Upcoming classes

New York Doll - black version

Hi dollmakers!  What a good day for ducks!  It's raining and looks like an all-day rain: good for putting on a pot of soup (pea soup) and dollmaking.   I am finishing up my class list for the second half of the year newsletter at Attic Window Quilt Shop where I teach doll making.  The classes all start at 10 am, but we are ok with come when you can if you can't make the 10 am.  We usually go until 3pm or so. 

We are also aok with anyone who wants to jump in last minute - you just need to already have or get your doll pattern from Gail by phone or ipad when you jump in.  Once you have paid for your pattern, you are ok to participate in the class.  All you need for the first class besides your own pattern is your sewing machine with an open toe foot (or clear) and your basic sewing items.  The doll body fabric is available at the store. You will get a supplies list the first class for next time.  Here's a list of the classes:

GW New York Doll -  May 19 & 26 and June 3 & 16, 2011 at 10 am.   This is Gail Wilson's version of the antique doll that graces the front of Wendy Lavitt's book "American Folk Dolls" .
 She is a 16" all cloth doll with an embroidered face and has a folk art cloth cat to hold.

At the June, July, and August bees (second Thursday of each month) we will reuse our kits and patterns for the "very smalls" - a collection of small table dolls including a snowman, angel, and Santa. 

Our adventure into making the 6 & 1/2"  GW Hitty begins June 23 and continues June 30, July 21, and 28.   The original Hitty lives at the Sturbridge Village Library in Massachusetts and has a world wide following.  There are links to various Hitty sites at the bottom of my blog. One of my favs is Esther Robertson's Hitty.     

 If you are looking for a wonderful series gift for a special little girl, this would certain be a good choice as she has many kitted (or finished) items for you to gift over a series of years.  She also has a book written about her that won a Newberry Medal back in 1929 called "Hitty - Her First One Hundred Years".  Rachel Field wrote the story imagining what Hitty's life would have been considering she believed the doll to be over 100 years old when she found her in an antique shop.  For the Hitty items, visit Gail's website by clicking on the post title above, or go to www.GailWilsonDesigns.com ,  and then click on Hitty on the side bar. Be prepared to ohh and ahh.

Starting August 4th, we will try our hand at Gail Wilson's Columbian doll. The original Columbian doll resides at the Wenham Museum in Boston.  She traveled the world raising money for Children's charities in the early part of the 1900's. You can follow her travels via her journal at the museum's website:    http://www.wenhammuseum.org/misscol.html

At the September bee, I will demonstrate how to carve an apple head doll.  The following Thursdays in October, we will carve an apple head, make an armature, and make clothing for the apple heads.  By December or so, the heads should be dried enough to put them together at the December bee. 
Whew!  So many dolls, so little time. I am glad for the rainy days to work on the class sample dolls.  oh -  First, I have to clean up my work table, it's so messy I can't find the table just yet.  And there is the pincushion doll in pink waiting for final items before she gets listed on Etsy. She is haggling with me over the bodice and the peplum. She says they don't match and she wants another matching set. Oh dear, and all those doll faces waiting for eye white.  Gee - I better get to work on all that! 

Thanks for visiting and have some doll fun today! - Julie