and there were dolls for the December Bookstore window. Daisy's polymer head from the Kate Church Workshop was fantastic.One of several she completed.

Calendar Of Events 

December, Phoebe Christmas Party, will be held at Mary's on Sunday, December 13, from noon to 3 P.M. Bring your Christmas Exchange gifts. Everyone is asked to bring a sweet or savory food to share. Also bring your Tilda dolls to give to Sharon for the January exhibit at the Castro Valley Library.

December, Phoebe Exhibit at the Book Shop, B Street, Hayward. Betts and Sally will be in charge. The theme will be "Sugar Plum Fairies."
 

January 2016, Phoebe Tilda Doll Exhibit at the Book Shop, B Street, Hayward. Sharon will be in charge.

January 14, Thursday at noon, Phoebe Board Meeting, La Boulanger, 622 Laurel Street, San Carlos. Park in the back and order lunch to eat during the meeting. Open to all members to participate, if they so wish. If you are planning to go, please let Colleen know in advance. If you have something for the agenda, call her on her cell before the meeting day.

January 21, Elinor Peace Baily "Me, Myself and I" Doll Workshop, 9 A.M. to 4 P.M. at the Education Building, Hayward. Contact Colleen at colleen.patell@gmail.com for information.

January 21, Phoebe Meting, 6:30 P.M. at the Education Building, Hayward. If you've just finished your Kate Church figures, please bring them for all to see. Also bring your challenge doll made using notions.

 February  18, Thursday, Workday and Daytime Meeting, 10 A.M. to 4 P.M., Alameda Education Building, Hayward. Daisy will lead an outreach sewing project in the morning (bring your sewing machines or any fleece scraps you have that are 5 inches wide or larger). Lunch and the business meeting will start at 1 P.M.

February  18-20 (Thurs/Fri/Sat), San Mateo Quilt Show, San Mateo Convention Center.
 

 

 March, Tilda Exhibit at the Castro Valley Library. We will again be conducting a one-day  "make it and take it" event for library patrons to come and assemble and adorn stump dolls... a free event for all ages. Watch for date and time.

April 21 (Thursday), Laurie Scott Cloth Embellished Necklace Workshop. Many different techniques will be explored. See one example in photo below. Contact Colleen at colleen.patell@gmail.com to sign up, and send her a check to make sure your space is reserved. 
 



 

  

Show and Tell

 

 

 

 

Anne Klocko shared several of her latest pieces with the group—colorful assemblages using interesting elements.  

 

Even a sewing machine oil can becomes a colorful body

 

Spools of thread compliment a sewing-themed box.

 

 Kate Church Class Results

 

The Kate Church classes were a great success, and  many finished dolls were on display:

  

Colleen - Dancing Fools class

Elizabeth - Dancing Fools Class 

Donna - Transformation Class

 

 

Donna - Transformation Class

 

Daisy - Transformation class

 

 

More Show and Tell Creations

 

 

Kathy showed off quilts in progress for her granddaughters

Linda brought several Tilda dolls

 

Linda's "Pinocchio" Tilda doll

 

Linda's Angel Tilda

 

 

A lovely soft doll for the Hayward Bookstore Display

 

A sampling of the beautiful items Barbara has made with her flea market finds in Paris.

 

 

Bonnie's doll using buttons not only as embellishments, but in structuring the body.

 

Jo Displayed these beautiful scarves.  Each a work of art in itself.

 

The meeting concluded with a make and take taught by Daisy: Making a dress form with a toilet paper roll, colorful paper and wire.  Very clever!

 

2016 Challenge:

In 2016 the challenges will include making dolls with a limited number of sewing notions. The first challenge doll in this series, which will be due in January, will require the use of a single notion to dress or embellish the doll.  Do you have a lot of ribbon in your stash?  Buttons? Lace? This is the perfect time to put these items to use.

 

 

 



Kate Church Workshops were Spectacular!

In November the Flying Phoebes doll club of Hayward flew world-renowned artist and creator of fabulous polymer sculpted figures, Kate Church, from her home in Nova Scotia for three 2-day workshops. Kate is internationally known for her work in conjunction with Cirque du Soleil. Two of the workshops were on her "Dancing Fools," inspired by the characters in the Cirque. The third workshop was on "Transformation," her original wall hanging creation of a figure's metamorphosis between butterfly and human form. Some people took both classes, and the overwhelming consensus was that these workshops were the most enjoyable, informative, and inspiring any of the participants had ever attended. The following six photos are of examples of Kate's pieces she brought with her to serve as suggestions of possibilities for the Dancing Fools.

 Kate was so hands-on in her encouragement and assistance in helping us achieve our visions. Here she helps Pamè create her Dancing Fool on an Eiffel Tower.

Kate carefully and thoroughly demonstrated the steps in sculpting the heads, hands and feet of the figures. This example is of Kate's rabbit-eared head.

 

An important part of the classes were the creation of shoes and bare feet. These samples of some of Kate's shoes served as inspiration for us all.

This photo, as well as the next three, are examples of Colleen's Dancing Fools. Some are not quite finished yet, but they show the wide range of ideas that our talented members came up with in the creation of their figures.

 

 

 

This Dancing Fool was the creation of Elizabeth. Love the pinwheel she made for him to hold. Not quite finished yet, but more photos will follow in ensuing posts of the figures as they are each completed and brought for "show and tell" at Phoebe meetings.

Daisy completed finished two figures for a single scene. I'm sure there are others soon to be completed. We are looking forward to seeing them!

 

Marjorie completed her "Dancing Fool" and added cute shoes and a dangling scarf—and a great hat complete with a flower!

 There are sure to be many examples of completed "Transformation" sculptures in coming months. This one was completed by Donna.

 

Daisy is working on the completion of the "Transition" head shown above. Below is the one she finished in class.

 

 

 

Rosie is hard at work in the "Fools" workshop, making hands to go with the three figures she has started.

Sharon is shown admiring the head she made for her "Transformation."

 

Mary proudly shows us her work in progress. It was a lot of work to do in the short span of two days, and while it was a lot of information to absorb, Kate was so helpful when she wrote out detailed instructions for all of us to keep, thus eliminating the necessity of taking notes in class. Hurrah for Kate! That was wonderful!

 

Kate is shown giving Geri helpful advice on the hands she is sculpting, which include gloves, in "Transformation." 

 

Again, we all loved the class, and it was so much fun spending time with Kate, who is such a truly sweet person, as well as an incomparable instructor. We have already started a dialogue with her to come back again next year for another workshop. We would be so thrilled if that works out!