Stop-motion animators try to avoid fabrics and hair that tend to move on their own, often appearing like choppy movements on film and ruining the illusion. Because Sally has long, waist-length red hair, it was decided early on that her hair wouldn’t move naturally, except for a few moments in the film. This created a conundrum for the puppet makers who needed to provide dozens of different heads with a plethora of facial expressions and mouth shapes. Unlike Jack, who has no hair and a head that could easily be popped on and off during filming (allowing him to speak and sing realistically), it would have been almost impossible to create so many heads with Sally’s hair staying consistent. The team came up a solution: Make Sally’s face like a mask, removing only the front part of the face, rather than the whole head to avoid disturbing her hair. Tiny eyelids could be placed into the mask to allow her to blink. Replacements parts for all the characters was also important. Puppet maker Bonita DeCarlo stated, “We keep a ready supply of hands, shoes, even extra castings of arms, which can quickly be replaced for damaged or broken pieces. One person spends a lot of time making sure we never run low.”

The impeccable combination of chic and classic (like Sally herself), worked from the center top down, the main body of the shawl incorporates Halloween Town’s ever-present spider webs, created with a simple two row lace pattern. A blinged-up beaded lace border of leaf motifs reflects Sally’s patchwork and stitched body stuffed with leaves. With the beads added as you knit with a small crochet hook, there’s no pre-stringing required. An elegant abstract bat-shaped border completes this Sally-inspired shawl.

Questions or comments about my designs?
Interested in KALs & MKALs?
Join Susanna IC group on Ravelry:
http://www.ravelry.com/groups/susanna-ic