Christmas Tree Skirt...My Latest Project (Tuesday, August 29th, 2017)

I have been working on a Christmas tree skirt for our oldest daughter and her husband for about a year and a half now.  I'm not a very creative person, so I stick to things with patterns rather than trying to freestyle anything. 

Our daughter picked out this cross stitch pattern back in early 2016. I was hoping to finish it for them by Christmas of that same year, but I had definitely under estimated how much time it would take to finish the cross stitch portion it.

Cross stitch is done using a series of x's and straight stitches to make a pattern.  I believe that in this particular cross stitch that there were 256 stitches per square inch!  I didn't think to take pictures as I worked on it, but here is a close up of the stitches to give you an idea of how it's done.  When all of the stitches are done, you go back and outline using straight stitches, which is what really makes the finished product pop!

Once I finished the cross stitch itself, to had to turn it into a Christmas tree skirt.  To do this, you find the center of the cross stitch fabric, and using a string, mark an arc around half the perimeter of the cloth with pins.  Then fold the fabric in half and cut along the pins.







When you're done cutting you have a perfect circle.

I bought a light weight silver material for the lining.  I wasn't sure how my Sailrite sewing machine would handle it since it is a very heavy duty machine.  But here I go cutting it out.  Let's hope it works!

  

Once I had both pieces cut out for the Christmas tree skirt, I measured the perimeter and bought a trim that I thought would look good with the stitching.  When you put something like this together, you have to do it all backwards.  The outsides face each other, and the trim goes inside out between them.  That way when you turn it inside out, it looks the way you want it to.

Then you sew it all up, inside out.  It's not easy.  You have to watch the trim carefully to make sure that the bottom of it is getting sewn in, but that the tassels don't get sewn into your seam.

I think the finished product was well worth my year and a half of work, plus it was a lot of fun doing it!

I gave them their Christmas tree skirt when we were in Colorado this month, so they will have it for their tree this year.  Maybe I can get them to send me a picture of it in their house.  

My Sailrite machine handled the light weight fabric beautifully!  I really can't believe what that machine is capable of!

Now I'll have to figure out what my next project will be!