Cutting

Usually, a piece for a card stock model is cut out in two stages.

First, the piece is separated from the rest of the pieces by cutting roughly around it with scissors. Don’t cut along the lines at this step.

Once the piece is separated, you can work on it without damaging other pieces. It’s best to do the scoring and folding before proceeding to the fine cutting.

Work on one piece at a time:

• Score along the dotted lines.
• Cut along the solid lines.
• Fold along the dotted lines, but don’t add glue to any pieces yet.

VERY IMPORTANT: Try out the pieces to be glued before applying the glue. This will help you understand how the pieces fit together, and you will be able to take note of any adjustments that might be needed. Then apply a small amount of glue on the tab indicated by a black dot.

Scoring

Score the fold lines to make a crisp, straight fold. It’s especially important for the smallest pieces to be scored before folding. To score, place a metal ruler along the fold line and then press with a dull point (a dry pen or dull knife) along the fold line to compress the paper. This will help to achieve a crisp fold.

Most pieces on the model require a mountain fold, though a few use a valley fold. Valley folds will be indicated on the model pieces with the valley fold symbol.

There are two kinds of folds:

• Mountain fold
• Valley fold

Mountain fold generally means that the texture is on the outside, while on a valley fold, the texture is usually inside.

Follow the steps for assembling described in the following pages. Some parts may seem to be complex, but none are complicated to assemble. Simply create one part at a time while following the order of assembly, and always try out the pieces first without glue to understand how they fit together.

Look at the final photos and the different illustrations, and with patience you will be able to create a great model.

Use a toothpick to apply a small drop of glue and a tweezer to hold the small pieces. There are a few tips added to the instructions to help you along the way.

An important key for a well-assembled model is to score every piece along the dotted line, and then to prefold everything before gluing.

• Be careful when using scissors or a paper-cutting knife.
• Glue, scissors, and other tools may be dangerous, so be sure to keep them out of the reach of young children.

And remember, there is no hurry. TAKE YOUR TIME!

Assembling the Mini-people

These instructions apply to the basic shape of all mini-people. Some mini-people have additional parts.

Score, cut, fold, and glue the side first; then glue the top.

Optional:

Before gluing the bottom piece, glue in a small coin to add weight to the mini-people.

­To form the arms: Fold in the middle, glue together, and when dry, cut around the arm.

The small dot indicates where to put the glue to attach the arm to the body so that each arm is on the correct side of the body.

Some pieces have extra color around them, such as people’s arms and accessories, for example. Fold these pieces in half and glue before cutting so that the piece will have texture on both sides.

Simply fold along the dotted line and apply some glue, preferably using a glue stick.

Once the glue on the piece has dried, cut it out. You don’t have to cut right on the line; it’s fine to leave a millimeter or two around it.

Assembling the background

Cut, score, and assemble the 3 parts of the background stand (the floor tile and the background pieces, A and B).

For the bottom piece, you need to insert a piece of cardboard or foam that is 5 mm thick to add extra strength.

Assemble the 3 parts of the background, and glue them together as shown here.

Blankets for Mary and Baby Jesus

Cut out the larger blanket for Mary and the smaller one for Baby Jesus. (See page 13.)

Cut 2 small slots on each blanket to pass the arms through.

Then simply wrap the blankets around Mary and Baby Jesus as shown in the photos here.

You can add to this small Nativity display by downloading another free set that includes a crib, a shepherd, and 2 sheep.

https://www.mylittlehouse.org/free-miniworld-nativity-set.html

Visit my website and Etsy shop for a variety of other Bible MiniWorld sets.

https://www.mylittlehouse.org/bible-miniworld---jesus.html