The Meeting Became a Play Day with Mandalas!

Our November meeting became so much more when we started our enrichment session with Daisy. It was more like the playdays we used to have when we gathered to craft. During the session we followed Daisy's instructions to create Mandalas by painting rocks with beautiful designs. More information to follow!

 

 Calendar

It's that time of the year again and we are looking forward to another festive Christmas celebration at Barbara's studio. It will take place on Saturday, December 13, from 11 AM until 2 or 3 P.M. All you have to do is RSVP at least 5 or so days prior to our gathering and bring a small pair of scissors and a gold leafing pen if you have one. Barbara does all the rest, including a fantastic meal, treats, and a fun crafting session. Don't miss it! The address was sent in Barbara's email.

November Enrichment with Daisy

It seemed everyone enjoyed making mandalas. We only had to bring some round pencil erasers to print the dots, and Daisy supplied the rocks, paints, items to make various size dots, examples, and explained the technique. 

Daisy helped Suzanne R and all of us to gather our materials.

Then she explained the techniques and possibilities.

Shawn, Bunnie, and the rest of us were eager to start painting.

We quickly became engrossed in our work.

And we found we could include a bit of happy chatter while we worked.

Daisy and several others brought mandalas they had previously made.

And below is a photo of some that were finished before our session ended. Looking forward to more being completed at the next meeting.

Show and Tell

Susanne D proudly displayed one of her recently completed quilts. Beautiful colors, intricate designs, and surely a lot of hard work. 

And included another one she finished a short time ago. Her quilts are amazing! Thank you for sharing.

Shawn collects numerous items and then turns them into unique pieces of art like this folding shade wall hanger. So creative.

Daisy created these fabric cats using some of her beautiful batik fabrics. She was inspired by Laural Birch's cat designs.

Colleen is currently immersed in melting and reshaping glass. She uses several techniques, including shaping them in bowls and molds. Fabulous! 

She also recently took a quilting class and learned how to weave fabric strips and create quilts and mats like the one above.

Donna decided to use the tag challenge to create more of her greeting cards and continue to do so in order to use most of the tags she has collected over the years.

Rosie was visiting friends in the Bay Area last month and joined her friend in decorating pumpkins by filling them with various plants. What a unique and clever idea! 

Tips and Tricks

Betts' November challenge was to share tips and tricks.

 Caroline's tip was to read a pattern all the way through at least two times before you start--even if you have made it before. She has learned the hard way and that recutting or unpicking stitches is not fun.

Jennifer suggests buying Exacto blades in bulk because they dull so quickly.

Betts listed the many ways we can spread joy and do good deeds and acts of kindness. 

Colleen 's advice is to always use the best fabric, such as Pima cotton, for cloth doll parts.

Anne suggests turning your project up-side down to get a better perspective or see if something is askew.

Donna revealed how to find out if your fabric is made with synthetic fibers, that melt if you carefully use a match or better yet, a candle (have a small bowl of water nearby). Synthetics will melt into a bead while natural fibers will burn and turn to ashes. You can carefully seal a raw edge of a synthetic ribbon or fabric by carefully passing the edge through the flame.

She also discovered that if your gold leafing pen's nib dries out you can hydrate it with alcohol (not water). Use an eye dropper to add a bit into the cap, close, and stand it vertically in a cup or small bottle overnight.  Ink pads can be revitalized by spraying a bit of water, or alcohol on the pad and seeing which works. 

Elaine's tip is to get a cordless hot glue gun. You can find a HOTO brand on Amazon for $23,

Marcella's tip is to use invisible thread for beading small projects and it's great for bobbins also. If it is too difficult to see, double it.

Geri suggests that when using a die-cut tool, wrap PRESS'NSEAL wrap on the magnetic mat so that your paper pattern comes out clean.

Suzanne D's advice is complete those UFO's (unfinished objects) you need to complete!

(A special thanks to Elaine for taking the minutes and standing in for Sue while she was out of town. It was an outstanding job, and so quickly published!)

Phoebes celebrate 38 years of friendship and creating art.

 

The October meetings are special times as we celebrate our anniversary. This month we celebrated 38 wonderful years together. The Phoebes started as a doll making club, and over the years we have grown into a sisterhood that has supported and inspired each other as we created original art and experimented with multiple art forms and media. We have displayed our creations at numerous art exhibits both in the Bay Area and elsewhere around the world. And, quite a few of us have had our art published in magazines and books. Here's to many more years of creativity!

Calendar

The November 8th Phoebe meeting will be at Marcella's. 

The drop-in social and lunch will be from 11:30 A.M. to 1:30 P.M.  Please bring your own lunch or maybe something to share.

Daisy will be leading the enrichment session and showing us how to create Mandala stones. Bring a pencil with a round eraser to decorate them with dots of paint.

Betts' challenge for November is to think of a "trick" you would like to share with us. Maybe a clever use of a media or tool, a shortcut technique--or something else. 

 

Show and Tell   

This month's Show and Tell once again included a multitude of different Phoebe art projects.

Bonnie's bead and button tags.

Caroline's tags include a Halloween cat.

Colleen brought many different items, like this fabric handbag.

And melted glass orbs.

A small quilt of many beautiful colors.

And a melted glass block with sculptured shapes.

Geri displayed just a few of her many pins. These are ones for Halloween.

And these have a Christmas theme.

Daisy assembled this colorful abstract collage.

And she brought her fabric cat that is wearing sunglasses. 

   One Phoebe finished the front of her folded book by adding flags.

This definitely looks like two of Bonnie's wall hanger flat dolls.

And then Colleen displayed this beautifully colored quilt she has completed.

Jennifer brought a spider tag for Halloween, and several more with messages, like "Walk Your Own Path."

These tags were made by Sally.

And she assembled these to create a booklet.

Here are several of Caroline's tags you've already seen, and some you haven't.

These tags were made by Sue for members of her family, and they will be used for special occasions.

Here are two of the animal themed tags Suzanne R made. They are her favorite subjects.

Suzanne D sent us this photo of a quilt she recently completed. We miss you Suzanne, and we hope you can join us again soon. 

Donna is busy decorating some of the blank tags she has collected over the years and using many of them to put on the fronts of greeting cards. 

Honoring Wanda Fudge and Her Fabulous Art

 

The September meeting was highlighted with a homage to our long-time Phoebe, Wanda Fudge. Over the years she had attended our meetings, inspired us with her amazing artistic creations, invited some of us to craft with her at her Goose Cottage (see above), planned art exhibits for us there and at other venues in the San Francisco Bay Area, and kept us in stitches with her hilarious tales and jokes. There was never a dull moment until she had a stroke two years ago and was under special care and unable to join us. During the past year her loving son and daughter found a way to transport her to our meetings. This month she wanted to share some of her fabulous art with us, which some members had never seen before. You will find pictures of many of them in this post. Pay special attention to the very fine details in all of her art. We are all so happy to have her join us again.   

Calendar

On October 11th the Phoebes will be meeting at Marcella's to celebrate our 38th Anniversary. 

We will meet around 11:30 A.M. and will be enjoying a catered lunch. Look for details in the minutes and emails from Jennifer.

Wanda's Art

 

This is the Frida Kahlo cloth doll she needle sculpted.

Such a lovely combination of beautiful fabrics, lace and jewels.

Pay special attention to all the fine details.

She also made these cloth dolls of Frida, and the love of her life, Diego Rivera, with whom Frida had a tempestuous relationship and a shared passion for art and political radicalism throughout her life. Many of the Phoebes were inspired to make an assortment of items featuring Frida, using fabrics, mosaics, paper, paints, clay, and more.

Wanda made so many wonderful mosaics, as well as many fabulous pieces of art to display in her always beautiful and magical garden at Goose Cottage.

Last month, in anticipation of Wanda joining us in September, members were asked to bring items she made that were in our homes. Bonnie brought Wanda's flower necklace.

Wanda had a period when she made many, many purses of all kinds, which she sold. Daisy bought this one from her. It includes Japanese Sashiko stitching.

And Donna purchased this one made from Japanese fabric.

Wanda sewed many of these darling cat hot pads and gave them away to friends. Donna received this one for her birthday. It says Happy Birthday on the back.

Wanda led us in a Halloween card exchange, and this is the one Donna received from her.

Wanda also had a hot pad exchange, and this is the one Donna was so happy to receive from Wanda.

This purse that Bonnie cherishes was also a Wanda creation.

Show and Tell

Bonnie displayed some pages from one of her wonderful journals.

Three Phoebes displayed the folded books they completed after Sally's enrichment session last month. Suzanne, our favorite Oakland Zoo docent, decorated her front page with a rabbit. Caroline chose abstract faces, and Jennifer added trees and flowers. Wonderful!

Betts had stenciled a webbed pattern across two pages and added glued French paper ephemera. 

Betts also displayed her completed mermaid, as well as a "hanger" that included mermaid related items. Always wonderful!

She also handed out numerous blank tags for us to decorate as a challenge for the October get-together, as well as pieces of ephemera we could attach. These are some of her samples to inspire us. 

And, she also brought the mermaid chair she had assembled. 

Bonnie displayed her Tilly Tea Pot, a cloth doll she made in the past. More similar items were published in 

Daisy's last newsletter. Check them out!

Another recent challenge was to make a story board for an art project. Daisy created this adorable cloth bird with a hat, glasses and very cute shoes. Below is the story board she assembled beforehand. 

Enrichment

The September enrichment was led by Jennifer and Caroline, who brought many boxes of beautiful decorative yarns and taught the Phoebes how to make lovely necklaces with them. 

Jennifer handed out boards to wrap with the yarns and fasten them together. It took some manual dexterity and patience, but it was well worth it. 

Here are a few of the completed necklaces. Aren't they beautiful?

 We were so thrilled that Rosie was in the Bay Area and could join us. And she and Suzanne were obviously thrilled to complete their necklaces and display them for all to admire.

 BEAUTIFUL!