CQFA May Meeting

I went to the CQFA meeting on Saturday. I had sort of hard time getting there, but I ended up as the second person there, which is some kind of a new world’s record. I come from the farthest away and am always rushing in at the last second.

I had a hard time getting there, because I was reading a good book (an actual print book!) and just couldn’t put it down. I also had to take something to my DH, who had forgotten it and was stranded while his car got fixed. I also kept thinking the meeting started at 1pm. Of course the meeting doesn’t start at 1pm. It has never started at 1pm!

Anyway, I made it. The first order of business was a doll workshop led by Rhonda. CQFA held two doll workshops back in 2001 or 2003, I can’t remember. Out of them came my pieces, Mother Warrior and Artist Warrior. I also left those workshops with a lot of ideas, but haven’t taken the time to make more dolls. I’d still like to make Referencia, the warrior of research librarians, who appears in various forms in some of my creative prompt responses. This was a great opportunity to explore that format again.

http://pinterest.com/pin/17944098487979992/

I am still trying to catch up from my recent travels, so I didn’t have a lot of time to prepare, but I looked through the materials Rhonda sent. Then I did a Google search for, something like, doll patterns and came across a picture of a mermaid. This is a much sweeter mermaid version than I made, but it gave me enough information to get myself together.

I used the same template that I used for the previous two dolls and added a tail.

Mermaid in process, 2013
Mermaid in process, 2013

I sewed body and tail together, using a batik for the tail and a tone-on-tone for the body. I didn’t want to use a flat solid for the body and that tone-on-tone was a good compromise for me. I unstitched the head at one point, then restitched some hair on to the piece. At the meeting I sewed beads on to make a bikini top and added a bead set I had that was a perfect necklace.

I need to put some more stuffing in her and I think her hair is not thick enough, so I will add more hair. I am not sure about additional embellishments, but we will see, especially along her tail.

Mermaid detail
Mermaid detail

I stayed after with Dolores, Maureen, Sonja and Rhonda and worked on the mermaid for quite awhile. Dolores loaned me her bodkin and it is a really nice wooden piece that felt good in my hand as I stuffed the mermaid. It is part of a set she bought in a class. I may get one as it was very useful.

DH kind of burst my bubble with the piece when he asked what I was going to do with it.

Sigh.

Why do people ask me that? EVER? Nothing! The answer is always nothing. I am going to make it, during which time there will be a much better chance that no acts of violence will be committed, then we will move on to the next piece and the cycle will start again.

Sigh.

Anyway. I may enter it in a show, if and, when I finish it.

There was a little business. The Olive Hyde Gallery fiber art exhibit is opening on Friday. A couple of our members have pieces in the show.

The color challenge will be due in July. I didn’t know about it in person, but only from the minutes. I am not big on challenges, but decided to take a strip and see if I could get inspired. I got a range of purples that are more on the frost/ice/blue side than the red side. I have an idea, but we’ll see if I can execute it.

We will be having another Library Show at the San Francisco Public Library as well. The show will be from October/Nov 2014 – April 2015. I’ll have the exact dates for you when they become available.

I won’t be at the July meeting, because of work, but Denise Oyama Miller, an active SAQA member and part of the Olivy Hyde Gallery will be doing a demonstration that was explained as being like Sue’s fabric paper. This is the first time in awhile that the group has paid for a speaker. I am very sorry to miss it.

We haven’t had any Between Meeting Meetings lately and Maureen, who was leading the meeting, suggested we think about those. Marie brought up the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles and there was some discussion of an out there.

ATCs May 2013
ATCs May 2013

ATCs were exchanged, but I forgot mine. I did get one as Maureen had an extra and took pity on me. Rhonda made hers out of the leftovers from her A-B-C Challenge from BAMQG. Dolores made hers int he same style as the piece she worked on at the Retreat.

The sewing time after was only attended by 4 other people, but I enjoyed sitting and stitching.