Kathie Briggs ~ Old World Jester

Class Starts: Ongoing by request Class Fee: $65 (pattern included) No Kit Required To register for this class click HERE.

CLASS DESCRIPTION       A harlequin doll I brought back from Italy inspired this old-fashioned looking jester. The jester is 22" tall and is a seated or wall hanging doll. He's made entirely from cloth but we will use paint and medium to give him the look of a treasured antique. His costume is fun and easy and you will have lots of options to personalize your own jester. Lesson One: We'll create the doll as a blank canvas for our faux painting fun and fabulous costuming to come. You will have a choice of mitt or articulated hands, both of which are wired so you can pose them. And, even better, he can hold things. Lesson Two: Two methods of faux painting will be demonstrated. You'll have a chance to audition each on a practice board before painting your jester. We'll assemble him and get ready for embellishment and costuming. Lesson Three: Two very different costuming options will be presented. You can choose one or combine elements from each for your own unique look. Lesson Four: We'll finish up by painting his face and make a mask. Options for boots and hats, embellishments and fun props will also be discussed. Lesson Five: As a bonus, learn to make a simple stool for your jester Come join in the FUN.

Kathie Briggs        Kathie has been playing with dolls since she was a little girl. She began creating cloth dolls in the 1990's after marveling at the dolls she saw at art fairs and galleries. While conducting a career-planning workshop as part of her "day job" she joined the participants in visioning ten years into the future where she saw herself living "up north" (northern Michigan) and designing her own dolls! She immediately started making plans to reach her vision.       "My dolls make people smile and that is the greatest reward I can imagine. I love working fabric; the colors and textures combine to make something that everyone wants to touch. I think creating fantasy figures allows me to live in part time in stories and legends."       Kathie's dolls have been exhibited in many doll shows and galleries as well the Hoffman Challenge Traveling Collection. Her dolls have been published in Pamela Hastings' book, "Dollmaking as a Transformative Process", the "Art Doll Quarterly" and "Soft Dolls and Animals." Recently she has combined her love of dolls and quilts by incorporating dolls into her art quilts. Her quilt "Mardi Gras Masquerade" featuring two of her dolls, "Old World Jester" and "Masquerade," was shown as part of the "What it Means to Remember New Orleans" special exhibit at the 2005 Houston International Quilt Festival.       After spending 20 years commuting between a job in southern Michigan and a tiny lakeside getaway, Kathie, her husband, Bill, finally made northern Michigan their permanent home in 2002. They share their home with a "boss-cat-woman" named Ceecee and a rambunctious Lab named Charlie. Kathie makes dolls and art quilts in a studio overlooking the lake where she is living her fantasy.