Martha Stewart Living, December 2009
Conceal a Christmas tree stand with a lovely scalloped tree skirt. The skirt is made of felt, which won't fray, and has one open seam, so refilling the stand with water is a snap.
Tree Skirt How-To
Print template; cut out. (Our skirt fits standard tree stands, but you can adjust the size if necessary.) Piece together printouts, and trace template 16 times onto a 36-by-36-inch piece of felt; cut out.
Place 2 pieces of felt next to each other so the right edge of 1 abuts the left edge of the other. Starting at rounded ends, sew edges together using a zigzag stitch. Repeat until you have 8 pairs.
Sew 1 pair to another using the same method, but stop 1 1/2 inches from pointed tips. Continue adding pairs, leaving first and last pairs unattached.
I just made this but with a festive red boiled wool as the felt red I found was a bit too bright. It turned out great! Such an easy project, my first time doing the zigzag stitch which is perfect, and the skirt looks better than in the picture, I'm thrilled with it.
great looking and fast, but give yourself a little more than the 36" x 36" for cutting room; here's what your template layout will look like:
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL94/100083/23169458/393811985.jpg