Saturday, May 18, 2013

DIY: No Sew Ruffle Tree Skirt

Who says it's too early for Christmas crafting? Not I! Seeing as I'm "designing" a whole new tree and decor scheme for this coming Christmas, it is necessary that I work on things beforehand. Thus, I made a ruffled tree skirt over Spring Break following this tutorial! A totally normal spring break activity, right? Don't answer that...just look below to see how I put it together! (As a side note, I used rolls of 5 1/2" wide chevron burlap instead of strips of linen.)

Materials Needed:
4' 1/2" x 4' 1/2" piece of canvas (I found a 5' x 5' already sized canvas drop cloth, which worked perfectly and saved some cutting and measuring.)
sharp scissors
material: 5 rolls of 5 1/2" chevron burlap ribbon (found here) or alternate material
hot glue gun & glue sticks (LOTS of glue sticks)

*before you begin, preheat the hot glue gun.


Step 1: Fold the square canvas into quarters, then over itself again to form a triangle. The folded center should be at the point. Cut the base in a quarter circle. 


Step 2: Cut a smaller circle out at the point. (It's okay to just eyeball it. Remember this is where the skirt will meet the base of the tree, so you don't want a huge circle.)

quarter circle at base                                                                                     circle cut at point
Step 3: Open the canvas skirt until it is folded in half and then cut along the radius on one side of the center hole. This will provide a slit in the skirt that allows you to place it around the base of the tree. After cutting, open the canvas to reveal your canvas skirt base. 


Step 4: If desired you can glue along the raw edges to secure the fabric. However, I bought a canvas with a backing, so this wasn't necessary for my project. 

Creating the Ruffles

Step 1: Apply a line of hot glue 1 1/2"- 2" from the outside edge of the skirt. Create the ruffles by pinching the material with your fingers and pushing it down onto the line of glue. (Just think, "pinch and glue. pinch and glue. pinch and glue.)

Step 2: Work in small sections, allowing time for you to work before the glue dries. Continue the ruffling process around the entire edge of the skirt. 


Step 3: Start the next row of ruffles approximately 1 1/2"- 2" above the previous row. You will continue to repeat these steps until the canvas skirt base is completely covered. (Side note: I began at the edge of the slit and ended at the edge of the slit for each of my ruffled rows.)



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Now after a few hours and a slightly burned finger (or two...or three), this is what I ended up with. Seriously the most fabulous Christmas tree skirts I've ever set eyes on! Love it so much, and I can't wait until it's time to set it out! 


Just one more look!


3 comments:

  1. Ok, blown away again at your creativity!! And since it's crazy early...I'll just go ahead and place my order for a tree skirt AND a front door dazzler! Since the art you do for the front door is always drop-dead gorgeous too! Just trying to be helpful by giving you months of notice! :-D

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  2. Trying this today... excited to see how it turns out :)

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    1. That's great, Nichole! I hope you enjoy the project! I'll be eager to hear how it turns out!

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