The Sugar Plum Fairy

Act II in the ballet begins in the “Land of Sweets” with the Sugar Plum Fairy preparing to herald the arrival of Clara and the Prince. While Clara explores her wondrous new surroundings, the Prince tells the story of how Clara saved him. Clara is then crowned honorary Princess of the Land of Sweets, and a feast prepared in her honor begins.

The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy is danced by the principal ballerina, and is one of the most recognizable parts of the ballet.  Everything about the dance is delicate (choreography, music, costume) and fairy like. 

I used nylon wings from a big box store for one version of this ornament, and also made a version with felt wings:

 When stuffing the limbs, remember that you don't need to use a lot; just enough to hold the shape. I found a mini stuffing fork at Stuffing Forks - Mini (barbarawillisdesigns.com)

This is also why I prefer working with short stemmed cotton pipe cleaners. They are a lot easier to work with, particularly for the hands and feet.  With the typical nylon pipe cleaners I was spending a lot of time trimming the ends.  The fuzz kept poking out the sides, especially by the hands and feet.  The short stemmed pipe cleaners were a lot easier to work with.  You can get them at

Cotton Pipe Cleaners, Cotton Chenille Stems - A Child's Dream Come True

Mother Ginger

Mother Ginger was a challenge.  Who wears pantaloons (pantalettes?) and big wide panniers on their skirts anymore?  Apparently the fashion craze in the 18th century that gave us these dresses had one main purpose (obviously not practicality).  The width of the panniers was supposed to accentuate the feminine silhouette AND was an indicator of a woman’s economic status. So, the bigger the dress, the richer the lady.  

After a lot of trial and error, Madame Ginger began to make herself known.  The curls are a pipe cleaner, wrapped around something 1/8 inch diameter round - a knitting needle, skewer, pencil, whatever.  This was also my first foray into metallic thread (thank you, Audra!).  

Since wool felt comes almost exclusively as a solid color, the embroidery is what will provide depth, texture, and interest for this ornament series.  Decorative stitches like up and down buttonhole, bullion, and French knots can be sprinkled all over to glam up her dress. 

Coffee from Arabia and Tea from China

Dances from different countries representing various sweets are performed for Clara's entertainment.  Here we have the Arabian dance is (coffee).

A dear friend who has since passed away painted the head for the dancer from Arabia.  I was having a lot of trouble with the eyes, and she came up with the technique of painting in the whites of the eyes first, then adding the details of the pupils later.  Each character of the Nutcracker Suite is unique, and I hoped to convey that in their faces, as well as their costumes.  

A word about painting faces: try.  

I have many, many discarded 20 mm wooden beads.  My hand wasn't steady, the eyes were different sizes, the mouth turned out lopsided, etc. etc.  It's not cheating to use a pencil first - paint is permanent!  If you mess up one side, turn the bead around and try the other.  Paint over the messed up stuff with whatever color you choose for hair, or cover it up with a hat. Be brave!

If the head in a pattern is too complex for your taste, keep it simple:  

Kristen Rabideau has posted an excellent resource for painting faces titled, "A Simple Guide to Peg Doll Faces" on her website:

http://www.drawn2bcreative.com/peg-doll-faces-printable-guide-and-planner

Peg Doll Faces {Printable guide and Planner} - Drawn2BCreative

Herr Drosselmeyer, the Godfather

 I love to see who plays Onkel Drosselmeyer, the enigmatic magician/godfather of the ballet.  He's such an intriguing character - respected and welcomed by the adults, but the children don't quite know what to make of him.  With the cloak and eyepatch, he's mysterious and not a little bit alarming at first.  He arrives alone to the Christmas party, seemingly not a parent himself, but knowing how to  relate to children and make delightful toys.   

As Act I begins, Clara's parents greet the guests, the maid and butler takes their cloaks and provide refreshments. Once all the guests have arrived, the children are called into the parlor to watch the lighting of the tree and to receive their gifts. Everyone is dancing when suddenly a mysterious guest arrives! Everyone seems frozen in time, but there is great relief when they discover it is uncle Drosselmeyer. All are amazed as Drosselmeyer entertains with life-size dolls that come to life and dance at his command. 

He's very dignified, and I love the part in the ballet when he comforts Clara and fixes the nutcracker.  

The Nutcracker Suite ballet felt ornament patterns, Klara or Clara

 As a little girl I remember  watching Mikhail Baryshnikov in his prime dancing “the most romantic version ever” of the Nutcracker with Gelsey Kirkland.  It came on PBS around Christmastime, and was one of my favorite shows, ever.  I could instantly relate to Klara, since I had a pesky brother and a vivid imagination.  Ballet has got to be the best combination ever - fantasy, dance, pretty costumes, and beautiful music. 

I love being invited to see my friend's daughter, Emma's performances every year.  For a few hours, I get to be transported to the most magical world, childhood.  

In the ballet, Onkel Drosselmeyer presents to Clara. Delighted, Clara begins dancing with her new nutcracker. Fritz, though, becomes jealous and he snatches the doll from Clara and breaks it. Clara is heartbroken, but Drosselmeyer quickly repairs it and presents it back to Clara. Then, all the girls dance with their dolls amidst irritating interruptions from the boys.

According to ballet moms, all the little girls want to be Klara (or Clara).   The challenge was to make her a dancer, but still a little girl.  In every ballet I've seen she's got a set of long ringlets held back by a ribbon.  To the rescue:  doll hair.  Don't get the kind from a big box store, it's too soft and will fray.  

Make the ornament yours - give her a sash or embroider, if that's your style.  My trusty bullion stitch made a challenging, but pretty detail to her dress.  Making a mini nutcracker can test the best of us, feel free to use a button or a charm from the bead section of a craft store:

The Rat King Pattern

Making ornaments is such a pleasure for me, because I can adjust patterns to fit my own color scheme and personal style.  I came up with the idea after attending a performance of our local youth ballet.

Especially if you are making these ornaments to trace a particular ballerina's career in dance.  I make one for Emma every year, and so far I've made the Spanish dancer, a flower, a snowflake, and a Chinese dancer.  The whole idea is to make the ornaments yours.  I'm currently working on making the series different shades of purple for a special friend.  More on that later.

In the ballet, Clara returns to the darkened parlor looking for her nutcracker, and finding it, falls asleep with her Nutcracker beside her.

Suddenly, she awakens as the great clock strikes midnight. The parlor begins to glow and mist fills the air. Huge, mischevious mice start running about, stealing Clara's nutcracker! Clara is devastated and falls to the floor crying hoping that she is just having a terrible dream.

In the Nutcracker Suite ballet, it's either a Rat King or a Mouse King.  I wanted to make both, because I know a little girl who danced a mouse with her local ballet.  Nobody wants to play a rat. 

But, now thanks to Audra, I had a yet another idea how to make him a bit more sinister, without scaring the kids.  He contrasts the Nutcracker, so he is featured in silver and blues, to play opposite the Nutcracker's red and gold.  

The head was a challenge.  I found small unfinished wooden eggs, and painted them gray.  

When making the rat king head:

1st:  paint the bead the same color as the felt.  Paint more than one, just in case. 

2nd:  drill a small hole halfway through the middle (for the pipe cleaner neck to fit through)

3rd:  pencil sketch in the features - it's not cheating, paint is permanent!

4th:   paint the whites of the eyes and the nose.  Let dry.  Then, the gray whiskers and mouth.  Let dry.  Then, the pink of the nose.  

I found it helpful to glue the crown on first, centering it on the top of his head.  After that I glued on his ears.  

I admit it - the crown is a bead charm from Hob Lob.  I liked the bling, and the felt crown was too bulky.

Some people like the cuter round mouse head, but some folks prefer him looking like this:

Happy stitching!

The Nutcracker Suite

The Nutcracker Suite

After watching a live performance of the Nutcracker Suite, I HAD to try to recreate the magic story on my own tree. Based on E. T. A. Hoffmann's story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King", Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker is an immensely popular ballet, often performed around Christmas.   The"Russian dance", is one of the most recognizable pieces in the ballet, along with the "Waltz of the Flowers" and the "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy". 

Our story begins at the Stahlbaum house with Clara, her brother Fritz and their parents finishing the preparations for their annual Christmas party.  There are beautiful decorations and lights, a large tree, and of course, gifts.

Well, I started with the Nutcracker himself. 

I wanted to show movement and the grace inherent in ballet.  The most challenging part of making him was to decide whether to portray him as a nutcracker, or a ballet dancer.  The gold sequins make him sparkly, with light glinting off the frogging of his military coat. Some nice thick gold colored floss can also be used, with a bullion stitch.