Day 67: Christmas Tree Skirt

Oh my, has this week ever been crazy! I am so sorry I have let this get so far behind! I started out the week behind and it was just down hill from there. I had every intention of catching up yesterday but ended up being sick all day instead. We were up all night with Landon coughing last night and even though I REALLY wanted to nap this afternoon instead of craft, I locked myself in my craft room with Christmas music and candy and went to work on the projects I missed.

 

The first project to be caught up on was the Christmas tree skirt. This link does not take you to a tutorial but instead to a store where you can order this skirt for, get this, $385.00!!!  Isn't that insane!
I don't think any tree skirt is worth anywhere close to that amount unless it is sprinkled with diamond dust and embroidered with gold thread. I liked the simple elegance of this skirt but the simplicity makes it all that much more crazy that it costs so much. But hey, I am just a DIY, penny pinching, couponing, kind of girl. Maybe paying that much for a tree skirt is something people do all the time. It, however, would not even enter my mind to pay so much! So, what to do? Make my own version!

I started with 2 yards of cranberry colored felt. I liked the cream color that my "example" used but our Wal-Mart is very limited in fabric and I wasn't making a trip out of town so I went with the cranberry. I actually ended up liking this color a whole lot and it won't show dirt as much as the cream.
I have never actually had a tree skirt for our tree. I always figure that the presents are covering enough. So, I used my sisters tree skirt as a pattern to know how to cut the felt. If you do not have a skirt to use as a pattern you can buy 1 for a $1 at Dollar Tree. Cheap pattern!

After cutting my basic skirt, I used the rest of the felt to cut leaves for the flowers that I would be placing around the edge of the skirt. Using a piece of felt that was folded in half I cut a oval leaf shape making a narrow stem shape near the fold. When the felt was unfolded I had a double leaf, one on each end. I made lots of these!

Next, I sewed a straight line down the middle of each felt leaf. I used the sewing machine because it is faster but by hand would give this a more rustic look.

After sewing down the middle I placed one of the felt leaves over another leaf, crossing the leafs in the middle so that it looks like a flower. And, sewed the middles together making a pucker at the back so that the leaves stand up slightly.

After all of the leaves were turned into flowers I used my ever handy fabric glue and placed the flowers along the edge of the skirt.

I only placed flowers in the front of my skirt but it would not be hard to cover the entire edge of the skirt with flowers if that is what you wanted.

My total for a knock off $385.00 tree skirt? $7.99 - not bad at all! Check out the link-it really looks like it! Pin It