The Hood Tree Skirt

By Brioni Greenberg
http://www.flossyblossy.blogspot.com/

What you will need

1 1/4 yards fabric 42 wide

for background
A pile of scraps of various
sizes for houses and trees
1 1/4 yards fabric 44 (or
more) wide for backing
1 piece of wadding around
44 square
5 yards of 3/4 bias binding
Approx 1 yard of fusible
web
yard of narrow elastic to
match the background
3 buttons to match the
background
Water erasable pen

Things to Remember

Read the pattern in full be-

fore starting
Seam allowances are
unless stated otherwise
Always press your fabrics
before starting
Press all seams as you go
along

Finished Size: 54 circle

Jazz up your Christmas tree with The Hood tree

skirt covered in cute little raw edge appliqu
houses and trees!

31
 Step 1 - Cutting the Fabric
From scraps: From background fabric:
Adhere the fusible web to all scraps using manufacturers instruc- 1 square, 42
tions and then cut:
From backing fabric:
8 squares, 3 1/2 for fat houses
4 squares, 3 1/2 cut diagonally across roofs for fat houses 1 square, 44
8 rectangles, 2 x 5 for tall skinny houses
4 squares, 2 1/2 cut diagonally across roofs for tall skinny houses
16 rectangles approx 1 x 1 1.2 doors for the houses
16-20 squares approx 1 for windows for the houses
4 rectangles, approx 2 to 2 x 3-4 cut a triangle from each of
these for tall trees
9 rectangles, approx 2 x 1 1/2 cut a triangle from each of
these for the layered trees. You will need 3 per tree.
7 rectangles, approx 1/4 to 1/2 x 1 to 1 1/2 for tree trunks
12 squares, approx 2 for stars

Step 2 - Preparing the Background

Take your 42 square of background fabric, and fold it in half
widthways and press the fold.

Fold in half again but this time lengthways and press the fold
again. You will have a 21 square.

Open the piece of fabric and find the centre using the seams
created by ironing the folds to help you. Mark the centre.

From the marked centre, measure 21 and make a mark using a

water soluble marker. Continue to measure 21 from the corner
and mark at regular intervals until you have completed the
circle.

Draw lines across your fabric as per the diagram.

Again, these lines should be drawn with water soluble marker as

they will be removed once the tree skirt is finished. They will be
used for placement of the trees and houses.

Once you have the background prepared you can start adding
your houses and trees.

Step 3 - Adding the Houses and Trees

At the bottom of each of the placement lines, lay one 3 1/2
square making sure that the bottom edge of the square is lined TIP: So that you do not have
up with the edge of the marked circle. to move the pieces again
once you have positioned
Next add a triangle created from the halved 3 squares to the them, remove all paper
top of each square for the roof. These can be as wonky or backing from the fusible web
straight as you like. before you start

32
Add the smaller squares for the doors and windows.

Once you are happy with the placement of these, press to

adhere them to the background fabric.

In between each of the fat houses you will need to add 1 skinny
house and 1 tree. As we have not drawn placement lines for
these, you can just do this by eye.

For the skinny houses, continue to lay the 2 x 5 pieces as you

did with the fat houses, lining them up with the edge of the
marked circle. Add a triangle created from the halved 2
squares to the top of each rectangle for the roofs and add the
smaller squares for the doors and windows.

Once you are happy with the placement of these, press to

adhere them to the background fabric.

Finally you need to add the trees. Add the large triangles for the
tall trees, and create the smaller Christmas trees using 3 smaller
triangles for each.

As you add the trees you will notice that you do not have
enough pieces to add a final tree. Leave this area blank as this
is where you will be cutting a slit to allow you to fit the skirt
around the tree.

Once you are happy with the placement of the trees, add the
small pieces for the tree trunks and press to adhere them to the
background fabric.

Step 4 - Marking the Slit and the Centre Hole

Either using a compass or a small bowl, and using the drawn lines
as a guide, draw a 5 circle in the centre of the tree skirt with the
water erasable pen. Do not cut out the circle yet.

To mark the slit, find the areas where you have omitted a tree.
Draw a line from the very centre of the tree skirt to the outside
edge, making sure that the line is at an equal distance between
the 2 houses at either side.

Step 5 - Adding the Stars

Take the 2 squares and darw a star on the paper backing of the fusible web of each piece.

Cut the stars out along the drawn lines, remove the backing papers and place the stars randomly
onto the background avoiding both the marked line for the slit and the centre hole.

33
Once you are happy with the placement of these, press to
adhere them to the background fabric.

Step 6 - Preparing the Backing

Cut the backing fabric to approx 44 square.

Step 7 - Layering, Basting and Quilting

Layer the backing, batting and tree skirt and baste using your
chosen method.

For more tips on basting, please see www.fatquarterly.com.

Start your quilting from the centre of the tree skirt and work your
way out to the edges. I quilted using a pebble pattern.

As you reach a star, house or tree, stitch these down around all
edges. I stitched around each shape twice to make sure that
they were all adhered properly.

Step 8 - Trimming
Trim the tree skirt around the outside marked circle.
Cut the slit along the marked line, and cut out the circle from
the centre.

Step 9 - Adding the Elastic Closures

Cut 3 pieces of elastic 3 long.

Fold these in half and place them on the wrong side of the skirt,
down one side of the slit, aligning the 2 edges of the elastic with
the cut edge of the skirt.

Place the first one approximately 1 from the top, the second
piece approximately 1 from the bottom and the third piece in
the centre.

Once you have positioned your elastic pieces, pin and then sew
them onto the tree skirt 1/8 inch away from the edge. Backstitch
TIP To find the centre, simply
them a few times to make sure that they are stitched on
fold the skirt in half down the
securely.
length and mark the fold
with a water soluble pen.

34
Step 10 - Binding
Join the bias binding to the front of the quilt using a seam. You can pin the elastic loops to the
skirt to make sure that they stay in the correct position.

Hand stitch the binding down to the back of the quilt.

Further tips on joining the ends of the binding, and mitring corners can be found at
www.fatquarterly.com

Step 11 - Buttons
Lay the tree skirt out flat and mark where the buttons need to be sewn. The buttons need to be
aligned with the elastic loops and be placed so that when the skirt is fastened the 2 bound edges
touch together. Sew the buttons securely to the right side.

Remove all the drawn lines using a water spray bottle or a clean cloth soaked in water, and the
tree skirt is ready to go on your tree!

Alternatives
Create a tree skirt with a night sky by using a navy blue background.

This would make a fabulous table cloth if you omit the hole, slit and closures.
You can also adapt this to make it larger. To make this up to 60 wide, use 60 wide fabric. If you
wish to use 42/44 wide fabric, dont forget that you will need double the quantity of both
background and backing fabric or you could piece the background from scraps to create any
size you wish. To create the circle, follow the directions in step 2 using a measurement which is
half the width of your fabric.

We would love to see your version of The Hood Tree skirt. You can upload photos of your crea-
tion to our Flickr group here:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/fatquarterly

35