How to make a fabric christmas tree

1. Materials & tools

Materials (For the shelf decoration (24 cm tall))

• Main fabric (green felt, fleece or plaid cotton) — about 30 × 60 cm
• Polyester fiberfill stuffing — about 40–60 g
• Optional: buttons or beads to decorate, ribbon to hang it
• Optional: weighted pellets (for a standing decoration)
• Sewing thread

Tools

• Sewing machine (or needle and thread)
• Fabric marker or pencil
• Ruler and scissors
• Iron
• Pins or clips

2. Make the pattern (auto-generated in Katagami)

With the Katagami pattern tool, you just enter the finished size and it drafts a seam-allowance-included pattern, tiled to print at actual size on Letter or A4.

1. Open the tool
   Open the pattern tool and choose “Home” → “Fabric Christmas tree” from the tabs at the top.
2. Enter the size
   Enter the height (including the trunk), bottom width and number of tiers. Presets for ornament, shelf decoration and cushion.
3. Set the seam allowance
   Use the slider at the bottom (beginners: 1.0–1.5 cm / about 3/8–5/8 in).
4. Print
   Press “Print (actual size)”, then in the print dialog set Scale = 100% and turn “Fit to page” OFF. Check the 50 mm calibration box on the first guide sheet with a ruler.

3. Cutting the fabric

1. Decide the size
   About 12 cm for an ornament, 20–30 cm for a shelf decoration, 40 cm or more for a cushion. More tiers look more like a fir tree.
2. Cut
   Cut two tree pieces (front and back). Mark the inner corners of each tier.

4. Sewing

4-1. Decorate first

1. On the front piece, sew on buttons or beads, or add embroidery first.
2. To hang it, baste a ribbon loop at the top, facing inward.

4-2. Sew and turn

1. Place the two pieces right sides together and sew all around, leaving the bottom of the trunk open.
2. Clip the inner corners of the tiers up to the stitching, and trim the pointed corners diagonally.
3. Turn it out and shape the corners with an awl.

4-3. Stuff and close

1. Stuff it, starting at the top. For a standing decoration, put a few pellets in the trunk to help it stand.
2. Close the bottom of the trunk with a ladder stitch.

✏️ If the clips at the inner corners are too shallow, the tiers pucker when you turn it. Clip to within 1–2 mm of the stitching.

5. Tips & variations

• Top it with a star: sew a mini star ornament to the top for a real tree look.
• Group different sizes: three sizes side by side make a little forest on a shelf.
• Change the fabric: plaid, dots or knit change the mood completely.