November 5, 2011 by cottagehill
The BOCES Workshop
November 10th



As you all know, I just taught my new BASIC doll making workshop at my local BOCES. I am not a cloth doll artist but wanted to design a workshop that was as simple as possible to include all levels…beginner to intermediate. In doing so, I didn’t want to push the envelope, as the saying goes, but as the class progressed and I saw the ladies abilities and their desire for more challenging information, I decided to do a little tweaking. Thanks to your great feedback and wonderful encouragement ladies, I managed to get a few of the kinks out and expanded my instruction booklet to include the picture details I later emailed to all of you.
Throwing caution to the wind, I reworked my paper pattern. Using some of their suggestions, I lengthened the fingers and arms. When I showed the gals the new hands, there was a great deal of chatter and sharing…very cool to learn from those you are teaching…very cool!!!! The first hand I made was fingerless …remember, I was going for simple here…lol! The new hands now include simple, yet movable fingers…yes, they are a bit challenging, but if you’re up to the task you’ll be very pleased with your results! I then moved on to lengthen the legs and enlarged the feet…you know how much I LOVElarge feet on my dolls! Above is the doll I started in the class alongside the ladies and later finished at home…she is somewhat more stylized than I had intended…long and lean… and yet I love her overall elongated look! She will be the newmodel for this Basic workshop! If you happen to live in the Goshen, NY area and would like to give doll making a try…sign up! Check it out at the BOCES website ( http://webserver.ouboces.org/AdultEd/AE_ged_learnenglish.cfm Click winter 2012 course catalog, page 25, course #A8335wa-12) The workshop runs from January 28th to February 11th …hope to see you there!
Happy Doll Making!



November 6th
Hello All,
Today was the last day of the “Basic Doll” workshop I’ve been conducting at my local BOCES. I’ve had the pleasure of sharing my love of doll making with six lovely ladies each with different levels of ability. For some it was the first time making a doll…period! Others, although being hardcore crafters for years, ventured out to try their hand at doll making. One woman made a fabulous white rabbit; another made a wonderful old crone! Each doll was truly unique to its creator as each of the ladies followed the “flow” of their own idea …in the end, all the dolls were very successful!
This workshop focused on the art of simple doll making. It was geared as an introduction for beginners to help them acquire the skills needed to fashion a basic body crafted out of muslin. Students learned to sculpt a basic face out of paper clay. Neatness in stitching and appearance, although important, were not the focus of this project. Our main objective was to learn the craft and have fun in the process! The dolls comes alive in the costuming and embellishments each creator chooses to complete her doll after the workshop is over…thus making her a true one-of-a-kind piece!
Because the workshop was limited to three 3 hour sessions, each days focus was divided into three sections; much of the doll was created outside the classroom. Each student was provided with illustrated instructions to work at their own pace while at home.
Day 1: Construct the body and complete by next session
Day 2: Construct the face and complete by next session
Day 3: Paint facial details and complete the workshop
The schedule was tight, the pace was fast, and the bonding was great! We all had a fun time and enjoyed each other’s company…and came away with a great doll to boot! Thank you, ladies, for your interest in my workshop and for allowing me to share my dollmaking experience with you! I not only taught the workshop but I learned a great deal as well! I regret that I was not able to get all of the ladies’ dolls individually…I think I was talking too much and forgot…lol! See a few of the results above!
On a different note:
Since I’ve decided to “Glamorize”my blog, I’ve experimenting with fonts and color…as I’m sure you’ve noticed…lol! So please bear with me as I make monthly adjustments…or mistakes…lol! If you live in the Warwick, NY area and you’re interested in taking my workshop at the Goshen, NY BOCES, they will be offered again starting Saturday, January 28th 2012. Look for it in the BOCES WINTER catalog or contact me directly and I can notify BOCES of your interest. Happy Doll Making!