Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Wednesday Sewing - Christmas Tree Skirt


Oh yeah ... I've arrived at that point in December when I look at everything I planned to make for Christmas and realize that no way is it all going to happen without giving up sleep for the next few weeks!  One of those plans was for an amazing quilted Christmas tree skirt - something felted with embroidery and beads.  Not going to happen!  However, we do need a new Christmas tree skirt this year due to a cat who eats artificial trees (it doesn't stay down).  I came up with this one that's quick, easy, and washable.  And it's put together in a way that makes it reversible, too.  That embroidered, beaded, felt one wouldn't have been practical anyways! 

Materials:
*2 yards of two different, coordinating fabrics (for the front), fabric A and fabric B
*4 yards of backing fabric
*2 yards fusible felt
*10 yards bias tape
*pattern found here - print out the 7 pages, cut out each piece along the solid and dashed lines, tape dashed lines together matching letters.

1.  Using the pattern, cut 4 pieces from each of fabrics A and B and 8 pieces from the backing fabric.


2.  Sew one fabric A to one fabric B, using a 1/2 inch seam.


3.  Continue with the remaining pieces of fabric A and B, leaving the last edge unattached.


4.  Sew the backing fabric pieces together.


5.  Turn straight edges under 1/2 inch and pin.


6.  Use the backing as a pattern to cut out a piece of fusible felt.  Don't worry if it doesn't quite fit - you'll add pieces in the next step.


7.  Iron felt to backing.  Cut out pieces from scraps and fill in the spaces.


8.  Pin front to backing at the scalloped and inner edges.



9.  Trim scalloped and inner edges to match.


10.  Topstitch along in each long seam (stitch in the ditch).


11.  Along the open edge, turn backing over felt, fold front fabric under, and pin in place.


12.  Top stitch open edges.


13.  Pin bias tape to scalloped and inner edges and sew in place. 


I've still got my sketches for the felted, embroider, beaded fantasy tree skirt ... maybe next year!

Happy Creating!  Deborah

12 comments:

  1. This turned out pretty! LOL on your cat -- this is our new cat's 1st Chritmas and he's going nuts on our tree too! Gotta' love those crazy kitties!

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  2. That turned out very pretty!
    Great job.

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  3. What are the dimensions of the finished skirt? What's the diameter? Thanks.

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  4. From one edge of the skirt to the other is about 46 inches - that counts the hole in the middle.

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  5. maravilloso, esta super precioso.

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  6. So far I have made Christmas Tree skirts for seven children (three girls each got two skirts!), five grands(one got lost in the mail-shame USPS) so had to make her a second one) and myself and loved all of them. But now I want to download this one and make one for another grand. Am looking forward ~ looks
    sew easy and is the right size!

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  7. I am going to make this for myself and if I lie it I will make 5 more daughter and son and then my 3 granddaughters
    Terry

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  8. My daughter wants a new tree skirt - I think this will be the one since I too have procrastinated too long.

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  9. I am trying to print this pattern and it seems small when it is all printed out. Is there a certain print setting needed so it prints the size it's supposed to be?

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    Replies
    1. Printing out patterns has been a problem ever since Google changed from docs to drive! I'm trying to figure out how to switch the pdf's over to another site, but it does not appear to be an easy thing to do. That said, make sure you do NOT check "print to fit" and if your printer has this setting, make sure you DO check "borderless printing." You should not end up with anything more than a very small (maybe 1/16 inch) border around the page that prints out. If that doesn't work, try printing from Chrome or Firefox - Safari seems to especially have trouble with the patterns! To give you an idea if the pattern is the correct size, from one edge of the skirt to the other is about 46 inches - that counts the hole in the middle.

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    2. Yep, still having trouble getting this printed lol! I had to put it off last year because I couldn't figure it out. For some reason when it got scanned in/when it transfered formats from docs to drive it has a border around your 8x11 sheet of paper, so the printer is trying to print that scanned border AND the sheet of paper. Do you still have the written out pattern? might just need to re-scan them in?

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    3. Re-scanning using Google Docs hasn't worked for several people having trouble printing, but what has is me sending a direct link to the pattern by e-mail. There is a link to my e-mail address under my profile if you'd like me to try that. My scanned pattern doesn't have a border on it, so an emailed link should work. The other option is I can snail mail you an actual print out of the pattern. What needs to happen with the patterns is shifting them to a new pdf reader, but there are so many patterns on my earlier posts, my mind boggles at the time that would take!

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