Skip to main content

Creative Workshops

What a wonderful workshop by renowned Dollmaker, Barbara Willis, this weekend at Anne's Glory Box here in Newcastle! Barbara's new book, Cloth Doll Artistry, is full of beautiful and inspiring photos of her exquisite work http://www.barbarawillisdesigns.com/ To see all the samples in real life - up close and personal - was very special. We learnt so much about the finer points of choosing colours, costuming, stuffing doll body parts, tracing patterns and sewing them, as well as a different method for needle sculpting a head. The doll we were attempting is a doll from the new book - Danielle, dressed in dupioni silk, velvet and silk organza. We all had a great time matching fabrics, trims and embellishments. What really made the workshop so special is Barbara's obvious joy in making beautiful dolls, and her positive encouragement of every individual's efforts.


I really loved the flat dolls, which I must admit I hadn't shown much interest in before. I bought the pattern and kit for the MerMaiden , a two sided doll - really two flat dolls back to back... I am looking forward to making this one, too, when I come back from Papua New Guinea.
Below is the information of my next workshop at LamboArt Studio...
Creative Workshops
June 2009

Felted Accessories
Make hand felted beads and a brooch
Additional project - felted wool and silk scarf or belt
Techniques: Wet felt& needle felt basics

Saturday 27 June 2009 10am – 3pm At LamboArt Studio, 53 Government Road Thornton NSW $50 includes
- all tuition and notes
- wool and needle for beads /brooch
- morning tea
Please bring own lunch
Optional Kit a vailable for scarf/belt $20
Bookings now taken
Minimum 5, maximum 8 participants

Enquiries and Bookings for workshops please contact me before 7 June
wilmasimmons@hotmail.com
or after 7 June
LamboArt Studio oliverlambert08@gmail.com

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Too Precious to Waste

 Stitched tea bags/ old doily "tea lights" - Wilma Simmons  More than a year ago, a decision was made.  The annual exhibition of NCEATA ( Newcastle Creative Embroiderers and Textile Artists) 2015-2016 will have the theme "Mottainai". Mottainai in Japanese refers to more than just physical waste (resources). It is even used to refer to thought patterns that give rise to wasteful action. Grammatically, it can be used in Japanese as an exclamation ("mottainai!") or as an adjective phrase ("it feels mottainai"). There is no plural form. The collection of mottainai things could be called mottainai koto ( もったいない事 ? ). As an exclamation ("mottainai!") it means roughly "what a waste!" or "Don't waste." [2]  A simple English equivalent is the saying "waste not, want not." A more elaborate meaning conveys a sense of value and worthiness and may be translated as "do not destroy (or lay waste to) that

Fish and Sticks : Art Dolls

This week I've been working on fish and sticks ....  The sticks are the message stick art dolls which were very popular, attracting some attention and a few orders at the Wise Women exhibition. Each of the message stick dolls are from the Wise Women series, each with her own personality and  message of wisdom, handwritten on a handmade timber tag. I gather the sticks during my walks around my neighbourhood and the tags are made from special bits of timber, some collected by me or  my husband or from off cuts gifted to us  from another doll making friend whose husband makes bagpipes. These dolls start off very simply with a wrap around a stick, in the general shape of a body. 'Naked" message stick dolls - strips of wadding wrapped around found sticks.   Then I usually wrap other layers of fabric, wool, and/or fibres, over which I do some simple embroidery. I sculpt  or mould small face masks for these dolls. I really like using "sari ribbon" as wrapping str

May I Present Mrs Chalumeau...

Finally Mrs Chalumeau takes a bow …She is a Pearly Queen … 695 buttons on the doll and 10 on the journal.(I think – could be more). I would like to thank Paula from Antiques and Collectables here in Hamilton, Newcastle and Raku Buttons ETSY seller for supplying me with about 500 of the vintage mother of pearl buttons, and the rest I had in my stash. I think they look great on my pearly queen, but I am truly tired of sewing on buttons. It made me think however, how many buttons must be on the elaborate clothes of the real pearly Kings and Queens! I drew my inspiration from the lovely lady pictured here, and the following description from Wikipedia. ... A Pearly King ( feminine form Pearly Queen) is a person dressed in a traditional Cockney costume covered in mother-of-pearl buttons. These costumes were treasured heirlooms, hand made and sometimes representing much of a family's wealth. .... This doll is all cloth – a little different from most of my other dolls which generally h