Tree Collars

I thought today I would show you how I get from and idea and/or inspiration and then create my version of the project.  To show you an example of how I do this, I picked a project that I worked on last year.  I was shopping in one of my favorite places for inspiration, Pier One, when I came across this Christmas Tree Collar (seen below).  It was not what I wanted exactly, not to mention it retailed for around 100 dollars, but it was a great idea.  I liked that it was a much 'cleaner' look than the traditional tree skirt. I decided to ask Chantell of Chantells Creations for some help.

Pier One Tree Collar

Chantell and I decided that it was a good idea to make them in two different heights.  First, some trees need a taller collar, some need a shorter one, it just depends on the tree stand's height.  Second, its always a good idea to offer the designs in smaller hoop sizes since not every one has the bigger size available to them. 

As you can see they would have been beautiful just by picking really good fabrics. 

Shorter Tree Collar Panel

Taller Tree Collar Panel

Since I love applique, I felt that they needed a little more decoration!  Here are a few samples of some of the panels with applique added to them.  Aren't they even cuter?  Good fabric and cute designs.

They look a little different on the larger sized panel since the designs are the same size it's just the panel that is taller.

Here are the finished collars for both sized tree stands.  I actually put up two Christmas trees every year, so having both sizes really worked out for me.

The shorter tree collar

Taller Tree Collar

See how nice and clean it looks with the collar instead of a tree skirt? I didn't put designs on all of the panels, just the ones that are facing out.  But the great thing about this is that you can purchase the design panels and make them however you want.

So you can see how the idea and inspiration come together to make a new original one of a kind project!