Extra Large Tree Skirt
One of my favorite holiday traditions is getting a live tree from the mountains! (Yes, we buy a permit and yes, new trees are replanted.) I love the family adventure, the fresh air, and choosing the perfect tree that fits our family's personality each year.
The only drawback of getting a live tree is that I have a hard time finding a tree skirt that works with the tall tree and extra wide base. I have started making my own tree skirt, which is wide all around and has a big enough opening in the center. I know not everyone needs the wide center, so this free tutorial will help you make the perfect skirt for YOUR tree situation!
First, let's look at what doesn't work:
The above photo was my situation after buying a "large" tree skirt at the store. It doesn't cover the rug that holds the wood base. It also looks super small under a naturally spread Christmas tree. I knew I could do a lot better by making one of my own, plus I found some GORGEOUS fabric to demonstrate this pattern for you.
Look how much better the tree looks now! The real owner of the house (Emmett the Cat) approves of the new skirt also. My favorite view is when the room lights are turned off so the tree lights reflect from the white satin and bring out the sparkles in the red velvet. I'm beyond happy with the results. I made the skirt to be a little over 60" but remember you can make yours larger or smaller if you follow my instructions below.
Let's jump right into the tutorial so you can get started!
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Supplies:
Main Fabric - 2 yards of 60" wide fabric
Lining Fabric - 2 yards of 60" wide fabric
Ruffle Fabric - 2 yards of 44" or 60" wide fabric*
(1 yard of string or ribbon, for measuring purposes only)
Notes:
* My ruffle fabric was 60" wide, but 44" wide is okay if you don't mind the ruffles being slightly less gathered.
If want to make a skirt larger than 60", you will need to use two panels of fabric (double the yardage) to get the width you need - or find a fabric that is 90" or 120" wide. They do exist, usually in the home decor fabrics on rollers.
Optional: If you want a layer of batting in your tree skirt, you will need 2 yards of cotton batting. I opted not to use batting because I know I need to water the tree and if I accidentally spill some (it happens), I want the fabric to dry out easily. I also like the drapey look of the skirt without it. If you choose to use batting, the instructions will tell you when to add it.
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Here's the fabrics I chose! I used red sparkle velvet for Main and Lining. I used white satin for the Ruffle.
First, you will begin with the main fabric. Lay it out flat. Fold one corner over to match the side edge, forming a triangle as shown. This is just to help make sure you get a perfect square. Cut along that edge to create a square. Trim off both selvages.
Lay the fabric out with its right side facing up. Fold it in half to create a rectangle, and then fold it in half the other direction to create a square again. It should look like the photo above. Check to make sure you have one fold on one edge and two folds on the other edge. Two of the edges will still be raw.
At this point, I like to measure the edge of the square, just to make sure it's still on track. With the selvages removed and the fabric double-folded, the shorter side edge measures 28." (I will also use that measurement again in a minute.)
This next step is where you can make your tree skirt smaller than 60" if you don't want it that large, or larger than 60" if you doubled your fabric. Rather than using a printed pattern piece, which would use a LOT of paper for this project, you can use painters tape and ribbon or string!
Cut the ribbon or string to be 29" if you're making the 60" tree skirt like I am, or larger or smaller depending on the final width you want your skirt.
The ribbon should be one inch more than half the diameter of what you want your final skirt to be, keeping in mind that you will be adding a ruffle on both ends, which is approximately 5" long.
With your ribbon cut to the length described above, tape one inch of it to the floor or table, on the exact corner of the fabric that has the double fold. You will use this string to make a perfect quarter-circle on your fabric.
Using the photo above as your guide, gently pull the string/ribbon out to its full length and rotate it around as you mark the fabric at that length. You can use a fabric marker, chalk, or pins to mark it, as shown in yellow above. A perfect circle is made by measuring the same distance from the center, and the string helps you do that. You only need to mark the top layer.
After your quarter circle is marked, cut through all the layers with your fabric scissors. Keep the fabric folded because you're not done yet!
Now you will do the same with the smaller center circle, by cutting the ribbon much shorter. This measurement will depend on the width of your artificial tree trunk, or the water base of a live tree stand. My large tree base is about 6.5" across at the center, so I cut my ribbon to 4 inches. I taped one inch to the floor and rotated the other 3" to draw the cutting curve. Remember the seam allowances will make the hole 0.75" wider than what you cut it.
Cut the small circle out of the center.
Then very carefully cut through ONE layer of the fabric, from the outer edge to the inner edge, using the fold line as your guide. This cut will allow you to put the skirt on and off of the tree.
You are now done cutting your main fabric! Check to make sure it looks similar to the photo above.
Although it is possible to repeat the previous steps using the lining fabric, it can be frustrating in a later step to try to get the two layers to line up perfectly along the circle edges. Instead, I recommend using the main fabric circle as a template for the lining.
To do so, lay out the lining fabric with its right side up. Lay the main circle on top of it, with its right side down, so the right sides are together. Cut around the circles and slit carefully, being careful not to move either layer.
After cutting out the lining, pin the two layers together along the inner circle and both sides of the slit. It should look like the photo above.
You do not need to pin the outer circle edges in place yet because you will be adding a ruffle there first. Your main and lining are as ready as they can be for now, so it's time to get out your ruffle fabric!
You are now ready to cut out your ruffles!
This is easiest to do with a rotary cutter and mat, but if you don't have that you can use scissors and any straight edge.
If you have the recommended 2 yards, you should have enough fabric to make 6 ruffles that are 12" long each. - HOWEVER - if you get off at all or if your fabric wasn't cut evenly at the store, you might end up a little short. I was nervous about mine (the edge it didn't seem straight) so I decided to play it safe by cutting my ruffles at 11" long instead of 12" - and I was right! I would have not had enough fabric for all the ruffles. Maybe it was intuition or maybe I just know a crooked edge when I see one. Anyway, you can take your chances with 12" ruffles or be overly cautious like me (ha) and cut them at 11."
With that, you are ready to cut 6 ruffles that are each 11" or 12" long x width of fabric
When you are done, your ruffles should look similar to the photo above. Cut off any side selvages.
Your tree skirt is all cut out and ready to sew!
First, take two of the ruffle pieces and match them on the short ends. Sew two of the short ends using a 3/8" seam allowance, as shown in yellow above. Repeat with the remaining ruffle pieces until they are all connected as one long ruffle. Do NOT attach them to form a circle.
On the very end of the ruffle, fold the end in half, with right sides together, and sew the end edge using a 3/8" seam allowance. Serge or zigzag the seam edges. It should look like the photo above. Repeat on the other end of the loooong ruffle.
Turn the ends right side side out and use a turner or corner of a ruler to make the corners flat. Iron to make the ruffle ends look neat and crisp.
Now you will use an iron to make a fold at the center of the ruffle, all along the length of the ruffle. Be careful to use a lift-and-press motion rather than a pushing-forward motion, because you want your ruffle to stay aligned, especially if you are using slippery fabrics such as satin. When you're done pressing, the ruffle should be folded in half and neatly pressed all along the ruffle.
Serge or zigzag the raw edges of the two layers together, all along the ruffle edge. This will help the ruffle stay aligned and keep the edges from fraying while you gather and attach this super long ruffle.
Note: If you are confident gathering and serging at the same time, you can gather the ruffle while you serge. I prefer gathering separately with my sewing machine.
You are now ready to gather your ruffle! Sew 1/4" from the edge, using your longest stitch and highest tension. Do not backstitch at the beginning or end, and leave long thread tails on both ends, just in case.
With such a long ruffle, you may want to sew two rows of gathering stitches. I used just one and was fine, but some prefer two so they don't have to be as careful.
Gather the ruffle to the approximate length of the edge of the circle. If you want to have an estimate before taking it to your circle, your gathered edge will be about 3.14 times the width if the circle. (Remember that diameter times Pi equals the circumference - Geometry teacher here!) So if you are making the 60" tree skirt that is currently 56", your ruffle needs gathered to be about 176" to match the edge. If you don't want to mess with measuring, just gather whatever you want and then make it match!
When you take the ruffle to the tree skirt, you need to match the raw edge of the ruffle to the outer edge of the circle, on the right side of the main fabric. (Move the lining fabric edge out of the way for now.) On the ends, leave some space so the ruffle starts a tiny bit more than 3/8" from the slit edge, as shown above. The seam allowance will be 3/8" but you also want to be careful not to get the ruffle caught in it.
Pin or clip the edges of the ruffle to the main circle edge, as shown above. Be patient and use lots of pins or clips to help you keep a smooth circular edge. More tips are included below.
This is what it will look like with clips. I normally use pins but I find it slightly easier to use pins with slippery fabrics, but pins work just fine too. I actually used all of my clips AND pins for this project, because the edge was so long!
When you're done pinning your ruffle all around, it should look similar to the photo.
If you are having difficulty keeping your ruffles even, you could mark sections around the circle to help it stay balanced. Remember there are six sections to your ruffle, so you could measure around the circle into 6 equal sections, and pin a ruffle seam at each of the sections. This isn't necessary but it can help if you feel like your gathering is off.
When you're ready, sew the ruffle to the main fabric using a 3/8" seam allowance. Be careful to keep the circle edge flat underneath as you sew. It's a lot of fabric so you want to make sure you're only sewing the very edge.
When you're done sewing, flip the ruffle out to make sure it looks good all the way around. If there are any spots that look like they're off, fix them before going on to the next step.
Take your skirt back out to a large surface and spread it out flat again. Make sure the ruffle is folded toward the center as shown. Pin the ends of the ruffles in so they won't get caught in the seams.
Pull the skirt lining out to the edges (it should still be pinned at the center and slit) and pin in place all around the circle, with the ruffle sandwiched between the layers. It should look like the photo.
Optional: If you want to add batting to your tree skirt, this is the step when you need to add it before going on! Lay the batting out on a flat surface, spread the skirt out on top of it, and cut around the edges so the batting matches the skirt main and lining. Pin the batting in place all around the skirt/lining. Then proceed below with the instructions. You will do everything the same, just with one more layer of thickness.
You are ready to sew the layers together! Sew all around the circles and edges, using a 3/8" seam allowance. Leave an 8-10" opening on one of the straight edges, as shown in yellow. Sew carefully to retain the nice circular edge as you go.
When you're done, clip the corners (both ends of the straight edges) and clip the curves of the small circle. Then use the opening to pull the fabric through to the right side, as shown above.
Make sure the ruffle all pulled through nicely. If there are any problems, be sure to fix them before going on.
Topstitch the ruffle by sewing on the main fabric, 1/8" from the seam. Check often to make sure you are keeping the lining layer even underneath as well. When topstitching, I like to set the needle placement to the side stitch so I can aim straight down the seam with the foot as I sew. It helps me keep it even and accurate even when I sew quickly. You can kind of see the side needle placement in the photo. If your machine doesn't have a side stitch, you can just estimate 1/8" as you normally do.
When you are done topstitching, your beautiful skirt will now look like this!
You can add snaps, velcro, or ties to "close it" or hold the straight edges together, but I prefer to not add anything. I have found that gravity and presents hold it in place just fine and I don't like trying to tie it in back or twisting it around or having other visual features that take away from the main skirt.
Your final step is to place it under your tree! I hope you love it as much as I do and that it's the exact size you wanted it to be!
I couldn't be happier with our new tree skirt! I would love to see yours too, so please come share a photo in our FB group, or email it to me here on the blog when you're done!
Happy sewing!
~ Kristen