Friday, October 14, 2011

{DIY No Sew Ruffle Christmas Tree Skirt}

My secret Project is finally finished! 
You know me, im always working on something. But this project was a big deal for me. As you know, our baby is due Christmas eve {Yay!} & with all the excitement that will be going on around Christmas time, there will be very little time {& honestly, i think i will be too lazy by then} for me to work on some of the Christmas projects i have been wanting to do. So, I am trying to finish them now while i still have the energy :) 

The project i have been working on, if you hadn't already figured it out by reading my last post, is a Christmas tree skirt. I wanted to revamp our tree skirt this year. I kept seeing plenty of fun ideas online. I finally decided on the style i wanted & just went for it. 
This photo, from one of my favorite blogs, was my inspiration:
{Photo found here}

So, here is our tutorial on how to make a Pretty, Ruffley, No Sew tree skirt! {Its a long one!!} 

{DIY NO sew Ruffle Christmas tree skirt}
You Will need:
A rotary board & cutter
Scissors
GLue gun & Glue sticks 
about 4 yards of fabric
Your old Christmas tree skirt
Start by prepping your old tree skirt {Or whatever base you chose to use} I had to cut & peel off the felt pieces on ours.
Bye bye Santa! you will be missed :) 
Cut your fabric in strips. The length doesn't necessarily need ot be a certain length. But you need ot have a set width. I did 3 inch strips of fabric for both my linen & Burlap. 
Cut until you have a big pile of fabric strips. {Lots of work!}
Make your first line of glue at the edge of the tree skirt.
Place your fabric on top of the glue line. 
To make a ruffle, pinch a portion of fabric between your fingers& press it down, overlapping the previous ruffle.
Keep going until you have completed your first row. Looks good huh?
At this point, i would suggest stopping for a snack. {I did} This project takes lots of energy!  Soy butter & apples, Yum!
Now back to the project. A couple of inches above the first row, make your second line of glue. 
Make your ruffles the same way on the second row.
* If you are using burlap like i did, You may want to make your ruffles & pin them down before you glue them. Burlap does not like to stick to felt very well :(  Doing this will prevent bad finger burns & Will make it a whole lot easier. 
After you have pinned, then glued, Be sure to pull all of the pins out of the burlap layers.
Keep going! Your almost done! 
Keep making the ruffles until you reach the middle of the tree skirt.
& you're done! Tired yet? 
If you would like to add ties to keep your tree skirt tied around the tree:
I used twine. Thread your twine through a big yarn needle..
Choose your tie placement, Thread the twine through the bottom of the tree skirt
Once it is pulled through, tie a knot.
Tie a knot on the top portion as well, to prevent the twine from pulling through.
& a few hours, 50+ Glue sticks & a couple burnt finger later, you are REALLY done! 
It looks so pretty & ruffly! 
Especially now that it is under our tree :) 
{Last 2 pics added long after original post} 
Also, i will add, our Christmas tree is Humongous! It is 9ft tall and super puffy. So, the tree skirt looks tiny but in reality, it is a good size. 



109 comments:

  1. I love it! It will look so cute under the tree with presents on it. I'm already thinking of what kind of fabrics I could use, thanks for the inspiration.

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  2. haha your so cute Ashley! I admire your creativity and hard work on all your adorable projects :)

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  3. Ashley that is TOTALLY adorable! LOVE the addition of the Burlap... Gosh you ever want a booth at the market Mrs Crafty let me know!! TOTALLY ADORABLE!!

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  4. this is gorgeous! great job & thanks for the how-to!

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  5. I found this on Pinterest, and I just had to tell you that I love it! So cute!

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  6. I just found this via "Grosgrain Fabulous" - WOW! The tree skirt is so lovely! Great job! I'm sure all that burlap and hot glue made for a very messy afternoon, haha, but the finished project looks great! :) Best, Michelle

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  7. Hehe! Bye Bye Santa..you will be missed! LOL I love this project! It's going on my blog! http://thecraftyonion.blogspot.com/

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  8. I LOVE the tree skirt! You did an amazing job. Its going to look beautiful under the tree. Lesa

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  9. That's great doll! Although, I probably will sew one lol. The glue gun and I aren't friends more than half the time haha.

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  10. Just hopped over from grosgrain. This is GORGEOUS!!!! Love the idea and your fabric choices. Great job!

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  11. Hi Ashley! I just found this tutorial on Grosgrain!! Very nice job! It looks so well-made and beautiful. :) :) Burlap is always a great choice. I'm highly considering fashioning one up for myself. :) I pinned it!

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  12. Britneydeal@yahoo.comOctober 23, 2011 at 12:35 PM

    Did it take 4 yards of each fabric or 2 and 2?

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  13. Just saw this over at Grossgrain blog. You did such an amazing job. I am seriously impressed. I'm totally going to start working on my own this week. Thanks so much for the tutorial. Your blog is a lot of fun!

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  14. That is smashing! Also an enormous amount of finicky work with a glue gun. I fear I'd have burnt gluey fingers long before I ever got a satisfactory row of pleats. For me, sewing is much faster and safer.

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  15. This turned out so cute! I am going to make one this year too (although I think I might sew mine- I think all the hot gluing would drive me insane! and all my figers would be burned to a crisp. haha!)

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  16. I love this Christmas tree skirt! i would sew it but AMAZING!

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  17. Love this! I'm making one for my tree this year!

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  18. I love it! That is beautiful. Great Job!

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  19. Totally going to make this! I've been looking for something like this since last year but I wasn't willing to spend $200 on it! Thanks for the tutorial!!

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  20. That is gorgeous! It's so funny because I pinned that tree skirt too, and I planned to make it with burlap, but I love what you did with the white! So happy I stumbled upon your blog!

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  21. Oh my goodness! Thank you all for the lovely comments! I was not expecting such a response! This project was a lot of fun. I had originally planned to sew the ruffles on, as many of you mentioned, but the burlap & felt mixture was giving my sewing machine a hard time :( So, i had to go the original route with the glue gun, & yes, i had lots of burnt fingers.. no fun. It still turned out wonderful though & i am so excited to use it under our tree this year! Sewing it would definitely give it a longer life though, so i would definitely suggest going for it!

    oh & Britneydeal@yahoo.com: I did 2 yards of each & had a ton of fabric left over. The amount of fabric will really just depend on the base you are glueing/sewing it onto. But thats what i did :)

    Thank you all again for the sweet words of encouragement & for following! You are welcome to write me anytime with questions or anything! my email: ashesjohnston@aol.com

    Thanks!

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    1. I'm making a tree skirt similar to this, do you know the size of the base of the tree skirt that you glued the fabric to?
      Thanks

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  22. This is so neat! I found a picture of the skirt on pinterest, I'll def be following your blog now.

    :)

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  23. found this on Pinterest - thank :)

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  24. I love it! and am definitely going to give it a try for this year's Christmas tree! Thanks for sharing!

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  25. lOVE that! I too have been drooling over a ruffled tree skirt!

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  26. Love this! It looks fabulous and I am planning on doing it in the next week or so!

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  27. So how does it feel to be famous in the blogger world!! ;-) Go girl... Cant wait to see what you come up with next!!

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  28. Im totally going to make this! It looks so gorgeous! I'm your new follower!
    http://simplyintoxicatingideas.blogspot.com/

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  29. Good Morning!

    WOW! This is absolutely gorgeous! What a transformation! I will be making one for my Christmas tree :) Thank you for your inspiration...I shared it with my lovelies over on { http://polkadotbungalow.blogspot.com/2011/10/ruffleeeee-goodness.html }

    Have a very lovely Fall!

    {HUGS}

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  30. Polka dot bungalow : thanks for the mention!

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  31. This tutorial is making me all giddy inside. I can't wait to do it!! Question though...I'm having a hard time telling if you used a white color fabric with the burlap or if it's more of a cream color?

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  32. Wow, that is so beautiful! This project put me in the mood for Christmas! My baby was due Christmas of last year (he came a week early) and it was so fun to have a little bundle of joy to celebrate the big day with. Good luck and enjoy your newborn!

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  33. Beautiful! Saw it on pinterest and knew it was going on my to-do list! Thank you!

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  34. Zachary & Sarah: I used a natural linen. Its not white... but its not cream... not sure how to explain it. It looks really cool close up because it has little specks in it. It goed really nicely with the burlap :)

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  35. I love it... I made a tree skirt a few years ago, but it's wayy to small... I think i might just have to do this...

    Question though.. I have been working with Burlap a lot lately, and hate how it fray's . Did your burlap continue to fray after you made it ?

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  36. Michelle: I havent been moving the tree skirt around a whole lot & it hasnet been used quite yet, so, so far, not much fraying. I can see it fraying in the future though so i am wanting to seal the edges with a fabric anti fray glue. Hopefully that will help

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  37. Hello! I saw this on Pinterest and am enamored. It's such a creative project, and I love the rustic look of the linen and burlap. Beautiful work!

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  38. I also saw this on Pinterest and decided to make my own yesterday! I found a light blue sheet and brown burlap-ish curtain at a thrift store and used those and it turned out so great! I'm super excited for Christmas now.

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  39. i usually hate holiday decor because it tends to look so overdone, but this tree skirt is so simple and so chic. i love it.

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  40. I, like everyone else, saw this on Pinterest and just fell in love. Truly thinking outta the box on this one!
    BTW...congratulations on your upcoming new arrival to your family.
    Deb

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  41. This is SO darling I've been wanting to make one of these for a shile and you gave me the inspiration and with your baby due so soon, you go girlie!! It turned out beuatiful. Good luck with your little baby.
    Lindsay
    www.countrygirlhome.blogspot.com

    I hope you dont mind I want to use your picture and tutorial on my blog if that is ok, I will give your website and link.

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  42. I stumbled across this site by accident, and am soo happy! This Christmas Tree Skirt is just beautiful. So much that I just started making mine. I don't have the first row done and I think I have more glue everywhere than anything! :) It's fun, and I am now getting the hang of it and not using as much glue. I can't wait to get it done and decorate my Tree. I am using a religious theme this year for ornaments, and this skirt is going to be a beautiful addition! Thanks so much for sharing and I will certainly be following you for more ideas. Merry Christmas, and God Bless!

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  43. This is so beautiful!!! Thank you for the tutorial. I will try it for our Christmas tree this year!

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  44. Love it!! I might attempt to make this for Christmas gifts for some family members. It looks time consuming, but worth it. I found your blog through a link on "The Crafting Chicks". I'm so glad that it's gluing and not sewing, by the way :0)
    Thanks for sharing! Congratulations on your upcoming arrival!

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  45. Wow, this is so amazing! I just found your blog and have wanted to make a burlap tree skirt so thanks for the tutorial! This looks pretty easy can't wait!

    Good luck on the little one!

    Megan

    http://1funkywoman.blogspot.com

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  46. It is GORGEOUS!!! I can't believe it was no sew....right up my alley! :)

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  47. Ashley, Thanks so much for the inspiration. I just finished making one--only took about 2 1/2 hrs. I tried red and cream burlap. So pleased with the finished product. Yours is still my favorite--it's so sophisticated.
    http://pinterest.com/pin/216243219577553636/

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  48. I am using this to extend my current tree skirt because i think it looks dinky under my current tree. Here's to hoping it works!!

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  49. I love this! I write for Today's Mama and wanted to link to this post in a Christmas Crafting roundup I'm working on. Is it ok if I use one of your photos for my post?

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  50. Jen: definitely! I would be honored! Let me know if u need anything else :)

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  51. I just finished using your directions to make this. It was so much fun and turned out absolutely beautiful--thanks so much!!

    -Lana

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  52. I am in just complete love with this tree skirt. Smitten! You may have inspired the complete end of my yearly search for the perfect tree skirt. You are a genius my friend...GENIUS!

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  53. I JUST redid our old, cheap tree skirt using your tutorial!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! My husband even commented on it and he doesn't get into anything crafty. Thank you so much for sharing this!

    (Found you on Pinterest!)

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  54. I'm terrified to try this because I've never done anything like this before. Wish I had you here in person to help me! Wish me luck!!

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  55. Beautiful! Would really like to see it under the tree. Thanks!!

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  56. I just finished making this with burlap and cream cotton; I can't even tell you how much I love it! We are putting up our tree on Monday and I can't WAIT to see it, I think it will completely finish my Christmas decorations this year. Thank you thank you for such a beautiful tutorial!!

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  57. Love this!! I made it with and old circle table cloth- just cut a hole in the middle for the tree, it was perfect! Thanks for the idea!!

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  58. So excited to try this! Good thing I found it in time to make it! Thank you!

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  59. Oh My Gosh!!! I live in Japan and finding affordable fabric is impossible! The other day I picked up a roll of burlap for 250 yen about $3.00. I am going back right now to get the rest. I am starting this today... My husband just left for a few weeks on deployment and now I know what my nights will be used for!!!! Yeah!!!! If it turns out I will link it to you!!! Thanks for the great idea.

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  60. Wow! This is so pretty! So happy to have found your blog ;)
    Merry Christmas!

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  61. I'm your newest follower and I love your blog! This tutorial is awesome and so detailed, I can't wait to try it!

    Kristin from anoblesjourney.blogspot.com

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  62. This is gorgeous! I love how the linen and burlap look together.

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  63. love this! I will be doing this with my old skirt also. I would love to see a picture of it under your tree!!

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  64. Found this on Pinterest, so THANKS! I linked you on my blog!!!

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  65. I just made my fancy tree skirt today!! I adore it!! I used all one color and used every single inch of 4 yards! It came out gorgeous!! Thanks so much!!!! :D

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  66. Oh my goodness! Tooooo cute! And had to smile at your instructions in the tutorial "to take a snack break" :o)

    Found you while on Pinterest :o)

    Thanks for sharing your great idea!
    Blessings & Aloha!

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  67. I loved this idea so much, that I made my own burlap and red tree skirt. I blogged about it and mentioned your tutorial! http://www.nestcandy.com/2011/12/no-sew-ruffle-tree-skirt.html

    Thanks for the inspiration!

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  68. @Kara @ Nest Candy Thanks for the mention! I just took a look at yours, BEAUTIFUL! Hope you have a wonderful Christmas :)

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  69. I love this tree skirt, I am going to make one like this someday.
    today i am making a post about xmas tree skirt, and i am linking your tutorial.
    here is the link:

    http://burundanguitas.blogspot.com/2011/12/christmas-tree-skirt-ideas.html

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  70. Just bought one from Marshalls but will keep your idea as its adorable!!

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  71. Wow, I just love this tutorial. Thank you for sharing. I am making this as soon as I can. I have a terribly ugly tree skirt. yours SO cute! I also always eat apples and peanut butter for snack. Anyways- I am your newest follower. Please come check out my blog and follow me back! I would appreciate it. Thanks :)
    http://milliemorganmedia.blogspot.com

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  72. i just made one myself with similar fabric!! I absolutely love Burlap.. thanks for the wonderful idea!!

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  73. This is wonderful! Would you like to share on my blog? embracingmessy.blogspot.com. I'm hosting a 25 days of handmade christmas series and this tutorial would be perfect!!! If you are interested, you can email me the HTML at embracingmessy@gmail.com

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  74. Your skirt turned out beautiful. And good luck with the delivery of your baby : ) After making your tree skirt, do you think it would be possible to make it with ribbon that has wire on each edge? Do you think it would give the same ruffle effect?

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  75. @Unknown using a ribbon that has wire in it would definitely give it a very different look. It would probably not be as "flowey" looking. but i think it would still look nice

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  76. this is fabulous!! I may have to try this!

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  77. Hi Ashly! I'm Julie, a publisher of the Learn Your Christmas Carols blog with 25, 000 visitors. You know what; I found some good holiday content on your site that deserves a wider audience. Can I ask if you have something to share with me? This year, I'd like to include links on recipes, decorations and crafts on my web site http://learnyourchristmascarols.com. The only requirement would be a link back in your sidebar or footer. If you are interested please email me at juliegallaher@gmail.com or tweet me at http://twitter.com/juliegallaher

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  78. Absolutely beautiful! I love the antique look, reminds me of old-time Christmas's before everything became store-bought, plastic and LED.

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  79. Made this today! Thanks so much for the idea! What a great way to update an old tree without spending a dime!

    http://www.toddlindsey.com/2012/10/diy-upcycled-ruffled-tree-skirt.html

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  80. Oh my goodness! I love this! I knew I needed a new a project. This has GOT to be it, and I absolutely love anything ruffly. Thanks!!!

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  81. Attempting to make this as I type! I have to pin the burlap down as well. I found it is not as easy to make ruffles with by just gluing and holding down. My poor fingers... Anywho thanks for the great Christmas tree skirt.. I also found this on Pinterest...

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  82. BRAVO!!! I LOVE the finished look! I am your newest fan...

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  83. How long did it take you from start to finish? Looks so elegant. Gonna make me one too....EXCITED !! DAWN FROM TN

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  84. Hey!
    I think it took me a few hours. Just because its a lot of work! & i was tired & pregnant haha Its worth it though :)
    good luck!

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  85. I love this!!! it is my favorite way to make things, with my glue gun lol!! gorgeous, thanks for the idea!

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  86. I just finishing making mine!! I love it so much. I keep telling my husband how beautiful it is. Thanks so much for the idea!!!
    http://havingkidsisfun.blogspot.com/2012/12/diy-ruffle-tree-skirt.html

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  87. I made one of these too! It was seriously the most tedious project ever. never again!

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  88. I mentioned your tree skirt on my blog idpinthat.blogspot.com. Hope you don't mind! If you do, just let me know and I will take it down. :)

    Alex

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  89. i just made this... thanks for the instructions! I LOVE how it turned out!! took a few hours, but worth it.. so pretty!

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  90. A project for Christmas 2013. Saw it first on Pinterest. Thanks!

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  91. SOOOO BEAUTIFUL

    http://www.ccchinachic.com/products/fashion/fashion-jewelry/c-126/

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  92. Ok, so I am making this using burlap ribbon. How many yards of the ribbon will I need??? I can't figure this out LOL!!

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  93. i wish you would have told us how many strips to cut... beautiful :-)

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  94. I love burlap! I use it all the time...and that makes me wonder how the burlap ruffles held up? Did you have trouble with fraying if gifts were on top of the tree skirt? I know I would put all this work into a burlap tree skirt and my two kids would have it torn to shreds before Christmas Eve. The only thing I can think of is to zigzag all the way down the outer edge of each burlap strip, but that's a lot of work, too!

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  95. I made the tree skirt for myself this year using red fabric and green burlap and it's AWESOME!!! Thanks for your directions (and tip on pinning the burlap down) I only burnt a couple fingers lol

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  96. I absolutely love this, however, my current tree skirt is to small. How could I add length onto it?? Never posted anything before so hoping to get a response.

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    1. hi! maybe before beginning, sew a thick strip of fabric around the edges of your skirt, then when you start sewing on the ruffles, just start on the added fabric strip :) Once youre done, the extension wont be noticable because it will be covered with ruffles :) good luck!

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    2. WOW! Thanks Ashley, I didn't think anyone would respond! LOL! Do you have any suggestions as what type of material? My current skirt is slightly quilted, would any other inexpensive machine quilted material work?

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    3. Haha! I try to write back when i get a moment ;)
      Honestly any material should work fine. you could probably just buy extra muslin and use that, since it will be covered with ruffles, no one will notice its not the same.

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  97. Hi Ashley, it's beautiful ! Thanks for sharing!

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  98. Great idea and easy to do. I will be making this for Christmas.

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  99. I love this tutorial. My mother is a super huge Christmas lover and I have been looking for something that I could make her for YEARS!! Her Christmas tree skirt will about double in size of this because we buy a huge tree!! I've already got my supplies list of everything I need. Thanks for this tutorial, Ashley. You're the best!!

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