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
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Thanks for reading my blog and please share your thoughts about my blog post by leaving a comment.Your comment won't appear immediately as comments are verified before publication in an effort to reduce the amount of spam appearing. Anonymous comments will not be published.

Popular posts from this blog

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 w...
3 comments
Read more

"Temari Or Not Temari?" Tutorial

 Background Information:  Temari (literally translated “hand ball”) is a Japanese folk craft that is alleged to have originated in China and was introduced to Japan five or six hundred years ago. Traditionally, the balls were constructed from wrapped kimono fabric remnants and silk threads. They were made by mothers and grandmothers for children to play with. Nowadays, decorative embroidered temari represent a highly valued and cherished gift symbolizing friendship and loyalty. Recently I've wondered if your don't use traditional techniques whether you should call what you create "temari". That is an ongoing debate but today I share what I do to make a "non-traditional temari".... 1.I start  with a polystrene ball ( traditionally the balls were wound  silk scraps or other organic materials) and begin to wrap with approx 4 ply wool, turning the ball as I wrap.  2. I then wrap another layer of wool in a similar fashion , this time a 3 or 2 ...
8 comments
Read more

Timeless Textiles Exhibition

From the   Newcastle Herald today Tactile textiles by top fibre artists BY AMY EDWARDS  Photo by Dean Osland 26 Aug, 2011 04:00 AM THE best of Newcastle’s fibre and textile artists have welcomed the opening of a gallery in Islington to show their work. Timeless Textiles, the brainchild of Newcastle fibre artist Anne Kempton, opened in Beaumont Street, Islington, last night. ‘‘I knew there was a niche and an important one for this style of art. This is high end work and it features 19 artists,’’ she said. The exhibition Revealed: Uncovering the Beauty of Fibre Art features the work of Newcastle, national and international artists ranging from natural fibre clothing designs, wall art, sculptures and 3D hangings. Wilma Simmons, a former high school principal, has created a series of dolls using natural fibres. ‘‘This is a really rare opportunity. There are so few galleries not only in NSW but Australia to promote excellence in fibre and textile art,’’ Mrs Simmons s...
1 comment
Read more