Sherlock Holmes Wool Felt Ornament Pattern

 I have FINALLY gotten to writing up the pattern for creating Sherlock Holmes.  He's such an iconic figure in literature, I had a hard time deciding how to depict him, particularly what should go in his hands.  I'm hoping to design 12 inch by 12 inch quilt squares as backgrounds for my ornaments eventually, and that's where I'll place his violin, the slipper, the Hound of the Baskervilles and perhaps even Reichenbach Falls?  hmmmmm

The tricky part to Sherlock is his signature deerstalker cap.  Lay the the cap piece out, and fold the longer sides up to meet in the middle.  Then a little finessing to fit the cap to his head without covering his features is all you need to worry about.  

The face took me a bit - the sardonic curved lip, the nose, and the piercing eyes took me awhile, but an evening in the company of Basil Rathbone and Jeremy Brett soon put me to rights.  When you have eliminated the impossible ....

Felt Baby Animals Mobile

 My friend Susan called one day on a road trip back to Huntsville, AL from Nashville, TN.  She discovered she was about to become a great aunt, and had a great idea.  How about we make a baby mobile, pair it with a baby quilt, and have a workshop at Patches and Stitches?  Great idea! 

So, I made the baby animals for the mobile.  Cutesy colors, realistic colors, whichever you choose, these make an adorable mobile, if I do say so myself.  

The Waltz of the Flowers

“The Waltz of the Flowers” is a song written by Tchaikovsky for the second act of the ballet.  The song starts slowly and leads into a big ending. 

What I really enjoyed about designing the flower ornaments is that there are a lot of variations that can be done with this pattern.  Wool felt has a lot of colors, whether you prefer pastel or jewel tones.  The bodice and skirts can be embroidered at whichever skill level you are.  

 I had a lot of fun painting the different heads for these dancers.  From simple to more elaborate, this is a patterns that can be tailored to any special ballerina in your life.

The Snow Queen

In the story, the Nutcracker is transformed into a handsome prince.  Grateful for how Clara has saved him, he invites her to visit his kingdom in the "Land of Sweets." On the way, they pass through the Enchanted Forest where Snow Angels greet them. The Snow King and Queen dance for them and all the Snow Maidens and Snowflakes dance and swirl around them. The Snow Queen then presents Clara and the prince with a sleigh so they can complete their journey to the wonderful "Land of Sweets."

The challenge for making the snow queen was in merging the sharp edges of ice and snow with the grace of ballet.  Her dress is longer and I used some metallic floss to give her some sparkle.  She also looks lovely in gold:

When making the body, the limbs don't need any stuffing at all.  Just a little stuffing in the middle of the body to give the waist shape is necessary.

The Russian Dancer

Dances from different countries representing various sweets are performed for Clara's entertainment. The Russian dance represents tea cakes. 

It is one of the most recognizable pieces in the Nutcracker ballet. I've been to performances where audience members have clapped along to the music.  It's based on a traditional Russian and Ukrainian folk dance called a trepak (tropak/tripak).  

It's an entertaining, energetic, fast paced dance with Cossak orgins.  Loose, billowy trousers and blouses hint at horseback riding and is typically performed by men and features prisiadka (kicking the legs from a squatting position).  

This guy has a moustache and spiky hair peeking out from beneath his hat, and the shirt is embroidered with a combination of cross stitch, bullion stitch, back stitch, and French knots.  This type of elaborate embroidery is common in Eurasian folk costumes.  Red pants are also a variation that look good on this particular ornament.  His body is two colored, and stitched together at the waist.

Don't worry about your stitches - the blouse will cover it.  Most of my ornament patterns call for short stemmed 6 inch chenille stems, but for this one a regular pipe cleaner from the store will work just fine.  The legs are pretty long, and you can trim any "fuzz" that escapes beyond the felt, if needed.  

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

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