3 Ruffled Burlap Christmas Trees for $27!

With all of the excitement over burlap this year, I came up with another holiday project using this inexpensive fabric.  Hobby Lobby has the best selection of colored burlap ($4 a yard) including the green used in this project, but Jo-Ann's Fabric also has a good selection for the same price (however I could not find the color green during my visit).  Hancock Fabrics also carries burlap in traditional natural colors and brown at $4 a yard. 

These burlap Christmas trees are easy to make, take little time (approximately 2 hours) and not a lot of money.  If you haven't already seen it, check out our ruffled burlap wreath project using red burlap posted a couple of weeks ago.

Materials:

1 Small 8 7/8" tall green Styrofoam cone - Hobby Lobby or Michaels for $4

1 Medium 11 7/8" tall green Styrofoam cone - $5

1 Large 17 7/8" tall green Styrofoam cone - $7

2 yards of green burlap - Hobby Lobby for $4/yard

Glue gun OR

1 Box of straight pins with pearl ends - Hobby Lobby or any fabric store for $3

Cut your of burlap into strips as directed below using this cutting method that I found online.  All of them should be 2 yards long.
Small tree - cut 4  2" strips
Medium tree - cut 5  2.5" strips
Large tree - cut 7  3" strips

Once you have cut your strips, find a "strand" of burlap in the middle of each strip and pull to gather (similar to the cutting method above) to form a ruffle.

With your 2" wide ruffles, fold the frayed ends under and secure at the top of the small cone with a glue gun or straight pin (I found that straight pins create less mess and are faster - plus if you use the pearl ended ones it resembles mini lights on the trees).

Continue wrapping the ruffle around the tree, pinning every couple of inches and sometimes twisting your ruffled strip to create fullness.  At the end of each ruffle strip, take the next ruffle, fold under the frayed edge and pin on top of the end of the first ruffle.  Continue in this fashion until you have reached the bottom of the tree - it should take all of your 4 ruffles.

Repeat these steps for the medium (2.5" strips) and large trees (3" strips).  For additional color or interest, you could pin miniature bows or jingle bells to the trees while you are pinning your ruffles.  These little trees are perfect as part of a tablescape for your holiday feast or an accent table decoration for the holidays!

See also Ruffled Burlap Wreath for 20!

Ruffled Burlap Wreath for $20!

After coming home from the Southern Christmas Show, all of the new burlap decorations inspired me to try out making my own wreath in this unlikely holiday decor fabric.  I managed to find quite a few crafty folks out there with the same idea, and quickly figured out how to make one of these for my front door!  All is takes is about $20 in materials and 2 hours of your time.  I found out a from a friend that, apparently, burlap is not easy to find, but Hobby Lobby has a great selection of burlap in multiple colors for only $4 a yard!

Materials:
18" Straw Wreath Form - Hobby Lobby or Michaels for $5 (or $3 with your 40% off coupon!)
3 yards of red burlap - Hobby Lobby for $4 a yard
Glue gun and one extra glue stick
Ribbon - Michaels or Hobby Lobby for $4 a roll
Straight Pins (to attach bow)

Cut 2 strips of burlap, each 3" wide by 3 yards long to wrap around your wreath.  Here is a link to a great burlap cutting method that I found online.  Wrap the two strips around your wreath, securing at the ends with your glue gun.

Next, cut 4 more strips of burlap, 3 1/2" wide each and 3 yards long.  Find a "strand" of burlap in the middle of each strip and pull to gather (similar to the cutting method above) and form a ruffle.

Arrange your ruffled strips like an "S" or a snake on the front of your wreath to create gathered ruffles.  Secure at each turn with your glue gun.



Once you have finished attaching your ruffles, (should take most of your 4 strips), you can make any sort of bow with your selected ribbon.  I used straight pins instead of glue to attach my bow to my wreath in case I decided to change out the ribbon in the future.  You can create a loop with your ribbon as a hanger and attach to any door, mirror, or a mantle with mounting tape (found at Wal-Mart, Target, etc.).  Enjoy!