DECEMBER 2009 BLUEPRINTS

Blueprints
Imitation of Life Construction Company
December 2009

Next Meeting, Sunday, December 27, 2009
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What a wonderful program we had in November. Babs was so interesting, with all the backroom information on challenges, problems, and solutions for costuming for the theater, specifically for the Old Globe Theatre in Balboa Park. All of us there thought it was a fascinating evening.

The December "meeting" is our annual Christmas/Holiday Party. Since everyone is so busy, we will have it on the Sunday between Christmas and New Year's:
December 27th from 2-4:30 p.m.
Barbara Chapman is opening her home for us. It's a pot-luck -- bring finger food. Barbara will provide drinks.
Barbara's address is 353 Glenmont Dr., Solana Beach. Take the Lomas Santa Fe exit from Rt. 5, go west, turn right on Nardo (there's a fire station on that corner), make an immediate left and then right onto Glenmont (follow the yellow line). Entrance to the house is on Cliffside, left, around the corner from Glenmont.
There is no program --- this is strictly social, just a fun party. All are welcome. Bring guests, too. Barbara and Wayne's home is most interesting, they are wonderful hosts. Barbara decorates for the holidays and you will love her home.
There will be good food, good company, door prizes and a voluntary gift exchange. Bring a small, doll-related gift and you will take one home.
Then learn about what's in store for the coming year.
Lois

Blueprints Oct 2009

Blueprints
Imitation of Life Construction Company

October, 2009

Next Meetings, Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Sew Pro
4951-b Clairemont Dr , San Diego Ca 92117
6:30 – 9:00pm.

The purpose of the IOLCC is to share the joy of doll making and collecting and to bring this enjoyment to the community through exhibits, workshops & programs.

Ed. Note: Notice the change in meeting place. Due to circumstances beyond our control, we cannot meet at the N. Clmt. Rec. Center.

The October program will be a Halloween party. We'll have a "graveyard" of doll parts. We'll draw numbers to go up and choose whatever you want to make into a doll. Those at the end of the line might wind up with Frankensteins, but it'll still be fun. We'll have some scary props, patterns for witches and monster hats and cloaks and shoes, and masks. So gather up all those spare parts that never got sewn into a doll and we'll see what we can make. Come in costume, if you like, and we'll have Halloween goodies, too.

November, our speaker will be Babs Behling on theatrical costuming, inspiration and research. Babs majored in costume design at the University of Wisc.- Milwaukee and has been working in theatre for longer than she wants to admit. Costuming and doll making use similar techniques for creating a character, body sculpting, period garments and more. Come to the November meeting and will talk about it some more.

December will be our annual Holiday/ Christmas Party at Barbara Chapman's house in Solana Beach between Christmas and New Years on Dec. 27.

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IN THE NEWS

For those of you that haven't heard, Barb & Doug Keeling were featured in an article in the North County Times this past Monday, October 19, 2009. The article is about the Bra Dolls that Barb & Doug created. Here's a link to the article if any of you missed it:

http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/oceanside/article_f41e32dc-5dd8-5786-a4e4-73f72281085d.html


MEMBERSHIP:
Do you want to keep receiving your newsletter? Dues were due in September. The mailing list will be purged in October. Dues are still only $25 per year. There will be a drawing at the October meeting for those paid up in Sept or Oct. We need everyone's support. Membership form in PDF format is available for download on this blog at the top right - just click on the link! Or you can call Kelly at 619-851-7466 and she can provide you with a form.

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GARAGE/RUMMAGE SALE IN NOVEMBER
We have received a lot more donations of doll stuff from former members, so there will be another garage sale on Nov. 21st at Sheila Godfrey's home in Oceanside. We had a very successful sale last year and hope to do it again. Money from this goes to the scholarship fund. We need volunteers to work, sort, price, sell, and haul. Call Sheila or Lois.

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"Dimensions in Dollmaking"
The "Dimensions in Dollmaking" show was the best ever. Hundreds of people came in and there were 740 ballots cast for Viewer's Choice. There were two Viewer's Choice categories: the main exhibit, with a theme of "Make Me Laugh" and the Bra Dolls, to raise money for breast cancer research. And there were 3 more categories chosen by our judge. The winners are:

Viewer's Choice - main--- a tie between Jane Darin's "en plein air" and Jennifer Pallanes' "You've Got to be Kidding

"Viewer's Choice - bra dolls --- Deena Maurus' "Carlotta-Ms. Cougar"

Best Original ---Shirley Ritter's "First Festival Day"

Best Interpretation of a Pattern--- Kelly Riley-Duckworth's "Ms. ZeBra - a bra doll, pattern by Barb Keeling

Best Interpreation of the Theme --- Sharon Cariola's "Pucker Up"

Congratulations to all. And thanks to everyone who helped. It was a great show. Lois

Programs coming up:

November 24th: Babs Behling Costuming in Theatre

December: holiday party, at Barbara Chapman's house

Sharon Cariola is conducting a series of workshops on miniature polymer dolls. These are fabulous and well worth learning how to do.

Susan Berkowitz has offered a workshop on creating dolls of found objects.

Velia Callejo would teach beading.

Check out our blog, too. http://www.iolccsandiego.blogspot.com/ Kelly Riley is responsible for this. Good job, Kelly
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To keep up with events in the cloth doll world, don't forget to keep checking with http://www.clothdollconnection.com/

2009 Dimensions In Dollmaking Slideshow

The pictures are finally done! Here's a slideshow of all the fabulous dolls submitted to this year's 2009 Dimensions In Dollmaking show. Again, thank you to everyone who participated - it was great fun. Take a look at all the wonderful dolls - and get inspired for next year!

TO VIEW IN A LARGER SCREEN - JUST CLICK ON THE CURRENT PICTURE BELOW:

A Dollmaker’s Toolbox by Karen Wooten

This was originally posted as a page on our website, I thought it might be a good time for all of us to re-visit our 'toolbox' and check supplies, clean out old dust bunnies, or if you don't have a toolbox maybe it's time to create one:

A DOLLMAKERS TOOLBOX by Karen Wooton For those who missed the first beginner lesson this is a short explanation of a many of the items that have found their way into my Dollmaker's Toolbox. It is not illustrated so I will try to describe some of the items. SCISSORS AND CUTTING TOOLS Paper scissors—or non-fabric scissors. Use for cutting template plastic, freezer paper, manila card stock anything else that you might use besides fabric. There is a pair of cheap utility scissors that will even cut wire. For cutting fabric, I love Ginghers. They make the best, sharpest and most reliable scissors. 8" dressmaker shears. 5" craft scissors 3" or 4" embroidery scissors. You want one pair with very sharp points. They are fabulous for unsewing and clipping threads. Always test thin pointy scissors to make sure they will snip a thread at the very tip. Some brands look good but don't work well at the tip. X-acto knife—with #11 blade. Just useful for stuff. NEEDLES AND PINS Sewing machine needles: Smitz makes the best sewing machine needles. Universal size 70 or 80 are best for most things. They make a machine quilting needle now that it wonderful for seaming the pieces. Remember: needles get dull. If you have 12-15 hours of sewing on a needle it is time to change it. Many people don't change needles till they break. If your stitches are coming out funny that's one of the first things to check. Sewing Needles: Size 9 or 10 quilting betweens for closing: They are short and thin and can use quilting thread. You can make small stitches with them. Size 7 Long Darners by John James. These are long and very slender and make great needles for needle sculpting smaller dolls. Beading needles—John James makes 12 darners that are very thin and let you use for beads. Tapestry needle with large eye for tassel making or working with yarn, Dollmakers needles. These come in 3" (great for needle sculpting larger dolls), 5", 8" and 12". The long needles are necessary for jointing. Look for Clover brand in the 3" they are finer then some other brands. Curved needles—useful for needle sculpting and sometimes closing. Pins: Skip the long plastic tip quilting pins. Long pins are wonderful but the quilting pins make huge holes. Look for long fine glass head pins. They will run a little more than the ones with plastic ends but they don't melt under an iron. Clover makes some of the best. They have a daisy head that is very fine and the head makes them easy to find. The long pins really help with pinning body parts in place before sewing. Some shorter pins will also be useful. THREAD Cotton covered polyester for machine stitching, you can use light gray or beige and it will go with almost everything. Some people like to use all cotton, it may not be quite as strong but where the stitches are small that won't matter. Buy a good brand. Cheap stuff is cheap. Button hole thread. Comes in several colors. Good for jointing. Can be used to close. Hand quilting thread. Good for closing. Comes in lots of colors. Upholstery thread. Check at UFO or the like. Very strong, doesn't break good for joints. Treadleart carries a real strong nylon thread that works well for joints. Beading thread. Nymo comes in several colors and sizes and is excellent for beading. Invisible thread. Not the fishing line but the stuff used for machine quilting. Works well for embellishment. Has tensile strength of cotton. TURNING TOOLS Bow Whip: Available in any quilt shop or craft shop that caters to dollmakers. Package has 3 different sized tubes from very small to about _" diameter and 3 different size sticks that fit inside. Package shows how to use it. There are cocktail straws and very fine brass tubes that can be added for turning fingers. Fasturn: They make a series of different size tubes with wires with curly hooks on the end that slide inside and pull the tube inside to turn. Hemostats; Choose the ones with the long skinny nose. You may need several sizes depending on the size of pieces you make. Hemostats have a locking mechanism that helps hold onto the fabric while you turn. STUFFING TOOLS Whatever works for you. Vast choices. I use some of the following. Chopsticks. They come in eating size as well as much longer cooking size which are great for big dolls. Hemostats. Useful for stuffing as well. Here it is sometimes easier to cut off the locking mechanism. I keep pairs both with and without the locks. Alligator hemostats. These have a scissor grip but are at an angle and there is jaws that open on the tip are only about _" long. Great for stuffing pipe cleaners into fingers. Large medical tweezers. These come up to 15" long and are great cuz you can grab a bunch of stuffing and hang on while you maneuver it where you want it. [Hemostats and tweezers can be found at swap meets, gun shows, some craft shows. Check the prices—some are more expensive then they should be.] Stuffing sticks. Smoothed flat sticks about 12" long 1" wide, curved at one end pointy on other. Stuffing tools consisting of a long metal rod with a notch cut in the exposed end and stuck into a dowel handle. Very fine ones can be made by taking a long doll needle and cutting the eye of the needle in half at the tip and sticking the point in a dowel. Allows for easy placement of small amounts of stuffing. Barbara Willis markets one. GLUES Tacky Glue. Regular and super tack. The Super tack is thick and will hold things in place better while they are setting up. Dries clear. Jewel-it. Great for sticking things on. Dries clear. E6000. Bonding cement. Glue stick. Useful for working with patterns and other stuff Glue gun. Hot glue can be quick and will hold things in place fast but does not hold up over years and can let go on a warm day. Sometimes I use in combination with Tacky or another glue so it has a backup. OTHER USEFUL STUFF Freezer paper. Trace patterns on the stitching line and iron on to wrong side of fabric (waxy side down). Put fabric right sides together and stitch around the freezer paper. Pull off paper. Can be reused. Manila Folders. Good for patterns Scotch Tape. Fray Check. Use on seam allowance where you think it might fray. It gets a little stiff so it isn't great on fingers. Also can stain. Test first. PomPoms. Great for getting noses and boobs to keep their shape. Stuff head or chest loosely then add a dab of glue to the pompom and use tweezers or hemostat to maneuver into place. Seam Ripper. A very fine one for unsewing Needle ball bodkin. Ball on one end needle eye on other. Ball can be useful for smoothing inside of seam after the turn. Can also be used for threading ribbon or elastic in casings. Teflon Pressing cloth. Good for when working with heat bonding (Stitch Witchery) stuff. Will protect ironing board and iron. Small Tape Measure Marking pens and chalk markers. Fringe maker. Device helpful in making tassels. Pipe cleaners for stuffing fingers. Makes them flexible and no additional stuffing is required. Wire in several guages from 16 (heavy) to 22 (light) for armature. Wire cutters and needle nose pliers for wire.

Dimensions 2009 Winners Announced!

Last night at the September meeting of the IOLCC the winners of the Dimensions In Dollmaking 2009 show were announced as follows:

Viewer's Choice - main--- a tie between Jane Darin's "en plein air"

and Jennifer Pallanes' "You've Got to be Kidding" (bottom right)

Best Interpretation of the Theme --- Sharon Cariola's "Pucker Up" (bottom right)

Viewer's Choice - bra dolls --- Deena Maurus' "Carlotta-Ms. Cougar" (bottom center sitting on couch with bra lampshade)


Best Original ---Shirley Ritter's "First Festival Day" (bottom center -also above in picture with Jennifer Pallanes' doll)


Best Interpretation of a Pattern- Kelly Riley-Duckworth's

"Ms. Ze-Bra" - a bra doll, pattern by Barb Keeling (center stage, of course)
Congratulations to all the winners and thank you to everyone that helped to make this show such a success!

As soon as I receive the individual pictures of all the submissions I will create a slideshow to put up here on the blog - in the meantime, I've included pictures taken at the show of all the winners dolls.

August IOLCC Meeting with Patti Culea

Hi all - I'm finally getting around to updating the blog on last month's meeting featuring Patti Culea showing us how to use the Shiva Paintstiks. It was a well attended class, held at Rebecca's Coffee House in the South Park neighborhood of San Diego. The night was very warm and the lights were quite dim, but we managed to still make the best of it and have fun learning a new technique.
Patti instructed us on many aspects of the Shiva Paintstiks, and was very patient with all of us novices! She provided her own supply of the 'stiks' for our use, as well as 'pre-printed' fabric with a doll face/torso to practice on. She instructed us how to blend, which colors she normally uses to get the fabulous effects she gets, how to set the color after application - and many other tips and tricks!
We really appreciate her dedication to the club and her willingness to share her expertise.
Below are some pictures I took of the nights events:

Blueprints August 2009

Blueprints
Imitation of Life Construction Company

August, 2009

Next Meeting:

Tuesday, August 25, 2009,
Rebecca's Coffee House,

3015 Juniper St.

San Diego, Ca. 92104
6:30 – 9:00pm.

The purpose of the IOLCC is to share the joy of doll making and collecting and to bring this enjoyment to the community through exhibits, workshops & programs.
Ed. Note: Notice the change in meeting place. Due to circumstances beyond our control, we cannot meet at the N. Clmt. Rec. Center.

Directions to Rebecca’s are at the end of the Newsletter

AUGUST 25TH MEETING:
Patti Culea will do a “hands-on” program with Paintstiks at our next meeting.

From the Artist: Painted Portraits with Patti using Shiva Paintstiks. Patti will show you how you can create beautiful faces with these easy to use oilsticks. Having worked in oils during her career as a portrait artist Patti fell in love with the ease of these oilsticks. All you need is a blank piece of fabric (or dolls head), the sticks, brushes and a palette to work on. The brushes clean up quickly with Baby Wipes. Patti will provide the Shiva Paintstiks for you to use.

What to bring: Bring a piece of fabric backed with a bonding sheet and draw a figure you'd like to "paint".

She will also have a figure printed onto fabric that you can purchase for $2.00. Baby Wipes and paper towels will be available for your use, too.
Other supplies to bring: Stencil brushes in several sizes. Do have one small enough for detail work.

DIMENSIONS IN DOLLMAKING 2009
We have 41 dolls promised and paid for. We need about 60 to meet expenses. Even though the promise deadline is passed, please contact me (lois@aardvarktozebra.com or 760-438-3431), if you have a doll to enter. It doesn't have to fit the theme, "Make Me Laugh".
Our second theme is the Bra Doll Challenge, so if you've made a doll or can make a doll from Barb Keeling's bra doll pattern (available from http://www.keelingskrafts.com/), we'd love to display it.
We have a judge: Georgia Millan, who has years of dollmaking experience, both cloth and clay. We have our 3 opportunity dolls. The quilt show has apparently not sold all its vendor space, so we've been assigned 4 booth spaces.! That's a lot to fill.
This is our 18th year, so let's do ourselves proud. Photos of all entries will be sent to a lot of doll magazines right after the show, and put up on our web-site (http://www.iolcc.com/) and our blog (http://www.iolccsandiego.blogspot.com/).
Members may bring their dolls for DID to the meeting and save postage. Be sure they are in a sturdy box, as the dolls get piled into a van for transport to the hall. I will have the opportunity dolls at the meeting, so members may buy raffle tickets then. If you can't go to the quilt show, this will be your chance.
Lois

UPCOMING PROGRAMS:

September 22nd: Jane Darin
October 27th: Halloween party/ hands on
November 24th: Babs Behling Costuming in Theatre
December: holiday party, at Barbara Chapman's house

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS:
Sharon Cariola is signing up people for a series of workshops on miniature polymer dolls. These are fabulous and well worth learning how to do. This will be a series of 5 classes starting October 18th at 1:00 pm and commencing on November 15th. The cost for all 5 classes is only $75, however, space is limited, so sign up early. You can contact Lois or Rosemary for more information.
Susan Berkowitz has offered a workshop on creating dolls of found objects.
Velia Callejo would teach beading.

BLOGSITE INFO:
Check out our blog, too: http://www.iolccsandiego.blogspot.com/ There are new pictures of our last meeting in July posted. If you have any suggestions or ideas for the blogspot, please contact Kelly Riley at lunaetica@gmail.com Good job, Kelly
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PUBLICATIONS:
The following magazines are soliciting photos of your dolls for publication:
December issue: "Happy Holidays", deadline Aug. 15th
Send to "Doll Crafter and Costuming"
Gallery, PO Box 5000, Iola, WI 54945-5000
or email 300 dpi digital photo to editor@dolccmag.com with your name and Gallery in the subject line

"Soft Dolls and Animals" seeks for the Winter issue: "Winter Wonders" deadline Sept. 2nd.
Send to "Soft Dolls and Animals"
2145 W. Sherman Blvd.
Muskegon, MI 49441-3434
or email 300 dpi digital photo to kkoch@scottpublictions.com

To keep up with events in the cloth doll world, don't forget to keep checking with http://www.clothdollconnection.com/

Rebecca’s Coffee House is located at the Corner of Fern/30th and Juniper in Southpark. From University Ave. go south on 30th, Take left at Upas and Immediate right on 30th. Continue down 30th until Juniper Street. Lots of street parking on Juniper.
Here's a link to get directions:
View Larger Map

From North:
Take I-5 South - Continue on I-805 S (signs for I-805) Take exit 15 to merge onto N Park Way Turn left at 30th St Continue on 30th St to Upas StTurn left at Upas, then immediately right on Fern St Continue on Fern St Destination will be on the left
From South:
Take I-5 N Slight right at I-805 N (signs for I-805)
Take the CA-94/M L King Jr Fwy exit Merge onto CA-94 W Take the exit toward 30th St Merge onto Broadway Turn right at 30th St Continue on Fern St Turn left at Grape St Turn right at Fern St Destination will be on the right
From East:
Head west on I-8 Take the ramp on the left onto I-8 W Take the exit onto CA-125 S Continue on CA-94 W (signs for CA-94) Take the exit toward 30th St Merge onto Broadway Turn right at 30th St Continue on Fern St Turn left at Grape St Turn right at Fern St Destination will be on the right

July 2009 IOLCC Meeting

We had so much fun at the meeting in July - thanks to Doug & Barb Keeling from Keeling's Crafts! Doug showed all of us how to create our own unique faces - with a little guidance, hints and tips from the pro. We started on paper, then we graduated to fabric. When Doug broke down the process and explained the 'balance' a face should have - it all made perfect sense. There was a lot of busy hands and definitely some busy pencil sharpeners!

There was also some 'Show & Tell', Barb brought a few of her dolls, and one witch - which I personally fell in love with! Sheila's Bra Doll was there, although Sheila couldn't make it...

Finally, we all worked on a 'Round Robin' Prayer/Bra Doll that is going around several members of the online doll group called Doll Street Dreamers. The intention of the doll is to send good wishes and prayers to a gal who is currently battling cancer. So we all worked on her and you can see a little peek-a-boo of her above, as Doug Keeling is holding her !

Can't wait to see everyone on August 25th, and I'll take more pictures of all the fun we have with Patti Culea.

BLUEPRINTS JULY 2009

Blueprints
Imitation of Life Construction Company

July, 2009

IMPORTANT:
Next Meetings, Tuesday, July 28, 2009,
Sew Pro, 4951-b Clairemont Dr, San Diego Ca 92117
6:30 – 9:00pm.

The purpose of the IOLCC is to share the joy of doll making and collecting and to bring this enjoyment to the community through exhibits, workshops & programs.

Ed. Note: Notice the change in meeting place. Due to circumstances beyond our control, we cannot meet at the N. Clmt. Rec. Center

Tuesday’s meeting will be Doug & Barb Keeling of Keeling’s Krafts &Dolls Rubber Stamping for Cloth Doll Faces.

From the artists: You can never learn enough about doing “faces”…the first question is always “I can cut out the body, do the arms and legs, sew and stuff it and embellish it but the face always gives me problems”..The first and easiest way to start to “create” cloth doll faces is to utilize rubber stamps. Although this isn’t “your” design, it initially gives one an opportunity to learn to shade and color a face.This is the way we will start this fun and creative class…We have taken the “problem” of doing a face and simplified it into some very basic steps. We will start with stamping and shading with stamp designs we will provide. Then we will progress into doing your very own face designs. The class is a complete “hands on” experience that can be enjoyed by a novice as well as an accomplished designer. We will provide the rubber stamps and pads as well as paper and fabric to practice on. All you need to bring is your own Prismacolor Pencils in light and dark pink or light and dark peach, terra cotta, poppy red, black and white and an eye color of your choice (blue, green or yellow). We also suggest you bring fine point pens (Micron or Sukura) in black, brown, red and white for details. If you are used to using face painting mediums other than the pencils, you are most welcome to use them for the shading.

THIS WILL BE A FUN LEARNING EXPERIENCE We will have some of our Rubber Stamps & Face Books at the Class for Resale Also, visit our Website: http://www.keelingskrafts.com/ and click into “Cloth Dolls Patterns & Supplies”

Note from Kelly: I will be bringing my digital camera to take candid photos of us making faces with Barb & Doug! I will be posting these to our blogsite...So, bring your *smiles* and don't forget your 'Show & Tell" Dolls as I can take pictures of those as well and get them on there, too!

DIMENSIONS IN DOLLMAKING: Entry forms have been coming in slowly. We need to get these in, as there are expenses. We had 20 dolls from club members last year. Let's top that this year. Bra Challenge dolls count, so that will constitute a second theme. The posted theme is "Make Me Laugh". You are allowed to enter two dolls, so both can be bra dolls, one bra doll and one funny doll, or two funny dolls. Themes are optional, as always, so your doll(s) may be "other", too. Fees are the same as last year. Barb Keeling and Maraya Hunter will have extra forms as the meeting and will bring them back to me. (I am having cataract surgery that afternoon -- won't be driving to the meeting) There are $400 worth of prizes, and as an incentive, I'm posting a fifth prize, for best Bra Doll for another $100. Last year's entries were published in APWPWD, Soft Dolls and Animals, Doll Crafter and Costuming, and Art Doll Quarterly as well as on our cub website Our web-site has been updated now (thanks, Karen Wooton) and the forms can be down-loaded from http://www.iolcc.com/ also. Let's get behind this again this year. We are famous because we do this show.Check out our blog, too.: http://www.iolccsandiego.blogspot.com/ Kelly Riley is responsible for this. Good job, Kelly
***********************************************************************************************************************************Upcoming:
Tues. August 25th - Patti Culea – faces painted with Paint Sticks
Tues. Sept. 23rd – Jane Darin

The following magazines are soliciting photos of your dolls for publication:November issue: "Bling, Bling"-dolls & their jewelry, due July 15thDecember issue: "Happy Holidays", deadline Aug. 15thSend to "Doll Crafter and Costuming" Gallery, PO Box 5000, Iola, WI 54945-5000 or email 300 dpi digital photo to editor@dolccmag.com with your name and Gallery in the subject line"Soft Dolls and Animals" seeks for the Winter issue: "Winter Wonders" deadline Sept. 2nd. Send to "Soft Dolls and Animals" 2145 W. Sherman Blvd. Muskegon, MI 49441-3434, or email 300 dpi digital photo to kkoch@scottpublictions.com.To keep up with events in the cloth doll world, don't forget to keep checking with http://www.clothdollconnection.com/

July 2009

July IOLCC Meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 28th and will feature Doug Keeling doing a presentation on Various Doll Faces! Mark your calendars, and we will be sending out a reminder as well - it should be a great time and a fabulous learning experience.

Dimensions 2009

http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=df8c393r_1fvqj4fdt&hl=en

We are happy to announce the 2009 Dimensions In Dollmaking exhibit at the San Diego Quilt Show! If you are interested in submitting a Doll to the show, please click on the above link to get more information and print the forms needed for submission.

Below is a slideshow of the 2008 Dimensions in Dollmaking submissions:

Happy Dollmaking,

IOLCC

Blueprints
Imitation of Life Construction Company

June, 2009

Tuesday, June 23, 2009
North Clairemont Rec. Center - Senior Community Building
4421 Bannock Ave. San Diego, 92117
6:30 – 9:00pm.

The purpose of the IOLCC is to share the joy of doll making and collecting and to bring this enjoyment to the community through exhibits, workshops & programs.

Message from the President, Rosemary Hernandez

Hi everyone. I hope you are having a great summer so far. I am afraid that due to poor attendance we have decided to stop meeting on the third Sunday of each month at Sew Pro's. It was a good idea it just didn't pan out. I do hope to see everyone at our Tuesday meeting in June though; it should be a good one. Sharon Cariola will be there to give us a presentation of her fabulous Miniatures. Those of us who attended last months Sunday meeting were very impressed. Don't miss it. Also we will be having our Potluck and doll challenge. Make a doll that represents a time in American History. It can be fashion, fads, or Entertainment, or if you're really ambitious you can make President Obama. Hope to see you all there. Rosemary

May Program:
Maraya Hunter gave us a fascinating program last month on her "Forest Faces", with discussion of all the techniques and materials. It was new information for a lot of us.
Ed.

Note: If you are interested in the bark Maraya used, there is a grove of those trees immediately behind the Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park.

June Program:

For the June meeting, Sharon Cariola will repeat the program she did for the May Sunday meeting, so the rest of you can see and learn about her wonderful polymer miniatures. This is in addition to the pot luck and challenge already scheduled. Sharon is willing to do a series of workshops teaching her techniques. Come see if you'd like to learn how to do this.
From Sharon Cariola: There is a whole "other world" out there. An alternate reality. It captures a moment in time and place and seeks to draw you inside where you can forget your everyday cares and worries. Is it The Twilight Zone?
No, the world I am talking about is the world of miniatures. This craft has recently evolved far and away from the standard doll house you may remember. Artisans are now building castles (with dungeons, of course) Italian restaurants and shops, gas stations and even trailer parks! All in a scale where one small inch equals an entire foot in the world of reality. Some like their creations to be perfect and sterile. Others want to add that last detail – a spark of life. That’s where I come in. I began making miniature dolls about four years ago and have made over 300 to date! A miniature doll is usually between five to six inches tall and is the same scale as most doll houses. I exhibit and sell these character dolls at shows and also on the Internet. This hobby has now become a career, which I love. There is no lack of inspiration because I see interesting faces and body-types everyday. I have also created some larger dolls using these same techniques.
I will be bringing my tools and materials, and will explain my methods and some tricks I have learned along the way. This will be a basic overview, with samples in various stages of completion for you to examine.
You can see samples of my work at: http://stores.ebay.com/Doll-Mine-Miniatures. I hope to see you at this presentation. From sculpting and assembly, to costuming and pose, I will do my best to answer any questions you may have.

DIMENSIONS IN DOLLMAKING 2009

Karen Wooton has put the "Dimensions in Dollmaking" forms on our web-site now (http://www.iolcc.com/), so if you have misplaced those you got in the mailing, you may download these. Encourage your doll-making friends to do so, too. We need about 60 dolls to break even, and have only 3 pledged so far. The forms are also available on our new blog that Kelly Riley Duckworth has done. **********************************************************************************

Don't forget our club challenge for the June meeting, with the theme of American History.
Tues. June 23rd Pot Luck and Challenge

Tues. July 28th Doug Keeling – variously painting stamped faces

Tues. August 25th - Patti Culea – faces painted with Paint Sticks

The following magazines are soliciting photos of your dolls for publication:

October issue: “Perfect Pairings" dolls and their companions, due by June 15th

November issue: "Bling, Bling"-dolls & their jewelry, due July 15th

December issue: "Happy Holidays", deadline Aug. 15th

Send to "Doll Crafter and Costuming" Gallery, PO Box 5000, Iola, WI 54945-5000 or email 300 dpi digital photo to editor@dolccmag.com with your name and Gallery in the subject line

"Soft Dolls and Animals" seeks for the Fall issue: "Halloween Houligans" deadline July 6th

Winter issue: "Winter Wonders" deadline Sept. 2nd. Send to

"Soft Dolls and Animals" 2145 W. Sherman Blvd. Muskegon, MI 49441-3434, or email 300 dpi digital photo to kkoch@scottpublictions.com.

"Contemporary Doll Collector" seeks for the Fall issue: "Lady in Red" deadline July 1st.

Send to "Contemporary Doll Collector" 2145 W. Sherman, Muskegon, MI 49441-3434 or 300 dpi digital photo to lsass@scottpublications.com

To keep up with events in the cloth doll world, don't forget to keep checking with http://www.clothdollconnection.com/

May 2009

Blueprints
Imitation of Life Construction Company

May, 2009


The purpose of the IOLCC is to share the joy of doll making and collecting and to bring this enjoyment to the community through exhibits, workshops & programs.
Ed. Note: This will be the only edition of BLUEPRINTS this month, so don’t lose it!

We had an excellent turn-out for Jenny Doh's presentation on the publishing world last month, and the best "Show and Tell" in ages. It was a great meeting. And for the Sunday meeting, Barb Keeling had us rolling in laughter with her Bra Doll presentation. She is so clever. Get in on this challenge. It is for a very good causeand will prove to be lots of fun. And will be an opportunity for you to have your doll published, as Barb has been asked by "Soft Dolls and Animals" magazine to write an article, with photos, onthe challenge.
Now for something different. Again, this month we have different speakers for the Sunday and the Tuesday meetings. Everyone is welcome at either or both programs. Neither speaker is a cloth doll maker, but both are highly innovative, very accomplished artists whose techniques will augment our doll art. Sunday afternoon's program features Sharon Cariola with her miniature polymer dolls. They are exquisite and very detailed figures. The Tuesday evening's program features Maraya Hunter, with her "Forest Faces" made of wonderful found natural materials. Both will be very interesting programs."

From Sharon Cariola: There is a whole "other world" out there. An alternate reality. It captures a moment in time and place and seeks to draw you inside where you can forget your everyday cares and worries. Is it The Twilight Zone?
No, the world I am talking about is the world of miniatures. This craft has recently evolved far and away from the standard doll house you may remember. Artisans are now building castles (with dungeons, of course) Italian restaurants and shops, gas stations and even trailer parks! All in a scale where one small inch equals an entire foot in the world of reality. Some like their creations to be perfect and sterile. Others want to add that last detail – a spark of life. That’s where I come in.
I began making miniature dolls about four years ago and have made over 300 to date! A miniature doll is usually between five to six inches tall and is the same scale as most doll houses. I exhibit and sell these character dolls at shows and also on the Internet. This hobby has now become a career, which I love. There is no lack of inspiration because I see interesting faces and body-types everyday. I have also created some larger dolls using these same techniques.
I will be bringing my tools and materials, and will explain my methods and some tricks I have learned along the way. This will be a basic overview, with samples in various stages of completion for you to examine.
You can see samples of my work at: http://stores.ebay.com/Doll-Mine-Miniatures. I hope to see you at this presentation. From sculpting and assembly, to costuming and pose, I will do my best to answer any questions you may have.

Note from Kelly: I attended the Sunday meeting with Sharon and she was a huge success! We were all enthralled with her creations and couldn't get enough! She was so generous with sharing her techniques and sources with us....we are hoping this is not the last we hear from her...hint, hint...
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Maraya Hunter is a local artist, a kinetic, visual sculptor, who works with natural fibers, textiles, wood, found objects and treasures of all kinds. She will share with us her “Forest Faces” series, allowing us to see the whole process in step by step stages.

Maraya writes:
“I grew up in trees. I swung on their branches, and climbed high into their canopy to see out over the land. I have been amazed at their variety, taken in by their beauty, from their tall stature down to the bark and grain of their substance. Faces, I find, are quite intriguing. Having many and varied planes, contours, forms and expressions, they are complex, -- revealing infinite possibilities, and yet uncanny similarities. Thus these “Forest Faces” emerge, -- the convergence of muse and materials, heart and hands.”

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Don't forget our club challenge for the June meetings, with the theme of American History.
Sun. June 21st Pot Luck and Challenge cancelled
Tues. June 23rd Pot Luck and Challenge -
Sun. July 19th Doug Keeling – variously painting stamped faces
Tues. July 28th Doug Keeling – variously painting stamped faces
Sun. August 16th Patti Culea – faces painted with Paint Sticks
Tues. August 25th - Patti Culea – faces painted with Paint Sticks

The pin dolls are on their way to Canada. We got a wonderful group of little dolls from our members. As soon as theirs arrive here, I'll bring them to the next meeting.

The entry forms for "Dimensions in Dollmaking" have been mailed. Thanks to Tatiana Ellison, Kelly Riley and Sheila Godfrey for helping with the addressing and filling of 302 envelopes. Again, we hope IOLCC members will support this year's exhibit, as they have in the past. Entry fees remain the same. In addition to the theme, "Make Me Laugh".

BRA DOLLS:

A special exhibit of the bra dolls will be gathered together to support the cause of cancer research. Enter either category, or both.

The following magazines are soliciting photos of your dolls for publication:"Doll Crafter and Costuming" seeks for the September issue: "Autumn Wonders" Due by May 15thOctober issue: “Perfect Pairings" dolls and their companions, due by June 15th
November issue: "Bling, Bling"-dolls & their jewelry, due July 15thDecember issue: "Happy Holidays", deadline Aug. 15thSend to "Doll Crafter and Costuming" Gallery, PO Box 5000, Iola, WI 54945-5000 or email 300 dpi digital photo to editor@dolccmag.com with your name and Gallery in the subject line"Soft Dolls and Animals" seeks for the Fall issue: "Halloween Houligans" deadline July 6thWinter issue: "Winter Wonders" deadline Sept. 2nd. Send to "Soft Dolls and Animals" 2145 W. Sherman Blvd. Muskegon, MI 49441-3434, or email 300 dpi digital photo to kkoch@scottpublictions.com."Contemporary Doll Collector" seeks for the Fall issue: "Lady in Red" deadline July 1st.Send to "Contemporary Doll Collector" 2145 W. Sherman, Muskegon, MI 49441-3434 or 300 dpi digital photo to lsass@scottpublications.com

To keep up with events in the cloth doll world, don't forget to keep checking with http://www.clothdollconnection.com/

UNDER CONSTRUCTION!

Thank you for being patient with us while we create our new blogsite! While you wait on the edge of your seat, you may be interested in the following information:


If you are interested in becoming a member, here's a link to print a membership form:

http://www.iolcc.com/forms/IOLCC%20membership%20form-2007-8.pdf

MEETINGS:

3rd Sunday of every month from 2 - 5 p.m. at Sew Pro's in Clairemont. The address is
Sew Pro, 4951-b Clairemont Dr , San Diego Ca 92117

4th Tuesday of every month from 6:30 - 9-ish at
No. Clmt. Rec. Ctr. Room 2, 4421 Bannock Ave., SD 92117

Here's our most recent Blueprints Newsletter - March 2009:


Next meeting:
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
North Clairemont Rec. Center
Senior Community Building
4421 Bannock Ave. San Diego, 92117
The purpose of the IOLCC is to share the joy of doll making and collecting and to bring this enjoyment to the community through exhibits, workshops & programs.

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March Program for the 24th will be with Susan Berkowitz, who will be doing a presentation to the group to demonstrate and show about dolls she makes from a variety of materials and reclaimed objects, etc. If there is interest, she will preview a workshop, which she can teach in AprilSusan's description of her proposed workshop: thinking outside the box - dolls from found and made-as-needed materials This will be a somewhat unstructured class, with everyone's doll being different. We will all start with a box or can as our doll body base, but where each doll grows from there will be a result of the artist's collections of objects and materials, whimsy, and invention. Dolls will be created with avariety of art materials and found objects, and assembled with wire, string/yarn, glue, silicone, clay, rivets, eyelets, brads, screws..... We will discuss a variety of construction methods for attaching body parts, accessories and embellishments. A variety of embellishment methods and materials; including paint, decoupage, polymer and air dry clays, tin can and found metal pieces, fabrics, and more. A variety of other body base parts can be used.



April 19th meeting features Barb Keeling and her Bra Doll challenge. Barb writes: On the 19th I will do an idea program for the BRA dolls. Get everyone fired up. Then on Saturday April 25th we plan an "all day" at Rosemary’s shop where we can dig in and do the dolls. I will have patterns for those who are ready on the 19th (patterns will be available at the March 24th meeting, too) and we can start the dolls if there is time. I will bring larger templates for the body parts too. If folks get a big bra they need a bigger doll than the pattern. Actually we could bring our copy machine. Since Rosemary is a sewing machine store, folks would not have to bring their machines less they wanted. Those who get patterns on the 19th can start their patterns at home. I would charge $20 per person for the all day class on the 25th.I heard from Kelly Koch at SD&A. She wants me to do a story on the BRA Dolls for the magazine and send her as many photos as we have. So that will be good for IOLCC too. Maybe we can do a CD of thephotos to send to her. Proceeds from the sale of the pattern will benefit Breast Cancer research..

April 28th program will be Jenny Doh, editor of “Art Doll Quarterly” magazine, talking about the doll publishing business, how she chooses dolls and artists to feature.
Sun. May 17th Sharon Carriola – miniature polymer dolls
Tues. May 26th Maraya Hunter – carved wood faces, “trees”, natural materials
Sun. June 21st Pot Luck and Challenge
Tues. June 23rd Pot Luck and Challenge
Sun. July 19th Doug Keeling – variously painting stamped faces
Tues. July 28th Doug Keeling – variously painting stamped faces
Sun. August 16th Patti Culea – faces painted with Paint Sticks
Tues. August 25th Patti Culea – faces painted with Paint Sticks

Pin Doll Exchange: We have pin doll exchanges in the works with a doll club in Canada this spring and another in Russia in the fall. Do you want some sew-ins to work on these together and also our name tag dolls? For a list of materials not acceptable for export to Canada on the April Pin Doll Exchange contact Lois Boncer lois@aardvarktozebra.com 760-438-3431.

Velia is working on other workshops.

The following email came from Pat Beesley and may be of interest to you:
I am the current President of Original Doll Artists Council of America. We are an international organization founded in 1976 of artists who create original dolls and figurative sculpture.
Each year we have a conference alongside our sister organization UFDC (United Federation of Doll Collectors). This year the conference will be held in July at the Marriott Grand Marquis, in Atlanta Georgia.
The events of the week of July 11 through July 18th have typically opened with ODACA’s list of activities on Saturday and Sunday. We have traditionally had a luncheon and a Sales Room. We also have our annual business meeting and a critique session for incoming artist applicants. The week then moves into the activities offered by UFDC. There are a series of luncheon’s and classes. There is a fabulous Sales room that is open to the public on Thursday, no convention registration necessary. In order to participate in the UFDC convention activities, like classes, it is necessary to be a member of a UFDC club and pay for a spot in the convention. ODACA does not have those requirements.
This is an announcement that for the first time ODACA will be offering some classes by several of our talented artist members. There are a variety of classes to choose from. I am sending an attachment for consultation. Consulting the ODACA website is also recommended. And you are most welcome to add this announcement to your newsletter. The classes will be held on Saturday morning July 11th from 9AM to 3PM. Be sure to take a look at the classes we are excited to offer.
If you are looking for a fun weekend, that would be an emersion into the world of creative original dolls, do consider attending the ODACA Day conference. Our Sales Room will be open on Sunday July 12th from 9 AM to 11 AM. We close for our luncheon at 11 AM. The luncheon will be from 11:30 to 1:30. The luncheon price of $130.00 includes lunch, and a souvenir doll. This year the ODACA artist doing our souvenir doll is Randi Taylor. We have a centerpiece doll created by Stevi T. One lucky member at each table will win the centerpiece doll. We also have donated doll items that are part of our raffle. Luncheon patrons can buy tickets to put in the boxes of the items. Our raffle just gets better and better each year. Our speaker this year will be Sandra Wright Justiss. She is one of our talented artist members as well as being a Master Storyteller.
Check out www.odaca.org for further information. And naturally you may contact me at any time for more information.

All My Best,
Christine Shively
President ODACA
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Here are magazines looking for photos of your dolls to publish:

1. “Doll Crafter and Costuming” magazine lists the following themes and deadlines:
For the August issue: “Figment of Imagination” our annual
fantasy issue will feature all kinds of whimsical creations
Deadline: April 15th
Send photos to “Doll Crafter and Costuming” gallery, PO Box 5000, Iola, WI 54945-5000 or email photo (300dpi , 3x5 inches) to editor@dollccmag.com. with your name, and “gallery” in the subject line. Include the topic, doll’s name, height and materials used and your name with your submission

2. “Soft Dolls and Animals” magazine lists the following themes and deadlines:
“Be a Good Sport” deadline May 6th
“Halloween Houligans” deadline July 6th
Winter Wonders” deadline Sept. 2nd

Send entries to “Soft Dolls and Animals”, 2145 W. Sherman Blvd., Muskegon, MI 49441-3434 or email photos (300 dpi and usable size) to kkoch@scottpublications

To keep up with events in the cloth doll world, don't forget to keep checking with www.clothdollconnection.com

IOLCC Board 2008-9
President Rosemary Hernandez hernandez9260@att.net 619-666-2671
VP/Programs Lois Boncer lois@aardvarktozebra.com 760-438-3431
VP/Workshops Velia Calleja v.calleja@sbcglobal.net 760-745-1816
Dimensions
Secretary Rita Kahn sowhatdoit@yahoo.com 858-761-3097
Treasurer Sheila Godfrey webehome@hotmail.com 760-757-4122
Membership Carrie Nisil happystitch58@sbcglobal.net
Newsletter Babs Behling bbehling@san.rr.com 619-275-6027
Greeter
Website Karen Wooton purplesculptor@wildblue.net 760-749-6094
Opportunities
Sales Table
Tea Party Joann Dossett 619-299-4115
Sharon Goldschneider goldbill@aol.com 619-465-7730
Doll Camp

MEMBERSHIP FEES:
Active Members: $30 per year
Newsletter only: $15 per year
(choice of paper copy or electronic copy
Guest fee: $5 per meeting/ 1st visit free
ADVERTISING RATES IN BLUEPRINTS
Business card ad: $6/issue or $24/year
¼ page ad: $10/issue or $40/year
½ page ad: $18/issue or $72/year