Shooting Star

Shooting Star Ornament

rom the scientific point of view, shooting stars are the result of “dust” particles that happen to enter the Earth’s atmosphere, when they find themselves on the Earth’s path as it circles around the sun. Some of these dust particles are left behind by the comets’ tails, as they circle on their orbit around our solar system. So, we could conclude that shooting stars are comets’ remnants. If we take a less scientific approach, we could say that comets and shooting stars are one of the same. So, I created this Shooting Star ornament to honor both, shooting stars and comets alike. And to remember all those special moments where shooting stars and comets were at the center of them.

One Very Special Comet

A very special Venezuelan tradition is a live Nativity scene—El Nacimiento Viviente. Usually, on the last Advent Sunday, a Nativity scene is displayed at churches or homes. The difference between a live Nativity scene and a normal one, is that all the characters of the Nativity are being portrayed by children, instead of being clay figurines. My niece Claudia Carolina usually portrayed the star of Bethlehem. She was the comet guiding the Magi to the stable where Baby Jesus laid in the manger.

Claudia Carolina would dress in white, representing the bright comet’s tail. She would wear a large five-point silver star that framed her face. The star was made from cardboard covered in aluminum foil. You may think that some of the other characters are more important than the star, like Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus. And indeed, they are. But the Star of Bethlehem played a most important role that night when Jesus was born. It was the star that shone up in the sky letting the whole world know, from edge to edge, that The Savior had been born. It can’t get more special than that! And so, I made this Christmas ornament especially for my niece Claudia Carolina, who, while growing up, guided the Wise Men of our Nacimiento Viviente, year after year.

Shooting Star Ornament Design Process

This Shooting Star ornament comes in many different colors that range from white to bright orange, and many shades of yellows and creams in between. I selected cotton fabrics, as cotton is a very easy material to work with. I chose a five-point star shape for the body of the star. I fused interfacing to the cotton fabric and stiffened it to give some integrity to the ornament.

For the comet’s tail, or the shooting star’s trail of light, I chose three different types of fabric. The bottom layer was a stiffened white felt. For some of the ornaments, I replaced this layer with a glitter card stock. For the middle layer I chose organza. For some of the stars I used mint green organza, and for the others, a light pink salmon color one. I chose white lace for the top layer. To assemble the star, I placed the tail’s layers a bit off from each other and sandwiched them in between the two sides of the star. Then, I stitched together the two sides of the star with silk ribbons. To complete the ornament, I added silk ribbons that represent the speed of the shooting star or comet, as they travel through the night sky. Where the tail meets the body of the star, I added beads of multiple colors and materials to highlight the magnificence of these celestial bodies.

Specifications

Year Designed

2013

Size

Actual sizes may vary slightly, approximately 8.5” x 0.50” x 3.5”

Materials

Cotton material, lace, ribbons, glitter, glitter cardstock, and beads

Note: Given the handmade nature of the ornament, all ornaments are different. The pictures depict just one sample of the ornament.