Hi! Welcome to this fun 3D Christmas Tree tutorial. If you are looking for a fun Christmas Sweater project you’ve found the right place!
What do you need?
- A pattern for a sweater or shirt. I’ve used the Kids Raglan shirt (Kids Raglan Top Pattern)
- Some scraps of fabric for the tree
- Optional decorations like ribbon or small buttons
- Matching thread
- Interfacing
- Heat ‘n Bond (optional)
- Wash away tape (optional)
- Some paper, a pencil and scissors to draw and cut your Christmas tree
- Iron
This project lends itself perfectly for all your creativity! You can use scraps of fun Christmas fabric, you can decorate with all the ribbon and buttons you can find, or you can even let your kids draw with textile markers on some white fabric to create their own Christmas tree decorations
- Step 1: First you draw your Christmas tree. I recommend not doing too many tiers. I did 3, but you could even just do a triangle. Cut it out.
- Step 2: You draw a second tree, but you add seam allowance. I used 1cm or 3/8” around it. Cut this one out too.
- Step 3: You use the bigger tree with seam allowance to cut 3 trees from your scraps of fabric. Then you take the smaller one and cut 3 trees from the interfacing. Iron your interfacing to the middle of the fabric trees, on the wrong side of the fabric.
- Decide what your left panel (1), middle panel (2) and right panel (3) will be. I did darker green on the left (1), striped in the middle (2) and lighter green on the right (3). If you want to decorate you can do it now. Make sure you don’t put buttons too close to the seam allowance, otherwise there’s not enough space to sew.
- Step 4: Take your panels, fold them in half lengthwise with right sides together. Press well and then fold wrong sides together and press well. Open them up again.
- Step 5: Put panel 1 and panel 2 right sides together, with panel 2 on top so you see the wrong side of the fabric. Pin or clip the right half of the tree. Sew from the top centre fold along the edges on the right, up to the centre fold on the bottom. You can use the interfacing as a guideline.
- Step 6: Place panel 2 on the table right side up and fold panel 1 to the left. Now place panel 3 on top, so the right sides are together.
- Step 7: Pin or clip the right side of the tree. Sew again from fold to fold. If you find it hard to be precise you can do the part closest to the fold by hand.
- Step 8: Lay your panel so the wrong side of panel 2 is facing up. Take the corners of only the parts you sewed together and cut off the outside corners. Cut close to the seam but not through the seam. For the inner corners you make a cut going to the seam, but again, not through. I’ve marked the cuts on the picture in red, do them on both sides.
- Step 9: Now turn the tree right side out. You can use a tool or curved tweezers to make sure the corners are nice.
- Step 10: If you are using fabric that doesn’t fray you can cut off the seam allowance of panel 1 and 3, so the size is the same as the parts you sewed together. You can skip to step 11.
- If you do want to finish the edges you make the same cuts you did in step 8 on the parts of panels 1 and 3 you didn’t sew. Fold back the seam allowance and give it a good press. I like to use wash away tape to keep it in place. You can also use nothing or a glue stick.
- Your 3D Christmas Tree is now ready!! The only thing left to do is to put it on your shirt or sweater. Cut out all the parts of your pattern but don’t sew it together yet. If you are using thin fabric or very stretchy fabric it’s best to add interfacing on the wrong side of the front.
- Step 11: If you have Heat ‘n Bond use the smaller pattern piece you made in step 1 to cut the right shape. Place it on the tree and heat for a short time so it sticks.
-
Take the wax paper off. Place it on the front panel of the sweater and when you’re happy with the placement press according to the instructions.
If you don’t have Heat ‘n Bond you can use wash away tape, a glue stick or pins to keep the tree in place while you sew.
- Step 12: Topstitch close to the edge from fold to fold.
- Repeat for the other side. Close to the fold can be hard to sew with your sewing machine because of all the layers you folded to the side. It might be easier to do it by hand. Just do what works best for you! If you want you can also stitch in the ditch of the 3 fold lines, especially if you haven’t used Heat ‘n Bond.
Once the tree is on the front panel you can sew the sweater according to the instructions. For my son I used a size 8 Kids Raglan. I took 1.5” from the sleeve and bottom and added cuffs and a band (I used 85%).
I hope you enjoy making your own fun 3D Christmas Tree and share it with us! I can’t wait to see your makes!
Lots of love, creativity and Christmas vibes,
(Written by: Iris Hoogendoorn)
Hi! I’m Iris Hoogendoorn. I live in the Netherlands with my partner, our 2 sons (3 and 6) and our cat. I sew all the clothes my boys wear and they have fun picking out fabrics for me to sew. Fun fact: did you know there is a secret compartment in your sewing machine near the foot, that can be used for secret sewing snacks?
