The Second Wise Man is the second character of the Prim Nativity Series. He features a decorative scarf and skirt, an embroidered head covering with a tail, and holds a money sack.
In this blog post and the YouTube Video, check out the felt alternative I have for you to make the fabric money bag. It looks just as good as the original version, and is a great option if you just want to use up a scrap piece of felt for the money bag.
This blog post is a brief summary of watch points, suggestions and helpful hints that focus on the construction of the Wise Man. Watching the video tutorial really gives you an incredible overview of how to bring this character to life, so be sure to check it out!
Painted Cotton Fabric Versus Felt for Sack
This is entirely up to you - you know that I LOVE incorporating different textures and fabrics into my felt characters when I can. Cheesecloth, stained muslin, painted fabric, etc. Just to add a bit of interest!
But that does require working with other materials that perhaps you aren't familiar with, and maybe you JUST want to use up that little piece of brown felt you have in your stash. If that's the case, consider making the money bag out of felt! Here I used a little scrap of burnt umber felt from my stash, and the gold embroidery looks awesome against it.
If you decide to go the felt route, you do need to cut the sack down by about 1/8" around the sides and bottom so it doesn't end up proportionally too big. This is all in the video if you'd like to see how I do this!
What are those Markings For?
There's a couple of spots in the pattern where I use a dashed line and a star that is just meant for reference - these are not for cutting nor to embroider!
The dashed lines you see on the perimeter of the pattern for the torso are just a reference for where to start and stop your stitching before turning the body inside out for stuffing
The stars are just to help you orient yourself and see where the skirt centre and sides come together to prevent assembling this incorrectly! If your skirt isn't fitting the knees of the Second Wise Man, odds are the pieces aren't oriented correctly before stitching.
Curving the Back
For the ultimate in positioning all of the figures in the Nativity Series, they have pipe cleaners where it matters most. The arms, the back, and in the case of the Shepherd even the legs use pipe cleaners to create a figure you can manipulate into a pose. You can even tip the head downwards. For the Second Wise Man, he crouches forward a bit, bowing down, so you can play with the pipe cleaner in the back. Don't be gentle! Over-bending is required to often get the figures into the pose you ultimately would like!
Be careful with that hat tail! It's one of those long and thin pieces that's prone to tearing if you pull the sulky off too quickly!
Keep Things Tidy
Just a handy tip as you move through the patterns - keep your eye on those thread tails! You don't want to trim your thread tails too short or you risk cutting through your knot, but you definitely want to make sure they're not getting in the way. Trim up the stragglers on the backside as you go to make sure they aren't visible in the finished figure.
Handy Links to Materials I Use
For the blush, I have been using a blush set I had picked up at the dollar store years ago - but one day I lost the set (it later re-appeared, typical of a craft room!) so ended up purchasing this one on Amazon, which I like even more! There are more shades in it that are useful in all of my doll making, so I definitely recommend this set.
Whenever I use blush on the beads, I find if I don't give it a clear coat with a spray, the blush eventually wears off. This is the latest one I've been using, and it's been great. It's available in both glossy and matte, I use matte on all of my beads but if you wanted a varnished look, try the glossy!
This hairspray is AMAZING. I can't believe it has zero scent, and its a new thing I use in these figures. It's easier and less messy than tapping the glue into the beards, and gives great hold. You can use whichever method you prefer, but this hairspray has great hold and is an excellent alternative.
And finally - as I worked through these patterns, I discovered the joy of using a set of tweezers to stuff the small figure parts! I just used the tweezers that came with my serger for threading it, I like the fine tip they come to, and that they downturn at an angle. But even your tweezers you may have hidden away in the bathroom would likely work just fine!
In Conclusion
When I was making this video, these points are the ones that had stood out to me to be important to reinforce. I really hope you have a chance to check out the video, especially if you are on the fence and unsure if you have the skills to make The Nativity Scene! Next up, The Third Wise Man!