I made an assortment of small Christmas trees to use for ornaments. The tallest is about 6" . Simple cottons or blends of fabric look nice but I found I had to treat the edges to keep them from fraying. I just dipped mine in a fabric stiffener before cutting. An alternative that I also liked is a non woven interfacing----various weights give different effects.
I began with 2 looooong narrow triangles of fabric. I folded a length of fabric in half & cut the triangles with a 4" base & the width of the folded fabric---About 22".
I sewed 2 lines of stitching along either side of the center. This formed a narrow casing so I was able to thread the triangle onto a wooden kebob skewer. I mounted the base in a wine cork cut in half crosswise. By drilling a tiny hole in a wooden star, I was able glue it onto the point of the skewer.
The first ones were simply gathered onto the skewer, left flat & decorated with flat backed gems. I cut the edges of some with pinking shears & slashed some. I also painted green ink on the centers of some to give the impression of snow tipped branches.
From this idea, I realized i could twist the fabric on the skewer & create dimensional trees. I added gemstones to these or sprayed them with a glitter spray Fun & easy to make.
Jdearien,I made these trees several years ago & don't have any to use as a reference but will try to give enough instructions to get you thru. I don't have the fabrics to make more right now so I've drawn a diagram. Hope it's sufficient.
To make a paper pattern:
Draw a straight line on the paper the same as the width of your fabric---It will vary depending on your fabric. You want to make the triangle as long as the fabric will allow. This will be the center line of the triangle.
Draw a base line across the bottom of the center line measuring 3" to 4" in length. This will also vary depending on how wide (fat) you want to make the bottom the tree.
Draw a line from each end of the base line to the top of the center line to create a triangle.
Layout:
Pin the pattern to the fabric according to the diagram & cut out. (2 layers of fabric.)
Sewing:
Sew 2 lines of stitching about 1/8" to 1/4" on either side of the center line to form a narrow casing. Pink, slash or scallop the edges now. Thread the fabric onto a wooden kebob skewer with the point extending slightly above the top of the fabric. Add a touch of glue to hold it in place. Push the fabric up from the bottom. Adjust the gathers as desired---with or without twisting. Glue the bottom. Poke a hole in half a cork---I use an icepick---& glue to the bottom for the stand. Separate the layers of fabric to give it more fluff. Drill a tiny hole in a wooden star & glue it to the top. Decorate.
I used several weights of interfacing for the trees I made & prefer a stiffer one. Brush on some watered down green ink or paint along the center line & let it dry before gathering it onto the skewer to give the appearance of snow tipped branches.
I don't know what else to tell you but, if you have any more questions---ask.
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