The best way to make a felt Christmas tree for your little ones! Get in a group and all make multiples of an ornament. Then swap!
This is Little J’s first Christmas, and we are so excited about it. Even though he isn’t going to remember it, I think it is important to start Christmas traditions now so that we will have them established so he can grow up with them. This year, a bunch of friends and I got together and made felt Christmas trees for our kids! I will confess and say this wasn’t my idea (thanks Nellena!), but it was a great way to make these trees and was really fun, too!
There were five of us, and each person made five versions of two things to put on the tree. There were five of us together, so if you have less people you might want to make more, and if you have more people you may want to split into groups, or all just make one item for each person.
We all decided beforehand which things we would make for the tree. Two of us made presents, two of us made plain ornaments, one person made a star, and then we had five other decorations for the tree (a snowman, a snowflake, a candy cane, a penguin, and a jingle bell ornament with an initial on it. We bought materials and then all met up at night after our kids had gone to bed to craft! We brought sewing machines, hot glue guns, and candy, and we played Christmas music all night!
To make the tree, we found that it was easiest to fold it in half, and then cut free-hand starting at the top. You might not want to go free-hand, but if you are feeling bold or are particularly creative and artsy then go for it! How much green felt you need depends on where the fold is. Ours was like a 6 foot long rectangle folded in half hamburger style, so we bought it a yard wide and it was perfect. We did have enough to make two trees out of each person’s felt, so if you want, you could just get one yard for every two people (but make sure the fold is in the right place or it won’t work).
I also got some ric-rac and sewed it onto my tree to give it some more decoration.
After we made all of our ornaments, we sprayed them with some adhesive to make them stick better to our trees when they were hanging up on the wall. It worked perfectly!
It was so much fun to make these trees, and I definitely think doing them in a group is the best way to make them.
Materials:
- 1 yard green felt
- Felt for the ornaments and presents
- Pom poms, googly eyes, ric-rac, and bells for extra decor on the ornaments
- Ric-rac for the tree
- Paper patterns (optional, depending on how complicated your ornaments are)
Instructions:
- Figure out how many people want to participate, and then decide how many and what ornaments/presents each person will be making.
- Buy your materials.
- Gather together and make your trees! First, cut out your trees by folding the felt in half and cutting the trees starting at the top.
- Sew ric-rac onto your tree in a decorative way.
- Make your ornaments and presents.
- Use spray adhesive on the backs of your ornaments and presents so they will stick to the tree.
- Hang up your tree using tape or velcro and watch your child go crazy!
I’m really glad we were able to do this, because even though my son doesn’t grasp the idea of decorating the tree right now, I will have it for the future!
If you want a more detailed tutorial, check out this post!
LazyHippieMama says
How fun! My little guy would LOVE this!
Chelsea J says
You should get together with friends and make one! I wasn’t sure how much my son would like it since he is almost 9-months-old, but he loves it!
Lydia Filgueras says
I love this idea! I’m so glad felt crafting is becoming popular again. I got a little nostalgic there for a minute and I’ll tell you why. My mother made a huge felt tree decorated with the 12 Day of Christmas. The Two Calling Birds were at the top and the 12 Drummers drumming were at the base (the partridge was in his own pear tree, of course). I’m not sure where she got the pattern, probably Good Housekeeping or another ladies magazine. It took her HOURS to cut all the pieces and glue them together. The whole thing was very elaborate and part of our family’s Christmas tradition for almost 15 years before it got too worn. How nice that you and your friends have created something your children will be able to enjoy for many Christmases to come. Love the photos, too!
Chelsea J says
That sounds so cool! I can only imagine how much work it must’ve been, but it’s so worth it when you see your kids sitting there playing. I hope my little tree will last that long!!! We’ll see 🙂
DesignedByBH says
That’s adorable! What a neat idea! I never have craft nights with my friends…I really should–especially this time of year!!!
Thanks for sharing on the Daily Blog Boost today!
– Brooke –
Chelsea J says
Thanks Brooke! My friends and I try and do a few craft nights a month. It’s so nice to be able to get together and have a girls’ night!
runtspickins says
This is so cute! I love this idea. We have a little one on the way – I’m not actually due until January 7th – but this is something I definitely want to do for my little one when he is here. =]
Runt
runtspickins@yahoo.com
http://www.runtspickins.wordpress.com
( If responding to my comment, please email or comment a blog post of mine. Unfortunately I do not get email notifications when there is a response to my comment. I just found this out and I’m totally bummed thinking about how many responses I’ve missed! =[ )
Chelsea J says
How fun! He will definitely play with it next year! Good luck with your (almost here) new baby!
Kristiana Clark says
I love the ric rac, and the idea of making ornaments with friends. Also I was wondering. We made our tree and hung it with magnets on the back and stuck it to our front door that was metal. We’ve since moved and have no metal doors! How did you hang yours one the wall?
Chelsea J says
That’s a super good idea! I actually just taped mine up for now, but my son has almost pulled it down a few times. One of my friends suggested using velcro!
Shauna Smart says
Thank you so much for linking up to The Weekend re-Treat Link Party this week on The Best Blog Recipes! Wanted to stop by and “Pin” your post to our Link Party Boards (Recipes or Crafts) while I was here !
Shauna @ The Best Blog Recipes
Chelsea J says
Thanks Shauna! I hope you get a chance to make one because it’s so much fun!
Britni Vigil says
I’ve wanted to do a felt Christmas tree ever since I saw it on Pinterest but just haven’t gotten around to it. I love the idea of doing it as kind of a swap type thing like I did with my busy bag swap so it would be easier. And I wonder if I could cut the felt on my Silhouette, definitely have to look into it!
Chelsea J says
Oh that would be amazing! You would be able to do complicated things so much easier! I hope it works 🙂
Barbara A Mizzoni Young says
This looks so festive! Great job and the perfect size for your little one!
Visiting from The Bloggers Digest. Now following on Bloglovin’
Barbara @ http://www.allmylivesnow.com
Chelsea J says
Thanks Barbara! It’s so much fun to watch him sit there and play with it!
Julie says
Chelsea, this is perfect to send a missionary overseas as well! I want to make one for Elder Skalla!!
Chelsea Johnson says
What a great idea! I hadn’t thought about that, but that is really smart! That way they can still have a tree and decorate for Christmas! Thanks for the idea!
creativelycynthia says
I wonder, can the ornaments be moved around even though they are sprayed with adhesive?
Chelsea Johnson says
Yeah, you can! There should be directions on your bottle of spray adhesive to make them just have a temporary hold. That way they won’t stick permanently and you can move them around as much as you want!
creativelycynthia says
What kind did you use?
Chelsea Johnson says
I think it was Elmer’s craft bond adhesive spray.
Megan says
Did the repositioning spray last for a few years or lose its sticky after a few ‘repositionings’
Chelsea Johnson says
Yeah! It still sticks today!
Crystal says
What type of tape did you use on the wall? I’m worried it will ruin paint.
Chelsea Johnson says
I actually used round pushpins. You can get the full tutorial here: http://www.lifewithmylittles.com/2015/11/diy-felt-christmas-trees/
Julie says
Look for felt with higher wool content. It sticks better
Chelsea Johnson says
I did not know that! Thanks!