Leslie's class

My first 2 days of classes were Leslie Molen's Santos Maria Cage Skirt Doll. What a beautiful doll. I had first seen this doll last year at the 2010 Gala at Punderson, OH. Leslie was teaching classes there and had brought this doll for display. I knew right then and there I had to learn how to make this doll and just waited for the day that Cyndy was accepting sign-ups for AFIC.

This is a picture of Leslie's doll, it is so beautiful. First Leslie sculpted the face and then made a mold for it, the clay face was then covered with knit fabric. The eyes were painted and the face was lightly colored with chalks.

The class had filled almost immediately and I was lucky enough to get into it. I knew a lot of the people who were in the class which was really nice. I sat in the front row (the empty spot) and Michelle, Kathy and Pam also sat there. Pam of course is my good friend. We met in my first doll class. We sat next to each other and found we had some things in common then took some more classes together and started going to doll events together and now run our doll club together. I met Michelle and Kathy when they came to my doll club's teaching workshop. I also met them again at Gala 2010. I don't know them very well but they are so nice and hope to get more opportunities to take classes with them and get to know them better. The second row had Judy Brown who I have know since the beginning of my doll making since she was my first teacher. She is such a sweet lady, I really like her a lot. Next to her is Margie Bauer another very nice lady who belongs to The Doll Gatherers. That was the first doll club that I belonged to and boy, I ran into a lot of people from the Doll Gatherers that weekend, it was great! Next to Margie were 2 ladies that belong to a doll club - The Glad Rags that is located in Canton - I think . Anyway, they were very nice ladies and got to talk to them a little bit. The last row was Dorice who is a very good friend of Leslie's and came from California, very nice lady and next to her is Kim Braun who I first met in Leslie's class at John C Campbell Folk School last September. She is just the sweetest! Love her southern drawl.

Here is a picture of Pam, Kim and myself!

Then the 2 other ladies in class were Velda who I have met at MM&M a couple of years ago but unfortunately don't know very well and then last was a lady that I didn't get a chance to talk to very much. But all in all it was a great class of women.

So, we started our day by building the cage for the skirt. It is made out of wood and we all hammered nails to add the slats. I'm not sure the other classes next to us appreciated the noise but it didn't take too long. You can see here a picture of my cage skirt after it was painted and my head after that was painted and both were drying.


This is a picture of all the cage skirts and heads sitting on the table and drying. It was very exciting!

We had made the body parts at home and the skirts and corsette, then assembled everything in class. Here is a picture of my doll. She isn't finished yet, I have to sew the back of her corsette, tack her mantle to her head, glue the torso to the cage skirt and bead around the hanging heart. Then she'll be done. I love this doll she is really beautiful.

This is a picture of Pam's doll, she wasn't finished at this point either. I LOVE the color scheme that Pam used, she is absolutely gorgeous!

And here are 3 more dolls, I'm not sure who they belong to but I really wish I had gotten pictures of all the dolls

And, her is a picture of Pam, Leslie and me. I love taking Leslie's classes, she is soooooo much fun and is so willing to share all her knowledge. She is a fantastic teacher.