So much going on!!!!!

It's been crazy busy around here for months!! I've had several large commissions to finish, new patterns to design and print and assorted teaching gigs. Chicago Quilt Festival was this past weekend and is always stressful to get ready for! I finished my new patterns and mailed them to my printer 150 miles away and they didn't get there for 8 days. By then we were close to the day I had to leave for Chicago so I had to drive to Nebraska to pick them up and then fold all day when I was getting ready to leave. Not my favorite way to arrive at a show.
Nice surprise in Chicago, Barbara Willis and Betts Vidal were there too and we had SO much fun catching up. It's been years since I've seen them and we just picked up where we left off then. Such fun! Show was definitely down from previous years but it could have been much worse!!!!
I'm taking a break in May and going to NYC for a couple of weeks of play, theatre, shopping and a little teaching. I'll be teaching my new Bird of Paradise at the City Quilter on May 16 and 17th. In June I'm going to be in the Seattle area while my husband has a business trip there. Haven't put a class together so if you or any of your friends would like to organize something, just let me know.
Happy Dollmaking,
Julie mc

Cirque dolls

This has been such a fun project! I made 2 dolls for a performer in Cirque du Soleil. Her name is Krin and she is stunning. She is performing in Spain this year. What a life she is living! See her web site at http://www.krinhaglund.com/ The doll in the cyr wheel is made from hand painted silk fabric from the Cirque's costume shop. I added some painted details to better match her costume. They also gave me some lycra for the other doll but I choose to paint the fabric on the doll. I've had so much fun researching the shapes of the contortionists that I've made a variety of acrobat dolls. They will be on display at the Burkholder Project in Lincoln, NE the month of Feb. I have some of them on my Etsy site as well. www.magicthreadsdolls.etsy.com My next big custom project is to make 6 large adult sized hobby horses for a fundraiser in Pennsylvania. They will all be magical, mythical, outrageous animals. More fun. I feel very lucky to have so much work right now!! I even had to turn down making props for a children's theatre production. I'm sooo much happier when I am busy!

New Dolls, new style

I've been playing around a lot with this new "mosaic" style. I create the basic shape, stuff it and then attach other fabrics to it with Mod Podge.The piece is then stiffened and protected from dirt and dust. They were inspired by the tattoo I designed last year.Always looking for new ideas, aren't we??

Etsy

I just discovered Etsy....I know, I'm probably waaaay behindthe times but I'd rather be sewing!! Anyway it is a terrific site with a lot of very cool things that are way cheap. I actually set up my own site and have even sold something...but I've bought more than I've sold. They have tons of arts, crafts, vintage stuff, fabrics and trims and I think it will be a great site to get rid of some of theose ribbon, trims, fabric impulse buys that you've never used! I'm selling some of my doll models and new designs at very good prices. Check it out. My addy is; www.magicthreadsdolls.etsy.com

I'm also set up on Facebook looking for freinds! Now I just need a few thousand extra hours a week to waste in front of the computer.

Finally!!

Finally finding time to get this site up and running. This is such a busy time of the year for self employed artists!!! Always feast or famine! Last week I had a booth at the new AQS show here in Des Moines, Iowa. It was so great to run a booth all day (always exhausting) and be able to go home and sleep in my own bed at night. Everyone was concerned about how the financial mess would effect attendance and sales but it wasn't too bad for a first time show. I will definitely do it again next year. This weekend I have a dollmaking class here in my studio. Always fun but it does mean CLEANING the studio. What a drag. Next week I'm doing a table decoration and costumes for a Halloween party. It is for the Community Playhouse fundraiser. The theme is always Broadway plays or movies. My table is "The Birds" and will have lots of Crows sitting around . I'm also coming as a Crow.The staff at the Plyhouse is all coming as Beatle songs so I'm "Blackbird." I still need to make a Walrus costume for my husband!! The following week is an Art Fair here in town. I have a new line of non-dolls.....cloth birds that are mosaiced with appliqued fabrics and mounted on wooden bases. I may do a pattern of them someday. I'm on a bird kick right now as I got a crow tattoo this summer. I drew the design and really love it. The wings look like an upside down Chrysler building and include a spiral, moon and a fox head. Someone asked me why I was suddenly fascinated with tattoos and I said that I had decorated my house and yard and was running out of surfaces. Makes sense to me.

Hello from Magic Threads

My new BLOG site will be up and running soon. I will keep you posted on my travels, classes, new patterns and kits, creative endeavors and things of interest related to doll and fiber arts. Check back soon!