Joseph has officially joined the Nativity!
I’m so excited to finally share him because…well…he made me work for it.
Poor Joseph went through more prototypes than I’d like to admit. There were moments he looked like he’d skipped leg day. At one point he reminded me of a garden gnome. Another version had a beard that gave off strong “lumberjack who wandered into Bethlehem” vibes. Let’s just say there were a lot of conversations that started with, “Well…that’s not quite right.”
The funny thing about creating is that sometimes you don’t know what’s wrong. You just know it isn’t it.
So you tweak.
And tweak again.
And then convince yourself you’ve somehow forgotten how to design anything.
Eventually, usually after enough stubbornness, things start to click into place.
Joseph finally did.
One thing I’ve realized while working on this Nativity series is that my creative process isn’t nearly as organized as I’d like to pretend it is. I don’t usually sit down with a perfectly formed idea. I have a vague direction, make something, decide I don’t like half of it, and slowly discover what I was trying to make all along.
It’s a little like taking the scenic route to a destination you already knew the address of.
I’ve also noticed something else about myself. When I’m working on something creative, I become completely immersed. Meals become optional. Time becomes theoretical. Entire afternoons disappear. Apparently my brain has only two settings: “thinking about creativity” and “thinking about absolutely nothing creative.” There doesn’t seem to be much middle ground.
The good news is that Joseph is finally finished, and I couldn’t be happier with how he turned out. He coordinates beautifully with Mary while still having his own quiet personality. He’s available in my Etsy shop now.
Next up are Baby Jesus and the manger. They’re mostly finished. The pattern just needs a few final touches before they’ll be ready to share.
As always, thank you for following along with this adventure. It has been so much fun sharing the process with you, not just the finished pieces. If you’ve been stitching along, I’d love to see your creations. They absolutely make my day.
Happy stitching!
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