Refashion: Wearing a Christmas Tree Skirt

Learn how to refashion so that a child can wear a Christmas tree skirt. This Christmas sewing project is great for all the holiday parties!

I love looking at all the beautiful Christmas tree skirts at the store every year. I’ve always wanted to turn a Christmas tree skirt into a wearable skirt, but I could never figure out how to make it work for me as an adult.

This year I realized I could easily turn a Christmas tree skirt into a skirt for my daughters, and I had so much fun turning these tree skirts into skirts. A lot of the work to make the skirt is already done, and these skirts have the most amazing twirl factor since they are full circle skirts!

What Christmas tree skirts can be turned into a skirt?

When looking for a Christmas tree skirt to refashion, you’ll need to find one with a large inner hole. If the hole is too small, it won’t fit around a waist. You can even get one with a hole that is too big, and then add elastic or pleats to make it smaller.

Make sure the tree skirt is not too heavy, or it’s hard to work with and hard to wear.

I bought two different tree skirts with different features, so that I could do a tutorial on both skirts. I found one tree skirt that was made out of knit fabric which made turning it into a skirt much easier.

What is Refashioning?

Refashioning is to fashion clothing again or differently. I usually use this to describe when I’m sewing clothing to fit different or to look different, but the majority of the item stays the same.

Do you love to sew? Try one of these great sewing projects:

• Christmas sewing projects
• Upcycled gift ideas
• Dress refashion and upcycle ideas
• DIY Christmas tree skirt ideas

Turn a Christmas Tree Skirt into a Skirt

Supplies

• Christmas tree skirt with average to large middle hole
  • I did one with buttons and reused that as a closure. You don’t have to have a closure that you can reuse, but if it’s a possiblility then it helps.
• Optional: 7 inch matching zipper (this depends on the type of closure you want to add)
• Optional: scrap of fabric or ribbon to add an extension (this works for button back tree skirts)
• Sewing tools
• Sewing machine

Christmas Tree Skirt with Ties

I picked out this red Christmas tree skirt because it had a larger hole, it’s made out of knit fabric, and I knew the pleated velvet would be easy to work with.

First, I removed the tag from the back.

Then I removed the ties by seam ripping the seam where each tie was attached.

Edgestitch the fabric at each opening where you removed a tie to close the holes.

*The hole in the center ended up being to big for my daughters waist because the knit fabric stretched a lot. I added elastic to the inner circle by turning some of the stitching into a casing to make it a little bit smaller. You might have to do this to make the waist fit!

Open the zipper and place it in between the two sides of the opening. I’m going to sew in the zipper with an exposed zipper method. This is much easier since all the edges have been finished or enclosed.

On the left fold the top of the zipper tape that doesn’t have zipper teeth down to hide behind the fabric. Pin the zipper to the left side of the opening all the way down the zipper.

Sew the left side in place by sewing 1/4 inch from the edge starting at the top and ending just above the bottom zipper stop.

On the right fold the top of the zipper tape that doesn’t have zipper teeth down to hide behind the fabric. Pin the zipper to the left side of the opening all the way down the zipper.

Sew the right side in place by sewing 1/4 inch from the edge starting at the top and ending just above the bottom zipper stop.

Pull the zipper pull up to the top of the zipper.

Turn the tree skirt right side out and sew a 1/4 inch seam from below the zipper to the hem.

Check you seam from the outside since the seam can get wonky with so many layers.

You finished!

Christmas Tree Skirt with Buttons

I found this tree skirt with beaded embroidery, cording on the edges, and buttons up the back. It is a little heavier than I would’ve liked.

First, I removed the cording from the waist and the hem to remove some of the weight. Remove the tag from the back of the tree skirt.

Get some extra fabric or a ribbon and cut it to the length from one button to the next with room to hem on each short side.

Hem all the sides of the fabric or ribbon to keep it from unraveling.

Sew the extension onto the tree skirt from the waist down to the second button. I just topstitched through all the layers to keep it in place.

Pin the two sides of the skirt together by layering the top layer onto the bottom layer with an 1/4 inch overlap. Sew through all the layers from the bottom hem up to the extension piece.

When the top button is buttoned, the skirt can be worn and the extension should give extra modesty under the opening. We needed a little more strength added to the top button, so I added a snap to the extension and the waist.

You finished!

Wearing a Christmas Tree Skirt

If you make something using this sewing project, I’d love to see! Please share it on social media with the hashtag #heatherhandmade and tag me!