The DIY Christmas Tree Skirt that's Super Easy

As a blogger I know that I probably should have shared this DIY Christmas tree skirt post weeks ago and believe me, that was the plan. Unfortunately I’ve been sick for two months so I finally got around to sewing it today and now I’m sharing it with you all!

So initially I was inspired by a Christmas tree skirt that I saw on Instagram. It was a Draper James tree skirt from Crate and Barrel that is buffalo check like the one I made but it was red and navy and featured big letters that spelled out “gather round”. I didn’t hate the words but I also didn’t see the point of the words when I knew they’d be covered up with presents most of the time.

So I nixed the words and made my own version that’s a little more plain Jane but it has just enough interest for me. And my version cost a little less than the Draper James one… like $65 less so that works for me.

The great thing about this tutorial is that it’s a basic tutorial that you can use to make a tree skirt in a fabric that’s your style and you end up with exactly what you want.

Supplies Needed to Make a DIY Christmas Tree Skirt

fabric (I used 1.5 yards of a 53 inch wide fabric… depending on the size of your tree this may vary)
coordinating thread
coordinating ribbon
iron
scissors or rotary cutting set
piece of string
marker
sewing machine and needle (or hemming tape if making this project no-sew)

DIY Christmas Tree Skirt Instructions

Step 1: Prepare Your Fabric

Wash, dry, and iron your fabric. For my tree skirt I used a quilted buffalo check fabric I found in the apparel section. It has a heathered gray fabric on the reverse side.

The fabric I used was 53 inches wide so I got a yard and a half of it and I ended up with a piece that was 54 X 54 inches (this was before I cut the selvedges off). This resulted a diy Christmas tree skirt that is about 52 inches in diameter.

From what I have read you want your tree skirt to be at least as wide as the bottom row of branches on your tree. If you need a bigger or smaller tree skirt then you will need to adjust the amount of fabric you get.

Step 2: Fold Your Fabric

Lay your fabric down. Square it off so that all sides are the same length and nice and straight. Fold your fabric in half so that you now have a rectangle. Then fold it again so that you have a square again.

Step 3: Cut Your Fabric

I made an old-school string and marker device to draw out my curve. I held the end of the string tight on the corner with the folds and then pulled the marker out to the edge of one of the other corners and with the string tight, I dragged the marker to the other corner.

Then I cut along just inside the line I drew using my rotary cutter. You could also do this using scissors, but whatever you do be sure to hold everything tight so that the layers don’t shift around.

Next I cut out the little hole in the middle where the middle pole of the Christmas tree goes. Basically I just cut a 1 inch circle out of the corner where the folds are. To do this I cut a curve from the one side to the other, beginning and ending 1 inch from the folds corner.

For the last cut I cut the slit that runs at the back of the tree skirt.

Step 4: Hem the Edges

First sew all the way around the circle 1/4 inch from the edge and continue all the way along the straight edges of the slit and the inner curve where the pole for the Christmas tree goes.

Then fold the edge over from the right side (for me it’s the red) to the wrong side all along the line you sewed around the curve. Then press it so that you make a crease along that line of stitches you sewed.

Take what you folded over and fold it over a second time, pressing, and then pinning it so that it will stay down, all along the outer curve.

Sew this down, all along the curved edge. If you don’t want to sew you can make this a no-sew project by using hemming tape to hem everything. Follow the package instructions for how to use it.

Then repeat this process with the straight edges along the slit.

When you get to the inner curve, you will need to cut some notches into the edge first, since it’s a convex curve. This will help it to fold over more nicely. Then you can fold and press it like you did the other parts.

Step 5: Attach the Ribbons

Cut 6 pieces of ribbon that are 8 inches long each. Decide where you’d like to place them along the slit and then pin and sew them into place. I sewed mine to the underside of the slit. Give the skirt a good press.