Soft Sculpture Art Doll Workshop

Garcia will share some basic sewing techniques in this fun and easy workshop. and ideas to inspire you to create your very own soft sculpture art doll. This is a fun and easy project that will inspire you to start creating. Donations requested for this workshop.

Purchase an art doll kit from Garcia for $20 or build your own kit with the suggested materials listed below. Register to receive the art doll kit purchase link.
Materials:

1 gently used barbie doll. No head. No arms. You can cut these pieces off with razor blade scissors or a box cutter.
Various fabrics. Old t-shirts or garments that you may like the color or print. Favorite fabric scraps or cotton scarves. Anything cotton, t-shirt kind of materials, stretchy polyesters, textures, prints, solids.
Needle (long straight needle, curved needles) Curved needles are craft and upholstery needles. You want to have a longer needle with this project because you will be pushing through a few layers of fabric when sewing your art doll.
Thread (All-purpose thread and Heavy Duty or Dual Duty Button and Craft ) The All-purpose thread is your regular thread for basic sewing needs. This will be used to sew the shapes we will be applying. The Heavy Duty thread is for attaching and creating the main shape and base of the art doll.
Scissors that can cut fabric
Needle nose pliers to pull the needle through the fabric.
Fluff. Poly-fil. Stuffing for soft toys.
Chopstick or utensil of some sort to help push the fiberfill fluff into our soft sculpture pieces. In a pinch try a pencil, pen, or small cut down dowel.

April Garcia is an Austin based artist who loves to create soft sculpture art. Using fabric, fiber-fill, needle, and thread, she sews her fabric pieces by hand or with a machine. She sews colorful fabric shapes, attaching one to another until the bulging pieces are balanced with color and pattern. April enjoys allowing her sculptures to grow organically when she is creating. She allows her soft sculptures to morph into what they want to be. Her biomorphic soft sculpture work has an organic abstract look that resembles shapes found in nature or even something that might grow on another planet. She has been creating and exhibiting her art in Austin for twenty years and has several sculpture art pieces in the permanent collection of Mexic Arte Museum.