‘Christmas Tree Skirt’

I finished this tree skirt three days after last Christmas, or 362 days before this Christmas (as I prefer to think of it), but it has taken me a while to get the pattern written and finished.

A stripy binding is reminiscent of candy canes.

I hand quilted the tree skirt with perle cotton.

Most of the detail is around the edges, where it will not be hidden by the tree.

‘Christmas Tree Skirt’ pattern by Granny Maud’s Girl

The project started a couple of years ago when I realised that I had sent our only tree skirt to our family’s holiday house on the other side of Australia. It was only a piece of cheap satin that I had hemmed in a circle, and I had sent it away because I was confident that I would sew a better replacement.

Then, I forgot to sew a better replacement.

The next Christmas was upon us before I remembered.

I love the crisp look of red and white and linen, so I hope this appeals to others. If I did not have so many UFOs lingering, I might be tempted to make a second version using a more traditional muted red and cream instead of bright red and white.

I love the crisp look of red and white and linen.

I used a pretty red polka dot on the back, even though it will rarely be seen.

I used a pretty linen in a neutral colour to let the red pop.

The mismatched buttons make me happy.

This pattern uses a variety of different techniques, including English paper piecing, foundation paper piecing, appliqué and simple embroidery. I hand quilted the layers together using three colours of perle 8 cotton: white, taupe (to match the linen) and red. If you hate hand sewing, you could ‘cheat’ and sew the stars by machine and either omit the simple embroidery edging around the stars and border or use a fancy stitch on your sewing machine.

The negative space of the background is quilted with a star design.

I think I am starting to look forward to decorating for Christmas this year.

A link to Etsy, where the pattern can be downloaded, is in the sidebar.

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