Instructions for a Christmas Tree Skirt

Christmas tree skirts can be richly elegant, simply plain or highly decorative.

Cover the boring floor at the foot of your Christmas tree with a personalized tree skirt design. Choose print fabric that blends with the year-round decor style of the room or the theme of the holiday decorations. Plan a traditional tree skirt or use a pleated cloth to nestle gifts or the creche display on throughout the holiday. You can use materials from your home or purchase supplies at a local discount or favorite craft supply store.

Things You'll Need

• Cloth
• Sewing shears
• Decorative trim
• Felt ornaments or cloth cut-outs
• Straight pins
• Sequins, beads and notions
• Fabric glue

Instructions

1. Place cloth on to a large work surface. You can select felt, cotton, taffeta, an adult size pleated skirt or a round tablecloth for the base of the tree skirt.

2. Make a circular shape that is large enough to complement the size of the tree. Pin point the center of the piece of cloth. Cut a string that is half as long as the circumference size of the circle you need. Tie the string to a pen. Attach the other end of the string to the center of the cloth with a safety pin. Pull the string taut and set the tip of the pen to the cloth. Keep the string taut and draw a circle around the center point on the cloth.

3. Center a 5-inch-wide paper circle where the safety pin is if the tree skirt is to be draped over the tree stand. Trace around it. Cut out the circle. When using a pleated skirt, drape the open waist area over the top of the tree stand.

4. Attach trim around the outside of the Christmas tree skirt circle by hand or machine stitching. Trim can be secured with fabric glue instead of sewing it on, according to Family Fun crafts. Add trim to the small inner circle of the tree skirt.

5. Decorate the tree skirt with felt shapes or pre-printed cloth figures such as snow people, animals, birds, ornaments or a Christmas scene. Pin the items to the tree skirt for placement. Move them around until you have the effect you like most.

6. Sew or secure the decorations on to the cloth with fabric glue. Place an optional small amount of fiberfill stuffing under the decorations for a dimensional effect on the Christmas tree skirt.

7. Add sequins, beads and decorative notions to personalize the tree skirt.

Tips & Warnings

• Embroider or sew cut-out felt letters of the names of family members on to the tree skirt.

References

• Family Fun: Family Tree Skirt

Resources

• Apartment Therapy: Simple Tree Skirts