A Gift Quilt Project - Christmas Tree

Let’s have a little fun doing something funky!

Here’s a hanging for your front door (if you are a bit daring) or for any wall in your house where you want something a tad different from the usual. We’re concentrating on Christmas colors right now, but there’s no reason you can’t have a purple tree, or turquoise or whatever. It’s your tree!

First, choose a backing fabric, batting and background. I decided on one 8 x 21 inches.

Pick some green fabrics; as many different as you want, but at least five; and one brownish fabric for the tree trunk.

Next, on double sided iron-on adhesive (I use Heat & Bond Lite), draw a little wonky tree.

Then draw a little bit larger one, and then a little larger one, etc., etc., until you have as many as you want. Here are my five after they were ironed onto the fabric and peeled off. (Forgot to snap a shot first!)

The size of these trees will dictate the size of your hanging. For instance, I started with a two-inch tree and increased by about 1 to 1 1/2 inches on each successive one for a total of five trees, or 20 or so inches. Each tree must overlap the one below it, so allow for an inch or so extra on each except the first, or top, one.

Cut the trunk out of the brownish fabric, about 2 or 3-inches square. You can have a longer trunk and shorter tree, if you want.

Now cut out around the trees you drew on the adhesive, just a little outside the drawn line. Put one little tree on each of your greens. When you’re satisfied with the choices, iron the adhesive-backed paper to the wrong side of the fabric.

Cut your trees out on the drawn lines, peel off the paper and you’re ready to place the fabric on the prepared background.

Start by attaching the trunk at or near the bottom with a dab of glue. Next comes the largest tree, then the next, overlapping a bit, etc. Place these the way you want to, straight or bending. It is YOUR tree! Here’s the way mine looks.

OK, time to begin our quilting. Layer backing, batting and top. Use dabs of glue to hold the layers together. I put about three dabs across the width, then in four inches or so another three, etc., etc. After you have your “sandwich” glued, run the iron over it (set at cotton; I don’t know that my iron has another setting!). I used the blanket stitch on my machine.

TIP: I’m a “pedal to the metal” type of gal, so I set my speed control on my sewing machine to a speed I’m comfortable with. Sewing around the trees with the blanket stitch required a little slower “go”. I set that speed all the time, to match whatever I’m sewing. Straight, long seams? Lookout, kids!

Go around each tree with your decorative stitch, or a plain zig-zag. Change the color of your threads if you want. I used a variable green, but any greens would work.

Last step: Binding. And if you want, a few buttons. Here are the three I looked at to decide; no buttons? Gold button at top? Bigger red button at top? The last is the one I decided on. Nice thing is, buttons are easily changed!

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