What little girl doesn't dream of being a prima ballerina? I know my 6 year old niece has such aspirations, as she now realises she can't be a princess. andquot;Stitch me an Angelina Ballerina cross stitch for my bedroom, Auntyandquot; she begged, as she pirouetted around the living room in her tutu, dancing along with the tiny ballerina in her musical box.
I'm sure Katie isn't the first little girl to want to be surrounded by Angelina Ballerina cross stitch and other pictures of ballerinas. In fact ballet has been a popular theme in art throughout the years.
One famous artist who used ballet as a common theme in his paintings was the French artist Edgar Degas. His fascination with the human body, and ballet in particular, led to his painting the rehearsing ballerinas, those waiting to take the stage, and in the midst of performing using pastels. His studio was filled with sketches of live models that were grouped together and used combined to create the final piece.
Illustrator Helen Craig, who also dreamed of being a ballerina, focused her artistic energy on drawing. A photographer until she was 40, she worked with Katharine Holabird on illustrating the stories for Angelina Ballerina. The white mouse she drew from 1983 onwards won numerous awards and was typically depicted with no electricity and only candles and oil lamps as illumination since this was how Craig had been raised.
Katherine Holabird, nursery school teacher and mother of two young daughters, began writing the stories in 1982. To date there are 20 books in the series and the animated character has her own TV show.
The young Angelina Ballerina spends her time getting herself out of trouble with grace and imagination. While dreaming of becoming a prima ballerina, Angelina is a student of Miss Lilly, along with her best friend Alice and the lovelorn William Longtail.
To replicate the popularity of the book series, DMC has created several Angelina Ballerina cross stitch kits using 16 count Aida. The patterns are very popular among little girls and are great gifts to add to their collection of stitched ballerinas.

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Article Submitted By: JuliaWigham
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