This blog post is a brief summary of watch points, suggestions and helpful hints that focus on the construction of the Nativty Scene. Watching the video tutorials really gives you an incredible overview of how to bring this character to life, so be sure to check it out!
The First Wise Man
The First Wise Man is the first character of the Prim Nativity Series. He features a turban with a little crown, he carries a bottle and my favourite feature is his detailed embroidery on the back of his head dress and robe.
* One video note:
I did forget to cut the cyan piece for the turbon in the first part of the video – you need ½” 9” piece of cyan felt.
Below you will find some additional notes that may be helpful when working through the pattern. These are what I consider the highlights and reading through will further aid you while you're crafting the figure.
Types of Stitches
The main stitches you need to use for him is a backstitch and a whipstitch, those are two very basic embroidery stitches and great ones to learn if you are new to embroidery!
Notes on Sulky
When pre-shrinking your felt, remember sometimes the felt bleeds colour into your water bath. I like to move from my lightest colours down to my darkest colours to make sure that I don't accidentally tint one of my lighter colours. You also never want to wring out your felt - press out the excess water and I lay them out on a drying rack.
If you have excessive sulky on a piece that doesn’t get embroidered, peel off the excess and cut away before soaking to keep your water a bit cleaner. It's not necessary but I find it helpful.
On long and thin pieces be careful when you pull off the sulky that you don’t accidentally deform them. The sulky adheres quite a bit to the felt, so pull it away gently, a little at a time on thin pieces.
Pipe Cleaners vs. Chenille Stems
A pipe cleaner is not the same thing as a chenille stem, though they can sometimes be referred to as the same thing. Chenille stems are the crafting-style pipe cleaners, they have a very flexible wire in them, and usually come in a 6mm size and are available in a variety of colours. However, the pipe cleaners used in this pattern are actual pipe cleaners. There are several brands out there, the specific one I use are here.
Optional Fillers for the Base of the Body
I always use rice in the bottoms of my creations when they need a bit of weight - it's inexpensive, and heavy enough to do it's job. However, if you live in a very humid climate, rice may not be the best option for you - I've had a few people ask me about alternatives because they didn't feel comfortable using rice.
I recommend to consider a fine granule vase filler like this one. It's a stone granule, and alternatively you could also hunt around for some fine gravel.
Another tip is when you're filling the bottom with whatever material you are using, pack it down really well so you can get a good amount in there to provide the weight and that the figure is firmly stuffed.
Working with Metallic Floss
There's no getting around it - metallic floss is gorgeous, but boy oh boy it can be tricky! It's prone to tangling, breaking and getting caught along the way..but there are a few things you can do to make it easier to work with!
I like to use a #5 embroidery needle with the metallics. It makes a generous hole in the felt that makes it easier for the floss to glide through. I also find a strand of Diamant glides smoother than Light Effects. However, it is more expensive and is still prone to the same issues in the end.
Work with shorter strands - it's less likely to twist up on you, and a shorter strand is less likely to get knotted on you.
If you notice the strands twisting, periodically stop and unwind the twisting.
If you notice it starting to fray, just knot off the strand and start with a fresh one. It's not going to get easier to work with, and risk it breaking on you.
Remember to Keep Track of Orientation
When working with the arms, you have front and back pieces that are mirror images of each other. I like to lay the pieces out exactly how they will be assembled to the body to ensure I'm assembling a left and a right arm. It's too easy to accidentally glue the pipe cleaner to the wrong side of the arm backs, so just keep your eye on that.
Handy Hint for the Beard
Use a comb to help separate the beard fibres, and consider using hairspray instead or in addition to tapping glue into the beard to give it structure. This is the hairspray I love to use for crafts, it has great hold and zero scent!!
The Second Wise Man
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!
The Third Wise Man
The Third Wise Man is the third character of the Prim Nativity Series. Displayed together, the Three Wise Men make a beautiful arrangement, each showcasing a unique dress and adornments.
Have a look at the previous two Wise Man blog posts for more tips and tricks that are relevant to all three figures.
Consider Glitter or Metallic Felt for the Star
In this blog post and the YouTube Video, check out the alternative material for the star on the staff. The original version calls for a double layer of antique gold felt whipstitched around the top of the staff, but here I explore using glitter and metallic felts. I think my new favourite is the gold metallic felt, it glitters so nicely and really takes this figure up a notch!
Explore Skin Tones
The techniques used to paint the face and hand beads to a different skin tone can also be used in the other characters! You could explore a variety of skin tones through each character, really adding some variation to the scene.
Have a look at the system I use in the video to paint the beads. I use bamboo skewers and pipe cleaners to hold the beads securely while I'm painting, then leave them to dry in a floral block.
Paint Marker Versus Acrylic Paints
Oil-Based paint markers are pretty user friendly - you don't need a brush and you don't have to store a bottle of paint afterwards. I find the oil based paint markers give you more of a stained bead look with some of the grain of the bead still showing through. However there is very little variety in colour shades to choose from which is one of the reasons I've moved to using acrylics.
Working with acrylic paint, if you want just a lightly coloured bead, just use a single coat. If you'd like more solid, use multiple coats of paint to achieve an opaque look. I do tend to go for a darker brown on this head, but you can consider other shades as well, just remember to also paint the hand beads the same colours!
Working with Metallic Floss
I do go over this in previous blog posts but it can be so frustrating working with metallic floss, the tips bear repeating.
Keep in mind DMC Diamant is slightly less prone to issues than DMC Light Effects. My recommendation is to always work with a shorter strand of floss, use a #5 size embroidery needle to create a good size hole for the floss to go through, and unwind your twisting thread periodically so it doesn't start to knot up on you!
Shaping the Seemingly Tricky Skirt
If you’re having trouble shaping and forming the skirt onto the body, you can pin first before gluing. Pinning first will give you a great indication on if you're going to like how the skirt folds are looking before you commit to gluing, and gives you an opportunity to correct any folds you're not happy with.
What's With the Hat?
The Hat Top is purposely oversized to the Hat Lower to create a kind of three-dimensional shape - as you whip stitch around you will be taking up this extra felt a little bit at a time to create that shape.
What if you Tear a Piece when Peeling off the Sulky?
The little feather for his hat is so tiny, be very careful when peeling off the sulky! And the Hat Tail is very prone to stretching out of shape and even breaking if you are too rough pulling that sulky off. If you have trouble with either of those pieces, just stick your little sulky pattern piece onto another piece of felt - there should be enough adhesion still left on the piece that you can cut a second shape out fairly accurately, with the added bonus that the sulky won't be as sticky this time when you pull it off!
Joseph
Joseph is the fourth character of the Prim Nativity Series. You'll notice a definite departure from the glittery outfits of the Wise Men as we move to the simpler dress of Joseph and Mary (and The Shepherd for that matter!). Joseph has a simple outfit (which makes it easy to construct!), with very little embroidery and no beadwork. He's got a shawl made from coffee-stained cheesecloth, which adds a great texture element to the figure.
Coffee Stained Cheesecloth?
Where can you get cheesecloth? Look in the kitchen area of your local dollar store, or ask at the Fabric store. To coffee stain I use a mixture of instant coffee and water, and if I want to make it smell REALLY good, I'll add in a good splash of vanilla! Usually 2 Tbsp instant coffee to 1 cup of hot water. Let it cool a bit so you don't hurt yourself, then submerge the cheesecloth, squeeze out the coffee and lay it out to dry. Presto, coffee stained cheesecloth!
Trimming the Pipe Cleaners
As you're starting to work with some smaller felt pieces, you will notice we are cutting the fuzz off of the pipe cleaners. Be careful if you're using your fabric scissors for this, you don't want to accidentally nick them on the metal wire! Believe me, I've done that by accident and it can ruin a pair of very expensive scissors.
A Note on Scissors and Glue Gun
Speaking of scissors, do you have a favourite brand? I love Kai as a brand. Their scissors are super sharp, they come in a variety of options and they've always cut right to the tip - I've been asked recently what my favourite glue gun is! I recently got a precision tip Surebonder, but I'm not quite sold (it leaks glue when not in use which I find annoying) - so far my favourite is the Gorilla mini glue gun, I now have two of them and they really are my go-to's!
Don't Forget..
Joseph's Lantern Band and Hat Band are two pieces to be careful with, that they don't tear or stretch out of shape when removing the sulky!
Mary & Baby Jesus
One of the things I love about this Nativity Scene, is as you create each figure, you start to envision other ways of displaying the figures. You can make smaller vignettes if you are tight on display space! One of my favourites is just Joseph, Mary and Baby Jesus, The Angel and some animals for a more intimate scene.
Like Joseph, Mary has minimal embroidery work, just a few accent stitches but no beadwork. If you are trying to save on using Sulky, this is one figure freezer paper could work well, if you're comfortable doing the bit of embroidery freehand.
In this video, at 3min55sec into it, there's a mini tutorial on coffee staining the fabrics and how I paint the shawl fabric. Is this necessary? As you know, I love incorporating other textures and fabrics with the felt, and I have lots of painting supplies around from doll making. But if this isn't for you, do you have a scrap of a knit or vintage-looking fabric around you could use for her shawl? A very thin knit fabric purchased at the fabric store could also work for Baby Jesus - and honestly to dye the cheesecloth, if you have leftover coffee from your morning, just use that to dye it!
Mary's body has a similar construction to the Second Wise Man because she is kneeling, so like that figure, pay attention to the stars for lining up and orienting her skirt pieces correctly.
Can't find or don't have access to small twigs for the manger? Consider using popsicle sticks or stir sticks - you could stain or paint the manger afterwards a nice dark walnut, or pre-paint the sticks!
Shepherd & Sheep
Coming Next in the series to the Shepherd and Sheep, you are now on the second last figure! The Shepherd is the only character that sits, and I mean, how cute are the lamb and sheep?? He has the most complicated head design (which I still have confidence that you can execute, but if not, I offer pre-made heads for the series!), and again I incorporate other fabrics other than felt. In this one, I use stained muslin (for his shirt) and fake fur which I'll go into depth a little further on.
Choosing a Rock
To be honest, this is probably best done after you have created the Shepherd, as you can judge how he can be placed on the rock best when you have a figure to manipulate. I like a rock with a jagged nature. If you don't live near a place you can just hunt for rocks (for me that would be the backyard, LOL), you can buy them online! Just try a google search for natural slate or stone. Also look at river rock at your local garden centre that people use in their gardens. You want a kind of flat area for the Shepherd to sit on, and for his legs to touch the ground. The felt glues very well to the rock, so you don't need to worry about fixing him in place. If you are worried that he's leaning a bit rearward because he has nothing to lean on, read further down, I have a fix for that!
Ideas for Vest Fabric
My favourite fabric to use for the vest is a fake fur - it comes on a backing that is easy to sew through, you can trim it up to whatever length you want the fur, it's inexpensive and it looks really great!
However, if you wanted to consider some alternatives, the obvious one would be just to use another colour of felt as you likely have that lying around! But in this video I explored using a thin leather scrap, and I thought that was a GREAT alternative! You do need to make sure you choose a scrap that you can get through easily with a needle (so nothing too thick and structured). But another alternative might be an interesting fabric with a different texture to it. Knit and wool fabric would also work well - they would suit the character (depending on the colour you chose), and again, would add a nice visual texture change to his clothing.
Pipe Cleaners and the Body
You know, we never talk about this, but when you're using pipe cleaners for structure in these figures, you could absolutely consider just using some wire, and glue it in place instead of the pipe cleaner! I would use an 18 gauge thickness - it's still easy enough to manipulate but not too flimsy, and you may find in this type of figure where he has a lot of bends (at the knees, at the waist, and even curving his back forward), you may get less spring-back. Have I tried this yet? Well, no, but I do think it has the potential to work better and definitely, if you do not have access to real pipe cleaners, use wire instead of chenille stems that are way too flimsy.
A Note on the Shepherds Hair
Remember that the Shepherd has a nice cap covering most of his head, so you really do not need to fill in the entire area with colour! This will save you time, especially if you're using a fine marker for coverage!
Back to the Rock..
When you have glued the Shepherd's bottom to the rock, you may find, try as you might, his body is always wanting to tip backwards (it happens). If you are having that trouble, when you glue the lamb to his hands, also glue the bottom of the lamb to his lap (the top of his thighs). Since the lamb is already glued to his hands, that will cause the Shepherds back to come forward, and will help tighten up his posture.
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The Versatility of Tweezers
Not only are tweezers amazing for stuffing tight areas, when you are gluing the yarn to the sheep, you'll notice in the video, I use the back of my tweezers pressed against the yarn on the hot glue to avoid getting it on my fingers. The metal of the tweezers causes the glue to set faster, and when it's set, the tweezers lift out of place because the glue doesn't hold to the metal. Give it a try!!
And that's it! The Shepherd and Sheep, they can both stand alone in their own scene or join the others of the larger Nativity. And you may even consider making more than one sheep - you could have them sitting on top of the stable, in the stable, just lounging around the scene..