Wool Applique North Pole

 I'm taking a little break from designing ornaments and brushing up on my hand embroidery.  This is the first block I've made from Pin and Proper designs by Vickie Higley.  I chose to applique wool on cotton and am going for a bright and whimsical theme.  This is the Claus residence.  The rest of the blocks include adorable elves, Santa's mailbox, and cupcakes.  I'm having a lot of fun working on different stitches and experimenting with colors.  The next block I'm going to tackle is the North Pole!

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.  

Around the World: Poland Krakowiak Dancer

I'm taking a little break from the Nutcracker Suite, and am starting a trip around the world.  This lady is from Poland, and is based on a Krakowiak dancer.  My dear neighbor Phyllis introduced me to the idea, and since then I've discovered the dresses come in a myriad of colors and details.  More to come in the future!  

The costumes tend to have some features in common:  white, wide blouses, a tight vest, and full skirt with an apron.  Flowers in the hair are frequently seen, with intricate embroidery throughout the costume.   For her skirt I embroidered "lazy daisy", or chain stitch for the flowers with a French knot in the middle.  The hem is a blanket stitch.  The vest also features the lazy daisy flowers and cross stitch.  

I gave this lady a strip of pretty lace for her apron, but I've made another with a larger apron:

When you are stitching the vest, tie a double knot a quarter inch from the end, then go in at the top.  The  quarter inch sticking out at the top is meant to represent the laces used for the bodice.  Stitch one half of the cross stitch from top to bottom, then come back up stitching the second half of the stitch.  Your final stitch can come up the top.  Double knot, then trim both threads to the same length. 

Marzipan Shepherdess Felt Ornament

Dances from different countries representing various sweets are performed for Clara's entertainment, and the the Dance of the Mirlitons represents marzipan and Denmark.  I stitched the blanket stitch around the outer edges of the skirt and bonnet to give them a bit of detail.  The cross stitch seemed a natural choice for the bodice, and since I recently learned the bullion stitch (thank you, Nonda!) it's been showing up on a lot of my ornaments.  

The powdered wig curls are a nod to the Marie Antoinette style of a lot of the ballet costumes seen in this particular dance.  It's so cute when the younger ballerinas are cast in the role of sheep - I can see why a shepherdess might need a crook! This particular shepherd's crook is a small bow I purchased in a big box store, probably intended for decorating a corsage or something.

Which brings me to one of my favorite themes - these are YOUR ornaments.  Choose whichever colors, stitches, beads, notions; whatever reflects your personality and tastes.  

With a heavy charm, you may need to rebalance the ornament by offsetting the hanging loop.  Or,  simply accept that they will hang at a slightly different angle.  Go for it!  And send pictures.  I love seeing what my fellow crafters make.

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.