How to Make a Felt Nativity Stable
I made this felt stable to display a nativity set but a cute little stable/house like this could have any number of purposes. Your kids can put their toy farm animals in it or it can house some other little knickknacks in your home.
EDIT: It’s now 2 years later and this stable is holding up beautifully. It’s currently displaying my little manger scene on the piano and looking as perfect as it did when I first made it.
My Manger Scene
A number of years ago (while I was still living in my mum’s house) a dear friend of mine went on a missions trip to Haiti. When she returned she gave me this adorable nativity set that someone there in Haiti had made! Each piece came all wrapped up in newspaper and stored in a coconut shell! It’s just the cutest thing and up until now, I haven’t really had a home to display it in around Christmas time.
This precious manger scene just HAD to be a part of our home’s Christmas decor but I needed a stable for baby Jesus to stay in. So I made one!
Here’s how I made my felt nativity stable and what I may have done differently. Do with that what you will.
Materials needed to make your own felt nativity stable
Felt: You can’t go wrong with felt. It’s SO affordable and has endless possibilities! Just perfect for this project. Use any colors you want. I used tan felt for the base and walls and dark brown for the roof.
Fabric Stiffener: I used Aleene’s Fabric Stiffener and Draping Liquid for this and it worked so well, stiffened the felt up even more than I had expected it to.
Felt Glue or Tacky Glue: A lot of craft glues (like Elmer’s) won’t bond to felt. I know from previous projects that the Clear Gel Tacky Glue works great. You can also use felt glue.
Needle: Something a little thicker than your basic sewing needle but still just as sharp should do the trick beautifully. (This is kinda optional)
Thread or Embroidery Floss: I used a basic dark brown thread because it’s what I had. I doubled it over to make it thicker and stronger. I think a heavier thread or embroidery floss would look better, I just didn’t have any in the color I wanted. (This is also kinda optional)
Ruler
Scissors
An old paintbrush you don’t mind throwing out afterward
A Trashbag (wax paper could also be used)
Measuring and cutting your felt
NOTE: My felt stable is pretty little because my nativity figures are little. You can adjust these measurements as you’d like.
Here are my measurements:
- Back wall is 6″ wide by 3″ tall on the ends and 4 1/4″ tall in the middle
- Two side walls are 3″ by 2 7/8″ (these really could have been 3″ by 3″ squares)
- Floor is 4″ by 6″
- Two roof pieces are 3 1/2″ by 3 1/2″ squares
Measuring and cutting your felt
NOTE: My felt stable is pretty little because my nativity figures are little. You can adjust these measurements as you’d like.
Here are my measurements:
- Back wall is 6″ wide by 3″ tall on the ends and 4 1/4″ tall in the middle
- Two side walls are 3″ by 2 7/8″ (these really could have been 3″ by 3″ squares)
- Floor is 4″ by 6″
- Two roof pieces are 3 1/2″ by 3 1/2″ squares
The Peaked Back Wall
Tracing out this piece is easy-peasy. Just takes a little mathing. Refer to the pictures if you get stuck.
Start by measuring out 6 inches along one edge of your felt sheet and 3 inches up on either end. Find the center of those 6 inches (3 inches in) and measure 4 1/4 inches up from the center. mark with a dot. Use your ruler to draw straight lines from the dot down to each of the 3-inch sides. That will create your peak.
Side Walls
If you made the back wall in the corner of your felt sheet, as I did, then the piece leftover in the other corner is already the size you need. That’s how I came up with that weird 7/8ths measurement. I just cut it out and traced around it for the second one.
Otherwise, just cut out two 3-inch by 3-inch squares.
Floor and Roof
These are pretty basic. Just measure and cut out a 6 inch by 4-inch rectangle for the floor and two 3 1/2 inch squares for the roof. The floor sticks out about an inch beyond the walls, I did that intentionally. The roof also has a little overhang.
Stiffening the felt
You can wear rubber gloves for this step if you don’t like getting all sticky.
Felt does not hold itself up well enough on its own to make a structure like this. That’s where the fabric stiffener comes in. As I said above I used Aleene’s Fabric Stiffener and Draping Liquid. I had never used this before and it worked great! I was so pleased with it. The only negative is that it took forever to dry. I let it sit overnight and finished the project the next day.
I did not follow the directions on the bottle. The bottle tells you to put the fabric and stiffener liquid into a bag and work it into the material. If you try this method, let me know how it goes.
Here’s what I did:
I laid a trash bag over my workspace and set the felt pieces on top of that. Using an old paintbrush, I worked the stiffener into the felt.
Don’t be afraid to be rough with your paintbrush. The goal is to work it INTO the felt not ONTO it. Make sure to get the edges real good.
You can flip the felt pieces over while they are still all wet and slimy to “paint” the other side. I figured the trash bag would keep things from sticking, and it did. I also flipped them a few times while they dried… Probably not necessary but it felt right in the moment.
What I would do differently:
The stiffener is awesome stuff. That said, it is THICK. Some spots on my felt were a little “crusty” (For lack of a better word). If I were to do this again I would add some water to the thickening liquid. The bottle says you can mix it up to 50% water, I wouldn’t add quite that much water but I do think it would have soaked into the felt better if it had been a tad runnier.
Once the pieces were fully dried I took scissors and cleaned up the edges of each one. All that brushing made them a little fuzzy.
ALSO: The felt will look like heck while it’s drying but I promise the stiffener dries clear and your felt will regain it’s proper color. I know, I was doubtful too.
Assembling your felt stable
I hand stitched most of my stable pieces together. The only thing I glued in place was the roof. I used Clear Gel Tacky Glue because I know it will bond to felt, unlike Elmer’s glue which will not.
I’ll be honest with you. This was not easy to stitch and my stitches are slightly embarrassing. I don’t at all mean to discourage you, it is totally doable! (seeing I did it) And I am so happy with how it came out, so go for it if you feel up to the challenge. However, if you just feel like gluing the whole thing together and calling it good that is completely acceptable. I won’t tell.
If you’re stitching your felt stable together, as I did, assemble the pieces in this order:
- Attach the side walls to the back wall
- Stitch the back wall to the floor
- Then the side walls to the floor
- Attach the two roof pieces to each other
- and Finally glue the roof on top of the assembled base.
If you’re going to glue it all together the order you attach everything probably doesn’t matter so much. You’ll just have to make sure each piece will stay in place while it’s drying.
And Finally all you have to do is sit back and look at this awesome thing you just made! And whenever you’re through feeling good about yourself, send me a picture of your felt Nativity stable so I can feature you on my social media pages!
P.S. Keep your eyes peeled for an update. I just may find a way to put a star on the roof!
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16
For more holiday decor, try making some Orange Peel Stars for your Christmas tree!
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