Make a Fabric Tree Out of an Old Dress

Originally I made this tree as a holiday decoration, however why not make one in your favorite color for all year round?  Make one or do a set of three in different sizes for a super adorable display.  Use traditional holiday colors or choose non-traditional hues!  Upcycle an old dress you have in the back of your closet or use an old sheet and decorate it to your heart’s content.

This tree came together in two sittings however it could easily be made in a day with a bit of elbow grease and determination.  I used a muumuu to make the tree; you will need roughly three yards of fabric so choose to upcycle something with a lot of yardage.  As another option, do the sides in different colors if your fabric stash is limited.

Materials:

One or two old dresses or an old bedsheet or approximately three yards of fabric

One fat quarter

A newspaper

Duct tape or masking tape

A marker

Ruler

Basic sewing kit

Sewing machine or serger

Lots of extra newspapers or fiberfill for stuffing

Optional batting to line the tree

The Instructions

Step One:  Tape two pieces of newspaper together to create a triangle pattern.  Fold the paper in half lengthwise.  Start at least 8 inches from the fold at the bottom corner and draw an angled line all the way to the top, meeting the fold.  Cut through both layers of newspaper along the line and you will have a triangle pattern. 

Step Two:  Pin the pattern to your fabric and cut around the outside of the pattern.  Repeat to make four fabric triangles.

Step Three:  Place two triangles right sides together and sew along one of the long edges with a straight stitch.  Join the rest of the triangles in the same way until you have a conical piece.  Zig zag stitch along the edges to secure the seams.

Step Five:  Trim the bottom of each side, making sure that the edges are straight.  If your fabric is thin you might want to line each triangle with batting.  To do so, pin the triangles to batting with the right side facing upward and zig zag stitch around the edges.  Repeat for each triangle. 

Step Six:  Choose a fat quarter or create a square of fabric where the sides are a few inches larger to accommodate the bottom edge measurement of the cone.  Flip the cone shape inside out.  Then with right sides together, line up the bottom edge of one side of the cone with the edge of the fat quarter and pin.  Work your way around the raw edge, until you have pinned three sides.  Use the straight edge of the fabric as a guide to get the sides pinned approximately straight.  

Step Seven:  Sew around the bottom edges with a straight stitch, and leave one side open to turn the piece right side out.  Stuff with lots of scrunched up newspaper or batting.  Close the opening with a zig zag stitch and you are done!