Sleeping Mermaid Class is Open for sign ups

 I am so excited to be teaching the online Sleeping Mermaid class again starting  June 23^rd on AforArtistic! 

Sleeping Mermaid by Marla L. Niederer

I had so much fun creating my Sleeping Mermaids that I wanted to share them with you again.

 

Sleeping Mermaid by Marla L. Niederer

In the class you will be presented with a variety of unique needle sculpting techniques, how to create a swivel joint at the neck, how to use watercolors for skin tone and facial coloration, and how to embellish your mermaid with beadwork.

Sleeping Mermaids by Marla L. Niederer

If you wish to sign up for my Sleeping Mermaid class or just find out more about the class you can click on the following link to AforArtistic

https://www.aforartistic.com/Sleeping-Mermaid-Workshop

Hope to see you in class!

Until next time……

warm hugs,

Marla

Current Online Classes

Self Study Classes

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About Me 

Doll Making Journeys

Doll by Barbara Schoenoff

I recently received this beautiful doll created by Barbara Schoenoff.  Don’t you just absolutely love her?  I do!

Doll by Barabara Schoenoff

 

Doll by Barbara Schoenoff

I was really honored that Barbara wanted to exchange a doll with me considering she was one of my first doll making teachers.

 

Doll by Barbara Schoenoff

I met Barbara quite some time ago when I attended a doll making conference in Ottawa Canada.  She taught a class on how to make her doll Delilah which I loved and had to make.

 

Delilah made by Marla L. Niederer from Barabara Schoenoff's class and pattern

In the class Barbara used woven quilting cotton for the doll and used watercolor pencils to add facial details.  I was enthralled and have been using watercolors on my cloth dolls ever since!

Delilah made by Marla L. Niederer from Barbara Schoenoff's class and pattern

Upon our parting from this class she told me that she hoped to see me again as a teacher on the doll making circuit.

Little did I know that the next time we would see each other I would be a teacher at the Artistic Figures in Cloth and Clay conference in Ohio!

 

Marla  and Barbara at Artistic Figures in cloth and Clay

Before I took Barbara’s class I had been making my dolls out of “doe suede” which is a synthetic suede fabric. But in order to use watercolors on cloth you need to use a natural fabric such as cotton.

 

Sleeping Angel by Marla L. Niederer created from "Doe Suede"

So I switched to using woven cotton fabric for my doll making in order to use watercolors on them.  I continued to explore a variety of techniques with my watercolors and started incorporating the use of tube watercolors in my doll making.  This is the doll that I sent Barbara.  

Sleeping Mermaid by Marla L. Niederer created for Barbara

I will be teaching an online class on how to make this mermaid this June on AforArtistic.

 

Sleeping Mermaid by Marla L. Niederer created for Barbara

In all of the classes that I teach, I share my techniques for using watercolors in doll making.  You can check out my current online classes here.

 

Current Online Classes

I also just added a free tutorial on using watercolors on cloth dolls for you here.  I hope you enjoy it!

 

Free Tutorials

Until Next time……..

warm hugs,

Marla

Self Study classes

About Me

Little Lamb Lissette

Little Lamb Lissette by Marla L. Niederer

All four parts of the free tutorial Little Lamb Lissette are now available on my free tutorial page.  I hope you have enjoyed the tutorial as much as I have enjoyed creating it!

 

Little Lamb Lissette by Marla L. Niederer

Until next time…..

warm hugs,

Marla

Current Online Classes

Self Study Classes

Free Tutorials

All About Me

New Online Class!

I had so much fun teaching the Moulin Rouge Dancers class at the last Artistic Figures in Cloth and Clay that I decided to offer this class online!

 

Moulin Rouge Dancers by Marla L. Niederer

The Moulin Rouge Dancers were inspired by the costumes and dancers of the Moulin Rouge in Paris.

While doing research for the project I watched the movie Moulin Rouge with Nicole Kidman.  The movie had a large influence on the costuming in this class. 

 

Moulin Rouge Dancers by  Marla L. Niederer

The class presents a variety of unique needle sculpting techniques.  One of the techniques is used to create an inset looking eye out of cloth.

The class also provides instruction on how to use watercolors to create a choice of two different skin tones and facial coloration.

Moulin Rouge Dancers by Marla L. Niederer

And if that is not all, the class includes the complete costuming instruction.

All of the class is presented in a step by step pictorial tutorial along with live face time instruction in a private facebook group.

 

Moulin Rouge Dancers by Marla L. Niederer

If you are interested in more information about the class and how to sign up click on the following link to AforArtistic

 https://www.aforartistic.com/moulin-rouge-course

Hope to see you in class soon!

Until next time ………..

warm hugs,

Marla

If you are making a Little Lamb Lissette from my Free tutorial  I just added the second part of the tutorial on the Free  tutorials page.

Current Online Classes

Self Study Classes

Free Tutorials

About Me

A Gift Free Tutorial for you

I wanted to thank all of the people who have followed my blog throughout the years and decided to add a new free tutorial for you called Little Lamb Lissette.

Little Lamb Lissette by Marla L. Niederer

I created Little Lamb Lissette after being inspired by an antique stuffed lamb that had been created for the French Market.

She is created out of “doe suede” a synthetic suede cloth commonly used in needle sculpting cloth dolls.

Little Lamb Lissette by Marla L. Niederer

The tutorial is a very simple, easy to follow, step by step tutorial, with step by step pictures.  It is a good beginning sewing project just for fun.

Little Lamb Lissette by Marla L. Niederer

This tutorial will be presented over the next four weeks.  Just click on the picture of Little Lamb Lissette below to take you to the Tutorial Page where you will also find a free needle sculpting a cloth doll head tutorial.

I hope you enjoy creating Little Lamb Lissette as much as I have enjoyed creating her.

Until next time…….

warm hugs,

Marla

Current Online Classes

Self Study Doll Making classes

Free Tutorials

About Me

Blessing Bag Project

One of the ways I have been keeping calm lately is through beadwork.  The repetitive act of sewing beads upon cloth becomes a moving meditation for me and leaves me relaxed and calm. 

The Blessing Bag created by Marla Niederer from Heidi Kummli's tutorial

Heidi Kummli, a bead embroidery artist whom I have admired for quite some time, recently shared a free beading project called a blessing bag.  The project seemed to call out to me so I have spent the past few days creating one.

Blessing bag project by Marla Niederer from tutorial by Heidi Kummli

The first part of this project was shopping in my stash.  If you have never been to my studio, I am fortunate to have quite a stash of fabric, beads, and art supplies. 

I pulled out a treasured bolt of fabric which my grandmother embroidered long ago, some red wool felt, and an assortment of beads.

Fabric embroidered by my grandmother with red felt

While I worked on this project I felt such a warm and beautiful connection to my grandmother.  It felt very comforting for me, now that I am also a grandmother, to be bead embroidering a piece of cloth that my grandmother had embroidered when I was a child.

Blessing bag by Marla Niederer from tutorial by Heidi Kummli

My grandmother is also who created this rag doll for me when I was a child.  And the name for this blog, OrsinisAngels, was chosen to honor her.

rag doll created by my grandmother

Thank you Heidi for the beautiful tutorial.  If you too wish to create a blessing bag you can find the link to Heidi’s video here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lViqgAOxp4k

May you keep safe, comforted, and well.

Until next time……

Warm hugs,

Marla

Current OnlineClasses

Self-Study Doll making classes

About me