ARLEY BERRYHILL: DOLL CLASS DESCRIPTIONS
Meet instructor Arley Berryhill. Arley has been a professional costume maker for 25 years. He has worked in all mediums; making costumes and accessories for Broadway shows ("Phantom of the Opera", "Cats"), Movies ("The Grinch", "X-Men"), Theme parks (Disneyland, Universal Studios), Jim Henson's Muppets, Ringling Bros. Circus, plus many operas, to name a few.
“Memory Doll” Class
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Length: 1 or 2 days
Kit fee: $5 (face mask)
Join Arley and make some memories. Do you have some vintage lace or fabric hidden away in a box that you don‘t know what to do with? Maybe you have your grandmother’s wedding dress, an old handkerchief, or a child's baptism dress? This doll will help you use & display some of those vintage items you‘ve been saving, so you can enjoy it.
Make this simple, 11 inch stump doll, and decorate it with anything you’d like -- an old broach or some vintage pearls? What about that tin of old buttons you’ve been collecting? If you don’t have enough vintage fabric or trim, you can always use new items dyed to create a lovely vintage-looking doll.
Of course, you can use any colors & fabrics for your doll. Wouldn’t she be striking in red?
And, best of all - you don’t need to bring a machine to class! All the fabric is ripped or cut, gathered by hand, and hand-stitched to the doll with raw edges showing. You will be given a paper-clay face mask. Or, you can bring a photo of a loved one you’ve transferred to fabric (before class), and put her face on your doll.
You have the choice to make the stump doll at home before class. Or, buy one from Arley ($45), and he’ll give it to you in class.
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"Aunt Hagatha Witch Bust” Sculpting Class
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Class Length: 2 days
Kit Fee: $25
Learn basic face sculpting techniques using paper clay over a Styrofoam egg. Making a witch head is perfect for beginning sculptors! The face can look funny, stupid, or scary. The proportions can be off, and the face can be completely lop-sided.
We start with a wooden stand, egg shape, and plastic doll eyes (purple!). Paper clay is used to sculpt the face. The head is painted with acrylics and “antiqued” with stain for an aged look. A gathered ribbon becomes her collar. Feather boa pieces are added for the hair, and a felt hat tops her off.
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“Painted Mermaid” Doll Class
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Skill level: Intermediate
Class length: 2 or 3 days
Kit fee: $15 (lace & paints)
Pre work: yes (sewing & stuffing upper body)
Sewing machine required (very little sewing in class - can share machines)
This simple Mermaid is designed to learn several techniques: fabric painting, face coloring, and embellishments. She can hang on a wall, or recline on a shelf.
We start by painting the upper torso using inks for a “water-colored” effect on the skin. We also hand paint lace pieces that will be added to the torso. A simple tail is stitched in class, along with the tail & side fins. A half-day is devoted to making the face.
And then, yarns and fabric are combined for a stylish wig. After the body is put together, our hand painted lace is applied & embellished with beads & sequins
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“Ritualist” Embellishment Doll Class
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Class Length: 2 or 3 days
Class fee: $10 (face mask & supplies)
Sewing Machine required in class
The “Ritualist” is an embellishment, wall-hanging doll.
We start by “making” the base fabric using collage & free-motion embroidery techniques. After the body is stitched & stuffed, we start the embellishment process by adding woven ribbons, beading, fringe, and wrapping to the body & headdress. The face mask (supplied) is painted with acrylics.
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"Candlestick Diva" Doll Class
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Skill Level: Beginner to Advanced
(some sewing & doll making experience is helpful)
Class length 2 days
Kit fee: none
Number of Students: minimum of 5, maximum of 20
Pre Work: Sewing & stuffing body parts
 This 9 in. “Diva” torso sits on a large candlestick of your choice. A stitched & stuffed cloth body will be costumed and decorated to suit the “Diva” in you.
First, we finish the body. Special focus will be the construction of the hands, and creating a sophisticated, feminine face using needle sculpting and face coloring.
Next, we create a fancy costume out of materials & trims you bring to class. A basic bodice pattern is supplied, and the rest is up to your imagination.
Techniques taught will include hands and face details, fabric draping, ribbon work, wrapping a turban, trimmings, and feathers use.
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"Priestess" Doll Class
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Skill Level: Beginning to Advanced
Class Length 2 days
Pre-work Stitch & stuff basic body, glued to wooden base
Kit Fee $10 (clay face mask)
*Sewing machine required for class
This simple tribal stump doll with a clay mask features a truck-load of fabric embellishment techniques, including: Free-motion machine embroidery, Stamping & Foiling, Yarn fringe making, Machine couching, Bead embroidery, & Feather work.
Start with a simple 9 in. “stump” body (made before class) & clay face-mask (given to you in class). Make & embellish the cape with paints, stamps, and foil. A ribbon sash is added to the cape with machine embroidery & beading. Learn free-motion embroidery using “snippets” of scraps & fiber to make the center hanging piece. Embroider the headdress with beads, buttons, shells, feathers -whatever! Add a fringe collar made of yarns, cording, and fiber.
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"Masked Ball" A Complete Doll Class
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Skill Level: Intermediate
(basic doll-making & sewing skills needed)
Class Length 3 Days
Pre-work Sew & stuff the doll body, and mount on wooden stand
Cost $95 (includes MASK kit: felt, lace, glue, & paint)
Number of Students minimum of 5, maximum of 20
Sewing machine required for class
Join Arley and make this bewitching character, dressed for a fancy-dress masquerade ball.
Using a simple doll pattern (made before class), Arley will guide you to make a fantasy ball gown for this 17 in. doll. Learn to use elegant fabrics, (like velvet and satin), with ribbons & trims together for this period-looking evening dress. Techniques include shirring ribbon and lace to make unique trimmings.
Plus, one whole day will be spent making the doll face and hair. Arley will help you draw and color an adult female face, using your coloring tools (pens, pencils, paints, or chalks). Handouts will explain facial proportions and drawing tips for eyes and lips. And, using commercial mohair, Arley will show you how to make a hair “weft” to style the simple “up-do” hairstyle for your doll, using felting techniques.
Also, learn how to make a simple yet ornate mask using felt, lace, glue, and embellishments.
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"Art Deco Tassel Doll" Class
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Skill Level: Beginning to Intermediate
Class Length: 2 days
Kit Fee: $10
Pattern Fee: $10
Homework: pre-sewing of doll body
Sewing machines may be required to finish sewing costume pieces
Learn how to make this Tassel Lady from the Art Deco period. Use new and exotic fabrics for the costume. Learn beading and embellishment techniques. Emphasis will be on design and embellishment.
Pre-sew basic body shape at home. The class will start with making the costume. (You may pre-sew costume pieces at home, or bring your machine and sew in class.) We will explore the possibilities of embellishment design, embroider the belt with beads, and learn to make beaded tassels and swags.
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"Fabric Collage Doll" Class
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Skill Level: Beginning to Advance
Class Length: 2 days
Kit Fee: $25
No pre-work
Sewing machine is required
In this class, students will make a finished "collage" fabric doll, 14" tall, complete with armature & base, face mask and hair. Techniques taught include free motion machine embroidery over layers of fabric to make the body fabric and hair. Plus, embellishment techniques using beads and sequins will be covered.
Students will cut up their own fabrics and arrange them on a base fabric to machine embroider over. The result is a unique, one-of-a-kind fabric to create a doll out of.
Special attention will be placed on energetic posing of the figure, bringing them to life with apparent animation and movement.
Hair will be made by embroidering fibers over sheer fabrics using a dissolvable stabilizer. Students will be given a paperclay mask to paint. An "all-over" bead embroidery technique will be taught to add sparkle and pizzazz to the finished figure.
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"Faces and Hands" Class
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Skill Level: Beginning to Advanced
Class length: 1 Day
There is no kit fee
Homework: bring in a blank doll head, and pre-sew hands
This technique workshop is focused on just making a doll face, and a natural-looking cloth hand.
The first four hours students will needle-sculpt, draw, and color a face on their own cloth doll head. We will cover basic face proportions, and practice drawing faces on paper before starting on the head. Students will learn to color face using acrylic paints, gel pens, markers, and colored pencils.
The second part of the workshop will teach students a unique hand armature and stuffing technique to make natural looking, feminine cloth hands. No more over-stuffed, awkward looking, balloon hands in this class!
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ARLEY'S CONTACT & TEACHING INFORMATION
Instructor: Arley Berryhill (male-hey, some people don't know!)
Email: arleyberryhill@hotmail.com Website: www.ArleyBerryhill.com
INSTRUCTOR FEE: $400 per day, plus travel and lodging
A teaching contract is available on request.
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