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. 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!
* 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!!
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!