The Fairy Tale Theater

This most unusual project, along with a detailed instruction (see below), was kindly sent to us by Sapphire Espinoz. Sapphire, many thanks for sharing!

It's a huge veil for Puppet Theater, organized by Sapphire in her backyard. The fairy embroideries are from our The Fairy Tale collection.



You will need:
- One Full size bed sheet
- 2 yards of Green fabric
- � yard of Brown fabric
- Some tracing paper to make a template
- 2 yards of Decorator weight fusible interfacing (45� width preferred)
- Embroidery designs from The Fairy Tale collection


Step #1: Cut your appliques:
For this technique, keep in mind that your finished design will be a mirror image of what you cut. For example, if you would like a hill on the right side of your finished project, cut your hill on the left side.

Step #2: Lay the interfacing out onto a flat surface with the fusible side up. Align the green fabric along the long edge of the interfacing, right side down. Now free-form cut the grass in long sweeping waves allowing at least 6 inches of grass height and keeping in mind that your finished design will be mirror image of what you cut. Free-form cut the tree top, out of the same fabric and interfacing.

Step #3: Flip these pieces so they are interfacing side up, and lay them on top of your sheet, so that you can get a sense of alignment. Lay the tracing paper in the area where you want to make the trunk, and sketch out a trunk until you are happy with it. You will want the roots to go into the grass, and the branches to fit within the tree top. Keep in mind that your final shape will be reduced by the seam allowance.

Step #4: Lastly, line up your brown fabric - right side down, on top of the interfacing, sticky side up. Flip your tracing paper so that your drawing is reversed, and place it on top of your fabric. Cut out the tree trunk.

Step #5: Sew the Appliqu� Pieces:
Use a straight stitch with a narrow seam allowance, to sew the appliqu� pieces to the interfacing. Keep the fabric right side down, and the interfacing - sticky side up. Go all the way around the tree trunk and the tree top, but only sew the top edge of the grass area. For the tree trunk - clip into the nooks where the branches or roots form a �V.� Cut down any seam allowances that got too big.

Step #6: Put it together:
Turn the grass so that it right side out and roll the edge between your fingers, and finger press the edge so that only the grass is seen from the top. Fuse the grass onto the bottom edge of the sheet.

Step #7: Cut a hole in the center of tree parts interfacing, and turn them using a point turner. Get the edges and a long handles tweezers to turn branches or roots. Flatten these shapes as much possible and fuse them to sheet. Once well fused, use a lightning stitch, narrow zig-zag, or any other appliqu� stitch to stitch the appliqu� pieces to the sheet.

Embroider the fairy designs from The Fairy Tale set onto the backdrop.

Step #7: If you do not have a deck to use as a stage, you can put a tension held shower curtain rod through the top edge of the sheet and install it in a hallway. Cut out a rectangular area to use as a puppet stage opening and finish the raw edges with a satin stitch or bias tape binding.