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 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.