in the making: scalloped felt holiday trees

about a month ago i spotted these fabulously neutral holiday trees at one of my favorite stores, land of nod.



i immediately knew i wanted these on my mantel for the holiday and thought it would be easy to make them myself. and to give me the extra push i needed to get them done before Christmas, i chose to host a craft night with some great friends and provide all the materials to make them. i stuck with a neutral color story, choosing oatmeal and ivory for my two trees.

here are all the instructions to make a pair for yourself.

supply list:
felt, 2-3 9x12 sheets for each tree
styrofoam cones, 9" and 6"
felt glue
fabric shears
x-acto knife
permanent or fabric marker
chip board or other sturdy paper material (for template)
pins and/or rubber bands



to make:
1_begin by creating a template for yourself for the scallops. i simply drew a 2" diameter circle with a compass onto a small piece of chipboard and then two lines running tangent to the circle to create a raindrop shape, then cut it out with an x-acto knife.
2_trace the bottom of the styrofoam cones onto the felt with a marker in a corresponding color, cut out with the fabric shears and adhere to the bottom of the cones with felt glue. let dry.
3_trace your scallop template onto the felt with the same marker, carefully cut out with fabric shears. note: make sure to leave yourself about a 5" square portion of felt to make the tree topper.
4_when you have a good stack of scallops ready, you can begin gluing them to the styrofoam cones. start at the bottom of the cone and place the first scallop cut-out, making sure to overlap the bottom edge just enough to hide the styrofoam, about 1/4". continue gluing the scallops in place, overlapping them as you go.
5_work your way up the cone, gluing scallops row by row, overlapping as needed. use the rubber bands or pins to hold them in place while they dry. much of the placement of the scallops is up to you and your individual tastes. if you feel more comfortable, the scallops can be pinned in place prior to gluing to allow you to visualize the final product more easily. this is especially helpful if you will be using multiple colors of fabric on one tree.
6_to finish off the tree, trace three scallops onto your remaining 5"x5" piece of felt. the scallops should be touching each other along their straight edges, creating an open clover shape. cut this out as ONE piece. roll the piece into a cone shape and pin to hold. apply glue to the inside and place atop your tree.
7_place on mantel (or other location of your choice) and enjoy!