There’s something beautiful about a handmade Christmas tree skirt, especially one that becomes the star of your holiday decor! Jennifer Houlden’s Lone Star Christmas Tree Skirt combines striking geometric piecing, a playful half-square triangle border, and delicate snowflake appliques to create a stunning 48″ [121.9cm] square tree skirt.
If you’ve ever wanted to make a Lone Star quilt but felt intimidated by the construction, this is a wonderful project to try. In her five-part QUILTsocial tutorial series, Jennifer walks you through the whole process, from choosing fabrics and using specialty templates to piecing, quilting, and finishing your tree skirt. And the best part? You can create the Lone Star without sewing inset seams!
The tree skirt adds the finishing touch to this gorgeous tree
materials
fabric
- red, dark gray, and white with gray swirls, in light, medium, and dark values
- 100% cotton batting and backing, both larger than the skirt
thread
- 30 weight rayon in silvery gray, for stitching around the snowflakes
- two 30 weight variegated gray cottons, one darker and one lighter, for quilting
- 50 weight gray cotton, for the bobbin
notions
- Lone Star quilting templates (see original tutorial at link below for details)
- half square triangle gauge
- chalk liner, rotary cutter, and ruler
- long flower head pins and fork pins
- spray starch
- printable fusible web sheets and pressing paper
- curved safety pins
- circle cutter and buttons
Make your Lone Star shine
Choosing fabrics with light, medium, and dark values is the first step toward creating a striking Lone Star. Jennifer shares how she selected her red, gray, and white fabrics to bring out the star’s dramatic points and create a festive look.
Fabric choices for tree skirt
You’ll also discover how the templates simplify cutting the star’s geometric shapes, including the diamond and triangle pieces, and how to assemble them into a beautiful Lone Star design. Jennifer explains which templates she used and shares helpful tips for working with bias edges, matching seams, and keeping those star points crisp.
All template pieces cut
Add a festive border
Once your Lone Star is complete, why stop there? Jennifer takes the design a step further with a half-square triangle border that adds movement and visual interest to the finished tree skirt.
Her tutorial shows you how to make and arrange the half-square triangles into a zigzag border, creating a generous 48″ square, perfect for making a statement beneath your Christmas tree.
The lone star center
Quilt it and add a little winter magic
The quilting and embellishments are where you can really make this project your own! Jennifer demonstrates her approach to quilting the Lone Star and adding snowflake appliques for a lovely winter-inspired finish.
You’ll find helpful tips on choosing quilting threads, positioning your snowflakes, and deciding whether to applique before or after quilting.
Chalk lines drawn to make out the quilting lines on the lone star
Turn your Lone Star quilt into a Christmas tree skirt
The final transformation is what makes this project so special. Jennifer shows you how to create the center opening, finish the edges with binding, and add a button closure to keep the skirt neatly in place around your Christmas tree.
Ready to make a tree skirt that will become part of your family’s holiday traditions? Follow Jennifer’s original five-part tutorial series on QUILTsocial for the complete step-by-step instructions, detailed photos, cutting measurements, and information about the templates used.