The post, DIY Ruffled Tulle Christmas Trees, is sponsored by JOANN. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep the crafts ever flowing!

Sometimes you have an idea for a project but never really consider how you are going to actually make said thing. Is that just me? Well, this project is one of those. I had the idea to use all the pretty colors of tulle available at JOANN to create ruffly and feathery looking tulle trees. After some trial and error and a tree that looked more like a prom dress than a tree, I finally found the perfect technique. Today I want to share that technique with you as well as encourage you to keep at a project until you figure it out. If I hadn’t persisted trying to get these tulle trees just right, I wouldn’t have created these delicate beauties!

When I first started this project, I looked up inspiration online to find ways to create tulle trees. However, they looked more like a tutu and didn’t really have the look I was going for. What I wanted with a layered ruffled look. Believe it or not, these are really simple to make once you have the technique!

Materials to make your own DIY Ruffled Tulle Christmas Trees:

• Tulle (1 yard will make one 12″ tree, 1/2 yard for a 6″ tree, etc)
• Paper mache cones in various sizes
• Cardboard tubes (I used the tubes from inside my Joann and Cricut vinyl rolls)
• Gold vinyl
• Iridescent glitter paint
• Sewing machine with a gathering foot
• Acrylic paint to match your tulle colors
• Hot glue
• Paint brush

Begin by painting the cones with the acrylic paint to match your tulle colors. This gives a base color in case the tulle ruffling is sparse and the paper mache cone shows through.

While the paint is drying, it’s time to work on creating the tulle ruffles. To do this, cut the tulle into long 3-4″ wide strips.

Take one strip of the tulle and fold it in half. Then use the gathering foot to sew along the top folded edge on the highest stitch length your machine allows.

What will happen is that your tulle will start to gather itself and create a tight ruffle. When you get to the end of your first strip, add in your second strip and keep going to create a long chain of ruffled tulle. Once you sew all the tulle strips, it is time to start gluing them onto your cones.

Begin at the bottom and hot glue the top gathered edge of the tulle onto the cone, work your way around the cone hot gluing the tulle on as you go. Once you get to the top, cut off any excess tulle and hot glue the tip to the top of the cone.

Once the cones are filled with tulle ruffles, you can trim them as needed to get the perfect tree shape. Then use a paint brush to delicately brush on the iridescent paint to the tips of the tulle. This give the trees a pretty snowy apperance.

The final step is to add the tree trunks. To do this, either paint the cardboard tubes with gold paint or wrap the tubes with gold vinyl, then cut to size to fit each tree. Hot glue the tube into the cone and then you are done and your trees are ready to display.

I had to stop myself at 5 trees because that is all the tulle colors I had bought, but I think I may go back and get more colors to create a whole rainbow of trees! They even have neon colors of tulle at JOANN, so you know I am in color heaven!