christmas [tree skirts] in august!

Ok, I didn't let Halloween have all the fun!  I found myself in between quilting projects, and I can't rush from one project to another.  Quilts are hugely time-consuming, so I've got to love the pattern to dive in.  I thought that maybe this was the time to tackle a tree skirt!  I've wanted to make one this year, something I can use year after year and not tire of easily.  I hunted the internet, and when I stumbled upon this pattern ("The Hood" by Brioni Greenberg), I knew I'd found the pattern!

Without further ado, here's my adorable tree skirt!

And I couldn't make just one, so I also made a smaller version for Memaw and PawPaw.  They have a skinny tree, but not a lot of floor space for a traditional tree skirt.  

I had a lot of fun with the fabrics.  I started out with every single Christmas fabric I have hoarded, then also added any red or green fabrics that coordinated.  I wanted the houses and trees to be varied enough to be kitschy and bright, but not obnoxious or glaring.  Each window is fussy-cut and specific - the bumble bee (below) for Britton, the anchor because I love the sea, you get the idea.

And both tree skirts got one house replaced with an RV!  The RV was Britton's favorite part, and she even helped me with picking out the fabrics and elf in the window (she said the elf was PawPaw).  

I added some random stars around the tree opening, and would have added more if they had been easier to cut out.  The stars are small - less than two inches across.

See Santa on the chimney below?  Love it!  This is Memaw's tree skirt, and I used the very last of the ladybug fabric I had.  That ladybug fabric is my favorite fabric of all time, and it came from Memaw's mother's stash.  The window is a cursive "b" for our last name.

Another Santa chimney!  I did my loopy free-motion quilting in the white area, and even mimicked smoke coming out of the chimneys.  I then bordered all the appliqué pieces of the houses and trees.  Once it was finished, I added sequins to the trees to look like ornaments and some to the houses to look like Christmas lights.

I went with a red and white polka dot for the backing, and a very Christmas-y striped binding.  I then added three straps across the back to secure the skirt together, and used velcro instead of buttons so that it would close securely.

Britton spilled the beans to Memaw, so I went ahead and gave her their Christmas tree skirt.  I can't blame Britton one bit for being excited - I was looking for an excuse to show them to Memaw because I knew she'd love it.  And she did!