Nativity directions 2... the Manger

This kit consists of 5 pieces; 1 large rectangle, 2 long rectangles, and two short rectangles. the base piece for this project is the large rectangle. All other pieces will be sewn to this piece.




First, take one of the long rectangle pieces, and line it up to the coordinating side of the large rectangle piece. You will know that it is coordinating, because it is the same length. Place the long rectangle piece on top of the base piece, and start overcasting it on. Be sure that you are sewing it on straight and in perfect alignment with the base piece.





Sew the 2nd long piece on to the opposite side using the same stitch. Notice that you are only sewing the piece along 1 side (the long side) of the base piece. after sewing both pieces on, it will seem as though you have sewn a hinged double door.




Open you sewn piece so that it lies flat. you must open it up so that you can begin to sew the short pieces on. Line one of your short pieces up with the upper portion of the base piece. Lay it on top of your base piece sew it on using the overcast stitch. When finished, sew the 2nd short piece on to the lower portion.

After you have sewn all 5 pieces together. Open the overcast hinges so that it look like the picture above. After "flexing" the hinges, bend each of the 4 "flaps" upward... so that you have created a box.

Pinch each corner of the box together so that you are holding 1 long piece and 1 short piece. Begin sewing in overcast at the portion closest to the base. Do the same at each 4 corners, so that you have, indeed, sewn a box.

Notice how I have pinched the corners together in the above picture. I have started sewing at the portion closest to the base. The needle should pass through 1 long and 1 short piece securely.

Notice how both of the corners in this picture are tightly sewn together. Be sure to use small, even stitches to ensure that your stitches do not slip.

When all four corners are sewn you should have a box such as above.

Turn the box inside out for a cradle-like effect. this will also hide any knots our bulky stitches that you might have.

And there you have it.... a finished manger.

please stay tuned for our Jesus and Joseph projects :)

Nativity Dolls Instruction 1.... Mary

The majority of the girls have started this project and have been able to progress half way through it. However, I will start directions at the beginning for the benefit of parents. The Mary doll kit consisted of 7 felt pieces. The pieces we will begin with are the the basic front pieces. The girls started off by using an overcast stitch to stitch the veil and bodice parts together. The were asked to follow the "V" shape in both pieces in order to ensure alignment.




After sewing the front base pieces together, we will move on to the two flesh pieces of the project. These are the face and hands of our doll. the girls were asked to embroider the eyes and mouth onto the face using satin stitch for the eyes, and backstitch for the mouth.




The face and hands are then sewn onto the front base piece (which we began with). The girls were asked to use the slit stitch. Some of the other girls opted for the backstitch, which they are more familiar with. Whatever the case, the stitches should be small and even.





The piece pictured above, is the top portion of Mary's veil. this piece is to be fitted atop Mary's head. Please be sure to sew the face on so that this piece does not cover her eyes.






The top portion of the veil is to be tacked on only at the corners to ensure that it does not move from its place . The veil will be more properly sewn, when we sew the front and back pieces together. Please note that this piece is in alignment with the top of the base piece. It does not hang over the edge in any way.





This is a picture of the two pieces which make up the back base piece and the halo.


The halo is to be sewn onto the back base piece using the back stitch. I would suggest only sewing the lower portion of the circle. It is not necessary to sew any more than that.





The front and the back pieces are to completely aligned in order to sew both pieces together. You should start stitching the pieces at the bottom. Work your way around the edge of the doll using the backstitch. Make each stitch nice and even. Smaller stitches work better, as they are more secure. Be sure to go through both the front and the back portion with every stitch. I would leave a fairly generous amount of space between the stitch and the edge of the piece, so that none of your stitches slip. Once around the doll, do NOT finish off. Instead, leave a 2 finger gap between your starting stitch and your ending stitch.




The gap between the stitches is the hole which we will use to fill your doll with stuffing. Please bring your doll back to our next meeting so that we can fill her, and finish off the sewing. Your doll should, look something like this.... with your own creative twist of course! :)



Please look for project 2... the Manger