One of my favorite things about making Christmas layouts is finding different ways to create Christmas tree designs. It's like a mental challenge I've put on myself that I can't ever create the same tree twice. It's made for some interesting trees over the years!
The tree today is without a doubt my favorite of them all.
I'm not gonna lie to you. This took a long time to create. Mostly due to all of the stitching. Not only is stitching time consuming, but it didn't help that I was using multiple colors. That meant that my time also included having to change thread several times to complete everything. If you want to simplify this design you can leave out the stitching.
Supplies used for all the circles:
• patterned paper
• buttons
• chipboard circles
• enamel dots
• sequins
• jewels
• embroidery floss
Having a large variety of sizes of circle to work with makes putting this tree together so much easier! I had everything from large, to medium, to small, to teeny tiny. The jewels and enamels dots I used came in many different sizes from about 1/4" to little specks. You could also use Nuvo Drops and custom fit them to your needs.
Step #1 - Create a large triangle out of white cardstock for your tree base.
My triangle is 6" wide by 10" tall. I created the triangle by cutting a 6 x 10" piece of cardstock. Then I used a pencil and ruler to add a small pencil mark at the top, middle (3") of the cardstock piece. Next I used the pencil and ruler to draw a line from the middle pencil mark at the top to each bottom corner. I finished by cutting along the pencil lines.
Step #2 - Fill in the tree starting in the corners and edges.
I felt like it was easier to start in the corners and edges of the tree to make sure that I had those edges filled without overlapping off the tree base.
Step #3 - Start filling in the middle by working from the edges to the center.
Try to use a variety of sizes as you go. I will generally start with a large piece and then build around it, filling the appropriate space as I go.
The stitching was so helpful in filling in spaces because I could custom fit it to the space needed. To add the stitching I would place my pieces and then use a pencil to draw the circle design I wanted whether it was a border on top of a patterned paper circle, a solo circle, or a frame around a circle. I didn't add the stitching until the very end.
This design concept could work for many different shapes. Try using:
• squares
• triangles
• diamonds
• hexagons
• hearts
• stars
It may be a time consuming project, but the end result is worth it!
Looking for more Christmas inspiration? Check out more layouts and sketches in our Sketches for Christmas book.
You can purchase it either as a hard copy or digital copy.