Christmas Tree Skirt Patterns

Christmas Tree Skirt Patterns Using Yarn

I never thought about making a tree skirt by knitting or crochet until I started working on this article, but it turns out a lot of other smart people had.

• Age’s Crochet Page has an “old-fashioned” crocheted tree skirt.
• Craftown has a holly-studded Christmas tree skirt pattern, for crocheters.
• Shown in miniature, this adorable striped knitted tree skirt could easily be made in a much larger size, or kept small for a tabletop Christmas tree.
• This vintage (1981) pattern for crochet offers seven different borders to choose from, including scallops, ruffles, yarn doll tassels and Christmas bell lace.
• This hexagonal Christmas tree skirt pattern involves making individual shapes and sewing them together.
• Here is a cute yo-yo crochet pattern featuring pine trees that can be used as an afghan or tree skirt, depending on how you join the pieces.
• A Quick and Easy tree skirt could almost double as a poncho.
• Here is one covered in tiny stars.
• And if you have a knitting machine, this one would be quick and easy.

Sewn Christmas Tree Skirt Patterns

Probably the most popular design for a Christmas tree skirt is a sewn tree skirt. This is what most of the tree skirts you can buy in the store are, and it’s a really great idea because you can make your own from any kind of fabric based on the décor of your home or the style of your Christmas tree.

If you’re someone who likes everything to be matchy, you can match your tree skirt to the color of your Christmas lights or sew on ribbon that matches the bows on some of your presents. Let your imagination go wild.

• Better Homes and Gardens has two great patterns for sewing your own tree skirt. One uses ribbons while the other is a cute square pattern made of corduroy, velveteen, ribbon and tassels.
• HGTV has a great pattern for a star-shaped Christmas tree skirt, complete with detailed instructions on how to cut out your pattern.
• Here is a beautiful pattern for a satin Christmas tree skirt, designed to be embellished with the help of an embroidery machine. It could certainly be made without one and embellished in some other way if you like.
• McCall’s offers a cute quilted Santa tree skirt pattern made of four matching blocks.

Make Your Own Christmas Tree Skirt Patterns

If none of the Christmas tree skirt patterns listed above strike your fancy, or you just want to try your hand at making your own, it is not that difficult to make one out of fabric.

You can use any type of fabric you want, from fleece to satin, cotton to silk, depending on the mood you are trying to strike. Fleece and cotton are obviously less formal than the fancier fabrics, but they can make nice, cute tree skirts that you can throw right into the washing machine after they get covered with pet hair.

The most common shape for a Christmas tree skirt pattern is round, but as the patterns listed above illustrate, a tree skirt can be any shape you like. The only requirement is that you have a slit so that the skirt can be wrapped around the base of the tree easily.

The first step in designing your own Christmas tree skirt pattern, then, is to decide on the shape and general look that you are going for. Decide how big you want the skirt to be. It only has to be long enough to cover the Christmas tree stand, but most people like them to be long enough to place most of the presents on them.

If your tree is already up you could measure how long you would like the skirt to be. Or if you have a purchased skirt that you like the size of, use it as your pattern.

You’ll need a large piece of paper to draw your pattern on. A piece or two of newsprint taped together will probably do the trick. Measure how big you want your tree skirt to be and draw lines. If you’re making a circle, fold your paper in quarters first and use a couple of guide points to draw and then cut out your curve. This way it will be the same all the way around.

Buy a single piece of fabric or multiple different types of fabric to make more of a patchwork look. If your skirt is very wide, you will probably have to have a seam somewhere. You might also want to buy a backing fabric if you’re using a fancy fabric or one that has a tendency to slide.

If you’re making a round tree skirt, you can either cut out the whole shape (or parts of it) or make wedges by drawing lines through the center of your pattern and cutting apart the pieces. Cut out your fabric as you wish and sew it back together, remembering to leave a slit at one side. You can also trim out a little circle in the center of your tree skirt so it will fit a little better around the tree trunk.

Add appliqués, ruffles, lace or other embellishments as you like. .