EJ Taylor Workshop - October

The club had a fantastic opportunity to host EJ Taylor's workshop in Oakland.  The 5 day event was fantastic and the opportunity to learn from a master artist - inspirational.  Here Gerry is learning proportions for the figure from EJ and below,

Marcella and Sally are engrossed creating their figures.

Every body hard at work making our figures come to life.

September News

Calendar of Events

Sept. 10, Tinsel & Treasures, Sat., 9 A.M. to 3 P.M., Alamo Women’s Club, 1401 Danville Blvd., Alamo, $3 admission

Sept. 15, Phoebe Members Meeting, 7 P.M., bring bookstore display dolls

Sept. 15–17, Bay Area Quilt, Craft & Sewing Festival, Thurs. thru Sat., 10 A.M. to 5 P.M., San Mateo Event Center, 1346 Saratoga, San Mateo

Sept. 16–17, Harvest Festival, Fri/Sat 10 A.M. to 6 P.M., Sun 10 A.M. to 5 P.M., Alameda County Fairgrounds, $9 adults; $7 seniors; $4 youth 13-17, under 12 free

Sept. 24, Halloween and Vine, Hermann Sons Hall, 860 Western Ave., Petaluma, $5 admission

Sept. 24, Art-is-You, Sheraton Sonoma County, 745 Baywood Dr., Petaluma, 6 P.M.–9 P.M. Phoebe Sharon Martin is participating in this trunk show and sale. Vendors will be selling finished art such as collages, assemblages, art quilts, steam punk jewelry, altered art, art papers, kits, beads, frippery, collage sheets, fibers, yarns, fabrics, unique vintage items and original flea market finds. Entry is free to all, with a donation to AIY’s chosen charity.

Sept. 30–Oct. 2, Sierra Art Trails, Yosemite Foothills Open Studio Tour. Visit http://www.sierraarttrails.org for details.

Oct. 1–31, Phoebe Halloween Window Display, “The Book Shop,” B Street, Hayward

Oct. 9, Fall Antiques & Collectibles Street Faire, Main Street, Pleasanton, 8 A.M. to 4 P.M., Free

Oct. 20, Sally Lampi’s Needle Sculpting Class, Boy Scouts of America Building, 1001 Davis Street, San Leandro. Contact Colleen colleen.patell@gmail.com

Oct. 20, Member/Associate Meeting, 7 p.m., Girls and Boys Club of San Leandro, 401 Marina Blvd., San Leandro. Highlight of the evening will be the Annual Phoebe Auction. Donate items; bring friends (and your check book) and shop!

Oct. 27, K.C.Willis Mixed Media Book Class. If you missed her recent class, sign up early for the next time she will be in our area. Her classes fill up fast! Go to http://studioretreats.ning.com/page/kc-on-the-road-2011 for details.

Nov. 11–13, The Women’s Building Celebration of Craftswomen, Fri.–Sun., 10 A.M.–5 P.M., $9 adults: $7 seniors; under 12 free. A number of Phoebes will be participating in the “Go Figure, Dolls & Mixed Media” booth.

Nov. 12–13, BABE (Bay Area Bead Extravaganza), Sat. 10 A.M.–6 P.M., Sun. 10 A.M.–5 P.M., Oakland Marriott City Center Hotel, 10th & Broadway, Oakland (at 12th St., Bart Exit).

To check out current events and exhibits in our area, don’t forget to check out www.sfgate.com on a regular basis!

So Many Fantastic Dolls at the July Meeting!

There were so many wonderful dolls brought to the Associate Meeting on July 21st...the tables were crowded with fabulous creatures. We have so many talented members, and associates!


Some were scarey or Halloween inspired—brought for the October month-long window display at The Book Store in Hayward. Some were made from cloth, some from clay, and some a combination of the two.


There were goblins, witches, devils, owls, and pumpkin people.

Other dolls were the finished results from the Akira Blount Class in April.

Laurie gave an enrichment presentation on how to make top hats for dolls. Very clever, that Laurie! Thank you!

A great time was had by all! The meeting on October 20th promises to be even more exciting. The annual Phoebe Auction will take place. More on that in the next blog!

Daisy Kiehn's Yoga Doll Class

Daisy Kiehn's class on posing dolls in July offered the Phoebe's a chance to learn the finer points on sculpting and shaping cloth dolls to more realistically represent the human body. Using Daisy's pattern, or one of our own, we posed our dolls in Yoga poses.... a challenge at first, but a great learning experience. Daisy is a master, as you can see in the photo of her feline-like figure on a pumpkin.

Suzanne nearly finished her doll in class, and it shows her skill at assembling and posing, as well as her great use of fabric and surface design to enhance the visual effect.

Donna used a pattern of her own, in the Tree Pose, and finished it after class.

Using Batik prints, the dolls were vibrant with color. A variety of fibers and yarn were used for hair.

Great job, Phoebes! Thank You, Daisy! We learned a lot!

Alameda Fair Free "Make It and Take It" Day

On July 9th, the Phoebes held their annual community outreach event at the Alameda County Fair. Always a smashing (free) event, the attendance was (as usual) terrific!


Children, teens, mothers, fathers, and grandparents all joined in the fun and poked through the Phoebe stash to find stump doll bodies and clay faces of their choice, and then proceeded to explore the many piles and bins of possibilities for embellishment.


So many choices... fabrics, fibers, ribbons and trims, feathers, leather, sequins and gems, buttons... the list was endless!

The Phoebes manning the glue gun table were kept busy by a steady stream of dolls in various stages of completion needing more embellishment.

The excitement grew as the individual dolls neared completion.

The new doll makers couldn't believe this was a free event and that they could make as many dolls as they wanted... and then take them home to love and admire.

So many happy faces!

Calendar of Events for July 2011

July 21:
Daisy Kiehn's Yoga Doll Class. Contact Colleen Patell at colleen.patell@gmail.com

July 21:
Member/Associate Joint Meeting, 7 p.m., Girls and Boys Club of San Leandro, 401 Marina Blvd., San Leandro. Challenge: Bring a doll for the October bookstore window display. Exchange: a decorated pen or pencil.

September 30—Oct. 2
Sierra Art Trails, Yosemite Foothills Open Studio Tour. Visit http://www.sierraarttrails.org/ for details.

October 1-31
Phoebe Halloween Window Display, "The Book Shop," B Street, Hayward

October 20
Sally Lampi's Needle Sculpting Class, Boy Scouts of America Building, 1001 Davis Street, San Leandro. Contact Colleen at colleen.patell@gmail.com.

October 20
Member/Associate Joint Meeting, 7 p.m., Girls and Boys Club of San Leandro, 401 Marina Blvd., San Leandro. Highlight of the evening will be the Annual Phoebe Auction. Donate items. Remember to bring all your friends and shop. Join the fun and excitement!

Phoebes Participate in the East Bay Open Studios

The Phoebes participated in the East Bay Open Studios at Wanda's Goose Cottage in Alameda on June 4 and 5. Phoebe fans and followers showed up to purchase dolls, crowns, pins, and an assortment of Phoebe creations. We were thrilled with the interest and response.