Round Nativity Stuffed Ornaments

In keeping with my self-imposed goal of sewing up my panels of Christmas ornaments, I completed these six blue orbs with nativity scenes. I used blue ribbons in keeping with the serene hue of the ornaments. The ornaments did not have a marked seam allowance; the source panel merely instructed to sew ¼" from the edge. Not having a change of color at the seam allowance interface was easier, and did not result in glimpses of white along the seams if the sewing line strayed a bit. Also, not having ins and outs or places that needed to be clipped made these ornaments super easy to sew. These orbs tell the Christmas story in six scenes:

• The Angel telling Mary to expect a child
• Mary and Joseph and the donkey making the trek to Bethlehem
• The city of Bethlehem
• Jesus after birth lying in a manger with the star above
• Shepherds visiting from the fields, guided by the star
• The Three Kings arriving after following the star from afar

Here are the nativity rounds before stuffing. Hand whipstitching the curved opening after stuffing took a bit more care, but nothing unmanageable. I did thumbnail crease the edges before stitching to make it easier. Even so, the curve was not as smooth as I would have liked.  

The first one I did, with Mary and the angel, had a flat spot in the whip-stitched section. The second one I did, with Joseph, Mary, and the donkey, had a jagged bottom, not a smooth curve, but the I told myself that since the trio was traveling a rocky road, it was OK.

Then I started using Clover Wonder Clips® to keep the seam allowance uniform and not sliding inward unequally as I stitched. The clips also helped keep the opening from collapsing while I pushed in the poly-fill stuffing. This little trick worked, even better than straight pins, and by the third ornament, I was a pro at keeping the whip-stitched area as round as the machine-stitched portions.

Here is the set of six stuffed ornaments. These nativity scene ornaments are added to the angels (1/5/24 post), houses (1/17/24 post), Strawberry Shortcake (1/25/24 post), and critters (2/7/24 post) ornaments I made earlier this year. How many more panels do I have stashed away? Who knows? I keep finding them. They are fun fill-in projects that give a sense of accomplishment in a short period of time.