Project

Sequined Christmas Tree Skirt

Store-bought tree skirts often come on the small side, which means you either expose part of the stand or have presents spilling off. Our DIY design extends well past the bottom branches, so your tree gets the stage (and stage lights) it deserves. (You can scale this tree skirt to any size. Our version is 42 inches in diameter.)

Photography: Kirsten Frances

Source: Martha Stewart Living, December 2019

materials

2 yards of 55-inch gold-coated linen (Gray Lines Linen Metallic Open‐Weave Linen with Gold Coating, $16 per yd., graylinelinen.com)

String

Pencil

Fabric scissors

2 yards of 55-inch fabric (for liner; optional)

Sewing machine and supplies

Iron

Ribbons (optional) (Mood Fabrics Italian Metallic Gold and Ivory Grosgrain Ribbon, 0.875", $3 per yd., moodfabrics.com. Celebrate It Mega Sheer Wired Ribbon, 2.5", $10 for 10 yd., michaels.com)

Gold paillettes, in three different sizes (FineSequins Gold Paillettes, 24 mm, 40 mm, and 60 mm, from $12 for 100, finesequins.etsy.com)

steps

Fold gold fabric into a square. Tie a piece of string to pencil, like a compass. Trim string to half of desired diameter of tree skirt plus 1/2 inch (ours was 21 1/2 inches, to make a 42-inch skirt). Holding end of string at corner of gold-fabric square, draw an even, curved line from one edge of square to the other. Repeat to make a smaller center opening, using a length of string about half as wide as your tree's trunk (our string was about 3 inches). Cut out fabric along pencil lines, then open fabric and cut a slit from center opening to outer edge. Repeat with lining fabric (or use more gold fabric).
Place top and liner fabrics together, right-sides facing in; pin, then press with an iron. Sew a seam around outer edge, center opening, and one side of slit. Turn fabric right-side out; press. Turn under open edge of both fabrics on unfinished side of slit about 1/4 inch, pin, and press. Sew seam along edge.
Stitch ribbons along opening for closure, if desired. Scatter paillettes along outer edge of skirt; stitch on by hand.