Oh Christmas tree...oh, Christmas tree.....

How in the heck did Christmas get here so darned fast? I know it wasn't long ago I was writing about the scent of the magnolias and fireflies...But, alas, it is here, and all the stress that goes with it. I've got one last offering of an ornament pattern for you before it hits! I whipped three of these things up last night in about two hours, in spite of the help that the dog gave me. He's cute, but he sure isn't much help in the thumbs department...


So, here's what I've got...a Christmas tree inspired by the ones I made for the cake the other day...and a little because I watched the Rudolph special the other evening. This really is a quick and done sort of thing, it's simple, but I think they turn out darling. These are just the tip of the iceberg, you can decorate them with any and everything, just let your imagination run wild.

And, here's what you need for each tree, you need one 8"x8" piece of interfacing or of light weight cotton fabric (think muslin), three scraps of fabric to accommodate the pattern pieces, and one for the base piece, a 3"x3" light weight piece of cardboard, polyfil to stuff with, and buttons, beads, trims, and whatever else you can think of to decorate them with. If you want to make them for ornaments, you need a small piece of ribbon to make the hanger with (that piece of ribbon makes the turning of these things amazingly easier!!). Oh, and you need the pattern...which, luckily, you can find right here...

To enlarge the pattern, open your word processing program. Create a blank page, and set your margins to .5". Click on the pattern to the left which will open it up in a new window. Right click on it, go to your word processing program, and copy there. S-t-r-e-t-c-h it to fit the whole page, and voila, you have a full size pattern. Of course, you can make it larger, or smaller to adjust to suit you. If that seems like far too much work, just email me for the pdf file... acreativedreamer@gmail.com.

A note here about this pattern and all other "free" items I offer. They are my gifts to you for your personal use ONLY... please do NOT make them for sale (that infringes on my copyright unless I give you permission), and please do not post them on your blog without linking to mine if you want to share the pattern with others.

I drew the finished pattern on card stock to make it more durable, then cut it out to make my pattern pieces. On the fabric you've chosen, around each piece and cut out. Make sure to add a seam allowance around the outer edges...I cut the bottom edge of each piece on the line since it was meant to make it decorative. (I so love being able to crop photos...you have no idea how much mess you are not seeing!!!)



Starting with the lower layer, stitch into place on the interfacing or base fabric. Continue with the middle layer, and the top layer. Remember to overlap the layers so that you have none of the base fabric exposed!












It should look something like this...(did I mention how fast these things are to make?????)





If you are making them ornaments, fold a piece of ribbon and insert it (loop side toward the bottom of the tree), fold the cone in the middle and sew the seam up the back. Turn the tree (really, the ribbon hanger helps sooooo much in this step it isn't funny!). On the base, use a running stitch to go all the way around the edge, insert the round of cardboard (you may have to adjust it a bit depending on your seam size), and gather the running stitch so that your fabric fits tightly around the cardboard circle.





Stuff your tree with polyfill and attach the base circle using small stitches. Be sure it is stuffed pretty firmly before closing off the base, you want it to stand straight. After that it's just a matter of using what you have on hand, and your imagination, to gussy it up to your likin'...










I kept mine simple (I like simple...it often translates to not only cute, but fast to make)...and tied on only buttons...this time. If you make a couple, be sure and send me photos of them, and I'll share with everyone (include your blog address if you have one so I can link to that as well!)