Monday, December 13, 2010

Reindeer Skirt


 ...for my tree, not for me.  We bought a fake tree this year...I know, no wonderful Christmas tree smell, but I'm OK with that.  I did have to make a nice little skirt for my tree though.  
Here is how I made this one. 
I used about 3/4 yard and then about 1/3 of a yard for the reindeer.
I folded a piece of fabric in half and then in half again...the fabric is folded into fourths.
I then used a ruler and pencil to mark off what will be the center hole of the skirt where the tree goes through and the outside circle of the skirt.  I did this the same way I made the circle skirt by Dana, if that helps at all. Get a ruler and keep in the corner where the the fabric does not have an edge (this is going to be in the center of your fabric).  Since my fake tree's trunk is very skinny I marked off the center hole at 1.5 inches and the outside circle at 15 inches.  If you have a real tree you will want the center opening a lot bigger.  When you open the fabric after cutting it you will have a  big donut...hopefully.
I then cut an opening from the center circle out.  I sketched this reindeer picture on paper first, then drew it on the backside of my fabric.  Any picture can be used, just remember to make it fit around the circle opening and the slit.  I used a fabric that does not fray so that I could just top stitch the piece on.  Any fabric will work, but a small zigzag stitch will probably work best for a fabric that frays.  With this reindeer that was going to be way too much work.
I pinned my reindeer down
and top-stitched it on.  At the slit opening, I made a small double hem on each side.  For the outside opening, I used my new serger that I got for my b-day.  YEAH!!  I love it. A zigzag stitch around the outside will work also.
I found this turquoise pom pom trim in my stash but it was just shy of what I needed, so I used a little bit of rickrack to finish it off.
There she is.

2 comments:

  1. Looks amazing! You know there's been a whole debate about the real vs. fake tree. Most say that real is actually more eco-friendly for several reasons. First of all,fake ones give off yucky VOCs. Christmas pine tree are planted specifically for the purpose of cutting them and so many are planted in their place. There's also the option to buy a tree that is still alive and growing! The place delivers and picks up. This is only for So. Cal people though. Merry Christmas...see you soon!

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  2. Well now you tell me...no I know real ones are better, but we have a debate in our household every year about buying a tree to throw away a month later, so cost wise we won't have this discussion for a while...plus I really like the look of these type of trees.

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