I'm so happy to say that
Ghost of Christmas Present is now in my
Etsy shop. This pattern is the fourth in my
Ebenezer Ornament Series, which is inspired by my love for Charles Dickens' spooky Victorian novella,
A Christmas Carol.
You'll find the difficulty level to be intermediate – not for beginners. If you've completed my Twelve Days Ornament Series, you are likely ready to step into the Ebenezer series! (Twelve Days is a great primer as it builds your skills when you do the patterns in order.)
Skills needed for this particular pattern are backstitch, whipstitch, French knot, drawing on the
face, precision cutting/sewing/glueing of very small pieces, and working with chenille stems, beads, and sequins. This one is more complex because of the many small details, not to mention the hidden figures of Ignorance and Want inside the robe!
As with the rest of my ornament patterns, Ghost of Christmas Present is organized into detailed step by step instructions with scads of diagrams and tips.
The pattern includes 17 years to trace and embroider on the back, if you like.
This short lived spirit is the favorite of many Dickens devotees because of his cheerful demeanor and the fact that he represents the joy, peace, and plenty of Christmas day itself. He is written as a jolly giant, wearing a long, fur-trimmed green robe and holding a magical horn-of-plenty shaped torch with which he sprinkles Christmas joy. He is wearing a holly crown and a jeweled belt, from which hangs an empty, rusty scabbard which represents the absence of war and brotherhood of man.
And the best part for Dickens fans: Inside his robe are hidden the pitiable figures of Ignorance and Want, which make their startling appearance toward the end of Scrooge's time with this spirit.
Because of the many pieces, it takes about three crafternoons to make a Ghost of Christmas Present. Put on a good movie or podcast, make a hot cuppa, and enjoy the journey. All 101 steps. :-)
Don't forget the Victorian gleam! Choosing metallic embroidery threads, tinsel/iridescent chenille stems, and metallic wool felt accents will add even more holiday sparkle to the already glittery sequins and beads.
This ornament is best constructed using
Sulky Stick 'n Stitch, which makes the process much faster, easier, and more accurate. If you already have the materials on hand to make Scrooge, Marley, or the Ghost of Christmas Past, you might just need a few more things like metallic wool felt, tinsel and regular chenille stems, and an optional mini jingle bell. There's a full materials list on the first page of the pattern shown below. Click to zoom:
The sparkle of spirits you see above were all made with the same two Benzie Ebenezer
color palettes I curated for the rest of the series. I exercised a bit of artistic license in the color of the robes and crowns #becausecolors. I wanted to show you some possibilities with different hair colors too. (Did you know the spirit's hair is initially brown but turns gray with age by the time he disappears?) I also wanted to show the option to make the mustache from card stock (zoom in on the gray haired spirit) if you don't want to purchase a sheet of wool felt just for that tiny mustache.
Pro tip: If you are buying it anyway or have some already on hand, check out the wool sides of Benzie's
metallic and glitter felts for possible mustache colors. The back of the Bellwether bronze metallic felt is a nice warm brown and made excellent mustaches for both of my brunette samples, and the mustache on my redhead is the back of the Bellwether copper glitter felt. As a bonus, the backing makes the tiny tiny pieces less likely to fray apart.
Because chenille stems come in limited colors, I recommend buying the chenille stem for the beard first and then choose matching DMC floss hair and felt (or card stock) for the beard to match.
I will be publishing detailed
color guides for these samples soon. Ish. Those will coordinate directly with the amazing felt/floss/notions kits put together for your buying convenience at
Benzie Design!
To purchase the instantly downloadable PDF pattern, visit my
Etsy shop. :-)
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