My first thought is that a red backdrop will be hard for the audience to look at. Is Santa himself in the play? Will he be onstage in a red costume? If so, you may have the unsettling experience of seeing a face and beard moving across the stage as the red suit blends with the red background. Any one in red clothing will have the same problem.

Secondly, I would not try to dye anything that big, especially not a deep color like red. Your answer is paint. Prime the muslin with primer, and paint it red, if you want to. "Flats" traditionally used for scenery are nothing more than frames of lumber with muslin stretched and stapled to them, primed and painted.

My third thought is that the print for the lettering ought to be looked at from a distance to see what it looks like from the audience. Let someone who hasn't seen the print up close look at it to see if the candy canes look like candy canes or just a generic print.

Where I live Bed Bath & Beyond stores sell single sheets. Have you tried looking online for flat sheets? I have no experience with set backdrops but muslin is usually much heavier than a sheet. You could even get red broadcloth or quilting cotton from JoAnn's or Hancock Fabrics.

Point well taken with the idea of the red background if Santa is in red. Hmmm....maybe Green would be better.

I do know what flats are. Unfortunately, though, we don't have storage for traditional scenery flats. That's why I've used either dyed or painted sheets as backdrops. Also, our stage is very tiny, *and* it is used not only for school, but for a church service every weekend. So whatever goes up, has to come down for the weekend and then we'd have to put it back up again. So something that can be hung with safety pins works VERY well.

It really doesn't matter what the print of the lettering will be - - it's cute up close, but you're right, it wouldn't show from afar.

No flat sheets separately here. Our local BB&B went out of business, as did the Linens 'n Things. I tried Wal-Mart, K-Mart and Target, and struck out. Online just isn't fast enough for me - - I need to start this, THIS weekend. Otherwise I run out of time. (I'm a school music director, and have 3 programs rehearsing simultaneously - a choir show, a first grade production, and a big musical. The backdrop will be for the first two.)

As for red broadcloth ... or even green ... not wide enough! I was looking at 108" wide muslin because I would not have to put in a seam, and it's usually easy to buy. With a 40% or 50% off coupon, it's probably cheaper than a sheet any way.

Donna

Remember, too, if you decide to paint, (and I really would) you may already know this: The hardware store or paint store may have mis-tints on sale for a reduced price. All those gallons of paint the customer decided she didn't want are sold relatively cheaply. I never knew about this till just a few months ago. (A quart of pale baby blue paint just barely covers the ceiling in an 8 x 10 room!) If you go in and ask, one color or another may just strike your fancy. Our local hardware store has a container of paint stirring sticks dipped in the colors available, with the amount and type written on them.

I ended up with 120" wide bleached muslin and a totally different idea that will not involve ANY dyeing or much painting. Last night I did the raw edges on my serger. My plan is to leave it white and just do Christmas trees on it - - applique from yards of extra fabric I have. I can set the scene outdoors pretty easily - -

Donna