Making a custom tree skirt to fit your aesthetic is easier than you think. All you need is some felt yardage and any embellishments you'd like to add! I made one using some tinsel in my stash and hand-stitched it around the edge to add some more sparkle to our tree top table. This little corner is all metallics and neutrals so I stuck with a simple skirt.
1. Fold your square of felt to make a large triangle as shown. 2. Fold again as shown. 3. Tie a ribbon to a pen and place the pen in the center of the longest edge. Hold down the other end of the ribbon at the point on the opposite side as shown. Carefully move your pen up and down without letting go of the top of the ribbon. This will give you a true circle when you cut and unfold. 4. Cut along your marked line as well as about 1/2" down from the top to fit around the trunk. If your tree and skirt are standard sized, you'll just make it a bit larger. 5. Unfold it once and cut along one folded edge. 6. Stitch tinsel along the edge.
Other fun options would be to add pom-poms, cut scallops, add hand-cut letters to spell something festive, etc. If your felt is wrinkled, set your iron on medium heat and place a tea towel or shirt on top of your felt before ironing. It will melt if you iron it directly so be careful.
For a standard sized tree I used one yard of felt yardage. For the smaller tree (3') I used about 18" x 18". Always cut larger if you're not sure what size is the best for your tree so you can cut it down to size without wasting material. Fabric glue that dries clear is another great resource for adding felt embellishments to your skirt.
I spent about $2.50 on this project and I love the vintage look it lends. It's a great project to finish in less than an hour. It'd be a great project to let little ones customize with pre-cut felt, pom-poms, cotton balls, or ric-rac!
My next tree skirt was directly inspired by a vintage skirt I found on Etsy that sold while it was in my favorites. Since it wasn't a new handmade skirt someone was selling I decided it'd be okay to reproduce something similar myself. I used the same technique as above to create the skirt and then hand-cut the stars in two sizes from felt squares. I attached them with fabric glue although it'd look sweet if it were embroidered on as well.
Our old tree skirt was hot pink and scalloped but it was time for something different. I love that this kind of project is inexpensive enough to change out when you're ready but special enough to keep through the years. If you make your own I'd love to see photos!
Enjoy!
-Rachel
perfection! i love your christmas house so so much!
xoxo
Posted by: katies pencil box | 11/27/2012 at 09:33 AM
Your house was already my envy! This looks so spectacular!
Posted by: lisa d | 11/27/2012 at 10:53 AM
Love these. They look adorable. Love the first one!
Posted by: LARY@ Inspiration Nook | 11/27/2012 at 11:20 AM
oh so pretty! my 4yo daughter would flip her lid for the pink and white one with the pink and white tree...hm maybe she needs a mini tree in her room this year! ;)
Posted by: kristin | 11/27/2012 at 12:29 PM
How does it feel to be so gosh darn awesome at life? ;) I just bought your style your space ecourse and love it. Thanks for sharing your skills lady! xo
Posted by: kaela d. | 11/27/2012 at 01:52 PM
Gorgeous!! I have been wanting to make a tree skirt for years but i was making it way more complicated than it needed to be. You have absolutely inspired me and i am going to make one this year the Rachel way. Thank you for sharing!!
Posted by: gina | 11/27/2012 at 02:46 PM
Just beautiful! I love both of your new handmade skirts! And they look pretty straight forward and easy.
Posted by: ruthie | 11/27/2012 at 04:45 PM
Thank you for these 2 ideas and tutorials. I literally was thinking about making my own tree skirt this year and I was about to start searching for ideas but then your post popped up on bloglivin'.
Thanks so much for sharing!
Posted by: Amy | 11/27/2012 at 05:39 PM
love it! :)
Irene Wibowo
Posted by: irene wibowo | 11/27/2012 at 05:51 PM
love the tinsel skirt!
Posted by: amanda (simplemittens) | 11/27/2012 at 06:44 PM
I just went over to the post through the link and those stockings are probably the cutest ever!
Posted by: amanda (simplemittens) | 11/27/2012 at 06:47 PM
I love this ,wonderful! Thank you for your posting
Posted by: stores from china cloths online | 11/27/2012 at 10:54 PM
It looks amazing! I love it.
xoxo
Posted by: Sanne | Goldenlane | 11/28/2012 at 05:28 AM
So simple yet so pretty!! I love the silver tinsil on the first one!! =)
Ergo - Blog
Posted by: Chloe Moon | 11/28/2012 at 08:29 AM
I love this, and I love white trees. you always have the cutest of ideas!
Posted by: Kessler | 11/28/2012 at 01:25 PM
so i was dead set on not even attempting to decorate at all this year, given how we've just moved across the atlantic with very few belongings and three small children and i have enough other "crap" to worry about and all. however.... YOU have single handedly infected me with the vintage christmas bug. i'm all the way over here in germany and just short ebay search has yielded endless opportunities for incredible vintage ornaments. now only a tight budget stands between me and the perfect glamorous pastel sparkle extravaganza.
i'm curious to learn a bit of history about all of this though and would like to request a "rachel's not so brief introduction to vintage christmas decor history" or something of that nature. please?? i know you're bored sitting there taking care of that sweet little sick baby of yours. ;)
Posted by: enie_mittendrin aka Karo | 11/28/2012 at 01:42 PM
I definitely popped into Hobby Lobby yesterday to pick up some felt. Red for the base and sparkly white for big hand-drawn 5-point stars, that's my plan! Thanks for the inspiration :)
Posted by: Emily | 12/01/2012 at 08:28 AM