How to Make an Intellectual Christmas Tree Skirt

A thinking person's tree deserves a skirt that does more than modestly hide the tree stand and invite piles of gifts. This one will serve as a reminder of what Christmas has meant to thinkers in the past - and of what it can mean today. In short, it will make you - and them - think.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Fabric Pencils
• Irons
• Sewing Machine
• Threads
• Scissors
• Scissors
• Permanent Markers
• Permanent markers
• sturdy, light-colored fabrics

Sew and Narrow-hem the Skirt

1. Take two quarter-circle pieces and place them together with right sides in, matching small and large arcs.

2. Pin along one straight edge and sew, using a sewing machine.

3. Open out - you'll have a half circle.

4. Pin one straight edge of each remaining quarter circle to either side of the half circle, right sides together, and sew, using a sewing machine.

5. Open out - you'll have a full circle with a circular opening in the middle and a slit all the way through it - like a cape.

6. Narrow-hem the inner hole, the two long edges that form the opening of the skirt, and the outer edge. To do this, turn over 1/4 inch of fabric along the area you are hemming and press, turn over another 1/4 inch and press again, then machine stitch.

Choose the Fabric

7. Choose a sturdy, solid-color fabric in a light color - pale green canvas, unbleached cotton duck or a sturdy muslin.

8. Buy 5 yards of fabric. For simplicity, try to get fabric that is 45 inches wide. This will give you a tree skirt just under 90 inches in diameter after hemming - big enough for just about any tree. If you want a contrasting trim, buy 15 yards (it sounds like a lot, but trims vary significantly in price).

Cut the Fabric into Four Quarter Circles

9. Fold the fabric in half lengthwise, and then in half again to make four layers. (You'll have a perfect square - each side 45 inches - four layers thick.) Cut along the folds to create four equal squares - leave them stacked.

10. Hold a tape measure with your left hand at the bottom left corner of the stack, pull it out with your right hand to measure 45 inches to the bottom right corner, and make an arc by moving your right hand gradually to the top left corner of the fabric (stop and mark every few inches with a fabric pencil); this will define a quarter circle. (If you're left-handed, reverse these directions.)

11. Cut along the curve you've just marked to create the outside edge of your tree skirt.

12. Measure 3 1/2 inches in from the bottom left corner and repeat the arcing and marking step to create a much smaller quarter circle.

13. Cut along the smaller arc to create the cutout for the tree trunk.

Tips & Warnings

• When you're drawing the arc of the quarter circle on the fabric, think of a clock and imagine you're holding the tape measure at the center. 12 o'clock and 3 o'clock are already marked - they're defined by the width of the fabric. Use the tape measure to mark in between - about every three minutes on a clock face - so that the marks create a clear curve that you can cut on.