Blocks 5 & 6 are completed in 2 parts, first the parts that are on blocks 5 & 6 are appliquéd and embellished, then the parts that spill over onto blocks 2 & 3 are appliquéd and embellished. As always, check the pattern corrections page for changes.
Sew together Blocks 5 & 6 with ¼ inch seam. Press seam open, then begin. Piece the parts of the crèche pattern together just as you did the sand in blocks 1 & 2.
Place the crèche background 6 ¼ inches down from the top of the wool, with the right corner 2 inches to the right of the seam. Baste across the middle of the crèche background down from the top of the wool ½ inch. This will help keep the yellow wool in place as well as acting as a guide so you do not stitch too close to the seam before sewing 5 & 6 to 2 & 3.
Arrange all of the pieces on your background according to the placement guide in your pattern. Pin them down before you begin appliquéing. Some pieces are tucked under other pieces.
Placement Instructions: PIN EVERYTHING FIRST, then applique, some pieces are placed under others.
Using the tracing paper placement guide, place the items on the wool in this order:
- Mary’s background hair
- Joseph’s head/neck & hand
- Joseph’s robe
- Mary’s head
- Mary’s robe
- Mary’s front hair
- Manger
- Straw
- Swaddling clothes
- Baby’s head
- Mary’s hand
- Mary’s arm
- Mary’s head covering
- Walls of the crèche
Applique all of those pieces down in that order, up to the basting line or maybe 1/8 inch higher, EXCEPT the baby’s head:
The baby’s head looks much better if it is slightly trapunto (stuffed). Applique it down ¾ of the way around leaving the top (where the hair will be stitched) open. Add a tiny bit of stuffing, then applique it the rest of the way taking care to make sure it is still a circle.
Now we are ready to embellish the first part of blocks 5 & 6:
Manger
Using SP5, buttonhole stitch VERY CLOSE, two rows on the main part of the manger, 1 row for the legs.
Straw:
Closed fly stitch from just past the tips of each wool point to the top of the gold wool. Add additional closed fly stitches at various angles to fill the gaps. In this image I have added arrows indicating how I did the straw. (Beginning at the arrow tips) I first did the red lines (from the tips of the wool to the top edge of the straw) Then I went back and added the green lines at different angles to fill in gaps.
Mary:
Mary’s hair is satin stitched, including couching the hairs along her forehead so they stay in place:
Head covering: stem stitch around the outside of the head covering. Whipped backstitch for the fold lines. Then whipped backstitch two lines—just far apart enough for beads. Follow contours of the head covering.
Add blue seed beads between lines.
For Mary’s dress: back stitch around the outside edges of the blue wool–don’t forget the neckline. Stem stitch a line between the front of dress and left arm. Then chain stitch to cover dress. Stitch directionally: down on front of dress, horizontal on right arm, diagonal on left arm, horizontal on knees and legs. This pin shows the line that needs to be stem stitched:
(*I only went down. I either tied off the thread at the bottom or hid the return between the layers of wool.)
Backstitch around hand including a line defining the ‘together fingers’, around face & neck.
Baby:
Whipped backstitch around head. Whipped backstitch around body (top & bottom). Hair: stem stitch middle curl, straight stitch on each side with the brown wool appliqué thread.
Joseph:
Backstitch outside edge of hand. Backstitch around robe and up the sides of the body (defining the arms–scroll down to see pic of these stitches). Couch the belt in place. Ceylon stitch 4 stitches wide for robe sash. If you haven’t done this stitch before, practice a little to learn the tension required.
Crèche:
Backstitch along bottom edge. For the side walls: closed herringbone up to where the point where it has been appliquéd. Add short straight stitches to the bottom for a finished look.
Remove the basting stitches. Carefully fold down and pin the wool out of the way. Stitch 2&3 to 5&6 with 1/4 inch seam and press the seam open.
Applique part 2:
Use the placement guide to place the rest of the nativity pieces. Applique down in this order:
- Finish the crèche background.
- Finish the walls of the creche.
- Finish Joseph’s face.
- Finish Joseph’s robe.
- Joseph’s beard/hair.
- Joseph’s had covering.
- The roof of the crèche.
- The trunk of the large palm tree should be slightly overlapping the crèche wall & slightly below the crèche wall.
- Palm branches: placed so that they cover the top of the trunk completely, but do not cover (any more than necessary) the crèche roof and the door to building L.
Joseph:
Use ribbon floss straight for head covering band, ruched for beard and hair, both tacked down. Pearl cotton #8 for side of face (just 2 stitches). For head covering, close palestrina knots just inside/on top of wool with SP10.
Walls & Roof:
Finish tops of side walls with herringbone. Fly stitch small ‘branches’ with different angles, but all pointing generally toward the end of the roof. Add random long straight stitches at various angles in pearl cotton #8.
Finish palm tree & grasses as with other blocks.
Finishing:
Sew Blocks 1&4 to blocks 2/3/5/6. Press the seam open.
Appliqué the palm tree across the seams and embellish as on block 1. Use the palm leaves to hide if your sand hill doesn’t line up.
Finish the seams side of Bldg D with double SP5 couched down the seam barely onto the block 1 side.
Backstitch Oriental Linen down the seam barely onto Bldg E. Finish any needed bricks on the top with bullion stitches.
Appliqué the star in place directly over the peak of the crèche roof. Outline with Eleganza #8 using a whipped backstitch, stitching one full stitch past the star wool tips. Whip that end stitch going both directions.
Add running stitches radiating out from the star. Begin at the outside end so that the ends will have full stitches and end smoothly.
Use painters thread shimmer floss in Longan color to add colonial knot (or double wrap French knot) stars randomly to the entire sky. Remember randomly means not all evenly spaced.
