Milvi's Gossip

Milvi is one of my private students and so far we have made two dolls- Phoebe...link here to her doll and others!

And now the Gossip! Milvi has been working here and at home on her own to create this masterpiece! 

For the costuming she picked out all her own fabrics. We discussed where and how they should be used.

Notice the use of red vertically down the doll- hat, sleeves, and the border of the skirt. This use of color keeps the viewers eye moving. Same with the use of the green color.

We also fussy cut the vest to make use of this exquisite pattern! Notice how the medallions line up.

 

Close of Milvi's painted face- just lovely!

 

I just love the way she turned out...and I think Milvi does too!

She is now off to create two more Gossips so this one will have others to talk with!

 Interested in creating your own?

Check out Dollmakers Journey

for the CD Lessons and Pattern

scroll down to the bottom of the Leslie Molen page

Textiles come to Denver Art Museum!

Hello All,
Finally textiles are weaving their way to top of many art exhibits.
Most of you reading this blog have been, like me, interested in cloth and textiles for so many years.
 
I know most of you live away from Denver, but after I visit the collection, probably in August, I will give you my impression of it!

So I am excited to announce:

The Denver Art Museum (DAM) 

is gearing up to unveil its summer textile exhibition!

Spun:Adventures in Textiles

May 19–September 22, 2013. 

The museum-wide exhibition blends ancient traditions and surprising innovations in the textile arts. It will be home to an extensive collection of artworks that range from pre-Columbian weavings to modern fiber art, Navajo blankets to an examination of clothing in paintings and photography.

From wool to recycled plastics, embroidered silk to buttons, a variety of materials and mediums will emerge in a rich and colorful spectacle. 

For more information, link here or visit www.denverartmuseum.org.
images with permission from the DAM

 Here are some highlights!

Rain cloak (charkheb), Bhutan, early 1900s. Woven wool. Denver Art Museum; Neusteter Textile Collection: Textile Art department funds, by exchange.

  

  
Lucas Samaras, Reconstruction #20, 1977. Sewn
fabrics; 87 x 85 in. Denver Art Museum; National Endowment for the Arts, Dayton Hudson Foundation, Alliance for Contemporary Art M/M Edward Strauss, M/M Donald S. Graham, and anonymous donor,
© the artist.

 

Unknown Navajo Artist, Blanket, Chief’s Style–Third Phase, 1860s. Wool and dye. Denver Art Museum; Native Arts acquisition funds.
 

 

Special Event

Saturday, June 22, 2013, reception at noon

Lewis I. Sharp Auditorium   Denver Art Museum

  

Blue Alchemy: Stories of Indigo

 is a feature length documentary about indigo, a blue dye that has captured the human imagination for millennia, and the people who use it according to tradition as well as those who are reviving its use to revitalize their communities.

 

 

Admission includes: film screening and presentation by Mary Lance, the award-winning director,  light reception, DVD signing in Museum Gift Shop, and gallery admission

 to

Spun: Adventures in Textiles

a museum-wide exhibition of textiles

Asian Art Association Members: free 

Denver Art Museum Members: $7.00

General Public: $10.00

To purchase tickets, please visit the museum website

www.denverartmuseum.org and click on Calendar.

Your may also call 720-913-0130

or go to the Ticket Counter in the museum.

Seating limited.  Pre-purchase recommended. 

For further details contact  blittle@denverartmuseum.org, or call 720-913-0040.

 

Article in ADQ & more...

Article

I have written an article in Art Doll Quarterly about my Chinese Hats and the magazine has just been released for Summer (May- July) ! 

I think the article came out beautifully.

Barbabra Campbell is my editor 

and Mark Mortensen is my photographer.

I  wish to share a wee bit of my article with you...

 I learned that when a traditional Chinese mother was with child, she would create a hat from carefully chosen fabric, embroidery and appliqués…Every stitch of embroidery was the manifestation of her deepest love of the child…. I love the idea of taking thoughtful stitches in fabric, inspired from the depths of my heart, to create with my hands a story filled with the symbolism and legends of ancient Chinese culture. From that simple concept a line of Story Dolls was developed, each figure crowned with an expressive hat...

Tiger- Traditional Hat

Website

While you are so patiently waiting for my new website, I have put together a temporary site of my dolls and hats for  you to enjoy!!

xoxoxox

Les

Link here

Dolls

Right now in the studio, my mind and hands are full of creating dolls for the NIADA Conference...my "plan" is to create my Story Dolls with Hats and  2 Storybook jointed dolls with Chinese costuming. New this year will be my hats sold separately and a new line of dolls by the name of Blessed Ones- Alma Benita- I am so excited to bring this new collection to you based on the inspiration from Spanish Santos figures and my family ancestry!

Birthday Week in Mexico!

This year's dive trip to Cozumel Mexico coordinated 

with both mine and Mark's April birthdays!

 

Yes...I know what a great way to spend our days...real rough...especially while we are sitting on the dive boat until the warm sun and sparkling aqua water and hear that back home in Denver, it is snowing...

But let's get away from the snow and back to the sun and sharing of our birthdays...

When we go to Cozumel, we pretty much dive, eat, sleep, dive..my actual birthday day was our first day of diving!

Dive Master Gyser and me

This year, besides our dive buddies Candy and Mike, we were joined with their son Justin (whom Mark and I have know since he was 8 or 9 years old) and his finace Kelly!

The weather was sunny fabulous and the diving was beautiful...but on the surface things were brewing!

At lunch that day I was surprised with (none other than) a Hello Kitty cake made by Johnny, the head chef, at the Scuba Club!

It was delicios-o! White cake with strawberries in the center...

More to come with HK...my chambermaid, Margarita, and I have known each other for years and she knows how much I love HK- especially when diving it has become my "signature" . This year after a day of diving we came back to the room to find...sweet- don't you think?

We have a dear friend Lyle (and Sandy) that live part time in Cozumel. 

 

During the week, Lyle was such a champ at taking us to some of his favorite spots...

Mezcalitos on the Beach for birthday margs

This beach bar is on the west side of Cozumel where the waves are big and crash into the shoreline! Diving is on the east side.
The sand covered patio overlooked the beach...beautiful to sit there and listen to the waves and smell the fresh salty air OR get out to the beach and take your chance with the waves! Take my photo- quick!!

For lunch one day, we went to a local restaurant that makes the best fish tacos! You can have them made just about anyway you can think of! I love the sweet pickled onions they put on top of most of their tacos. There is a selection of three or four sauces ranging from mild to hot...oh yum!

Shrimp Tacos at local restaurant

Birthday Dinner for Mark, Lyle took us all to Knita Mexican Bistro.
Do not be fooled into thinking that since a restaurant is in Mexico that is going to be all sand and shots of tequila...this restaurant was very elegant and the food was wonderful!
We sat outside in the garden area...

Seared Tuna on a bed of mashed cauliflower

 with vegi side over sweet potato mash.

 Our Happy Birthday boy with

group after dinner!

All in all, we had a wonderful time with great friends, fabulous food and gorgeous soul renewing diving.

Nothing better than celebrating your birthday 

by having your toes in the sand!

For breathtaking underwater photos- 

see our buddy Mike's webpage...link here

Little Mice...

Simone and I have been working with such concentration on creating master pieces, that we thought we needed a project that was a little more tame...ha! as tame as little mice can get!

She choose to do Mortimer and Merri Mouse

...but with a twist, because that is what creativity is all about!

So we set out in our first lesson to create the heads and ears that are dry felted and then wet felted.

Next lesson, we put the bodies together and wrapped the appendages (including tail!) with flosses.

Final lesson was the clothing.

This is were we delved into a different area...one reason I love Simone is because of her thoughtfulness. Later this year, her Father will be going to a wedding in Poland. Simone wanted to make a gift for the bride and this little mouse would make the perfect bride!

Simone decided to add a touch of delicate embroidery to the edge of the skirt, the front of the bodice and sleeves.

Here is the little Bride Mouse completed!

Next was the mousie that Simone wanted to create for herself.

After deciding on her Spring-time felt colors, she added embroidery, a velvet pocket and a little collar.

 Here is her little Mouse completed!

Another step in these private lessons, is that Simone wanted to be her own photographer, so she took the photos of her completed dolls!

As I write these blogs, I feel an overwhelming happiness and gratitude that I get to teach and share these special moments with such inspiring students!!

Beautiful! The girl and her dolls...

ROotie Time

My sweet husband Mark, thought for my birthday that is would be so nice to get together with my "girls" since I have been concentrating on taking time away from doing my local teaching!

So, he thought why not have it at the studio and what a better way to get together than to start off with Hello Kitty cupcakes and chicken salad sandwiches! Yummy!

What fun it was to see everyone again and more delightful was too hear everyone talking and laughing together!

Me in the center with some of my "girls"

With my special girl Peg!

You would think that visiting and talking with my dear friends would be the highlight of the day...but there was more to come...

Shortly afterwards, my new niece Joyce (sitting on the back of the couch) came to visit the studio with her family that has been visiting from Taiwan!

How fun to hear them speaking Chinese with such animation as they roamed through the studio with so many things to look at!...and yes, the boys especially liked the cup cakes!

Mark, me and Taiwan family

As the day was ending, our friends (minus their Dad/Husband Mark) stopped by for one last hug and good-bye...and yes, we still had just enough cupcakes left for them!

Becca, Ben, me, Alana (who took a class with Simone), and my wonderful handsome husband Mark!

And how could we not end this day with a little sparkle? One of my favorite things to do is sprinkle tons of glitter outside my studio door...it is wonderful since my door faces south and the glitter explodes in a its sparkling glitter-dom!

OOOooohh fun and sparkly!

When we got home, there was a knock at the door and little Frances was there to hand me this beautifully wrapped package that held a hand-made card stating that for my birthday she (and Mama) would like to take me for a manicure!

and it will be something I can use especially after working all week sculpting with clay!

What a truly fortunate woman I am...

I am thankful!

Making Pixies!

Laughter is timeless -
Imagination has no age -
And dreams are forever
~Tinkerbell~

This week, Mark and I have friends in from Minnesota. 

My Mark went to college with his buddy Mark. Mark and Kathy have three kids and one of them, 11 year old Alana, is interested in art...so why not bring her to the studio to make something while she is here (and not up skiing!)

And what would be more perfect than a Pixie? "Our" sweet Simone (12) was happy to share her time together with Alana...

The Pixie body design is simple, with the only part taking a wee bit of concentration is the head construction. Each head is a molded face form and over-laid with pima knit fabric. The main body section simply armatured for dancing capability. I made the bodies ahead of time, so we could complete our dolls in a 2-hour session.

sample front

The costuming is a ribbon bodice with a sweet gathered skirt of delicate ribbon or tulle. The hair is a snippet of mohair carefully placed in a casual frolicking manner.

sample back

The real fun begins when we start pulling out those kept little treasures from my jars of goodies to make each Pixie detail special...sparkles, ribbons, the tiniest flower...

During our time together, Alana turned and said to me...So you like to have fun here! - Yes, as a statement, not a question...and that my dear friends, is EXACTLY what doll making is all about...

 

 After a couple of hours of creating and placing that lock of hair just so...

Simone and Alana with their Pixies

Simone's

Alana's

 

 

 

 It is wonderful to share with others...to pass that love along...

more Pixie postings:

Pixie Magic

Pixie Tea Time