Whimsical Puffy Christmas Trees

So for Christmas this year, I've amassed a small forest of whimsical plush white trees to surround my table top Christmas tree (4ft. potted lit tree from Target) on my bedroom dresser. I just love the juxtaposition of the cute puffy white trees with the elegant candles. I added some yarn pom poms for texture and red and silver ornaments to tie these little trees to my larger green one.

Read on if you wanna know how to make one too!

Materials:
- fleece (1/4 yard will be plenty to make 2 trees)
- fiber-fill or quilting batting (I used leftover batting from my DIY upholstered bed project)
- thread
- 2 sewing needles
- spool of thread for tree trunk (optional)

You can create your own tree pattern or print these out (be sure to resize them to the dimensions you want).

First, cut out 3 trees using the pattern provided. Line 2 trees up (the nicer side of the fleece should face outwards) and sew along one side of the tree leaving a bit of a gap at the bottom. This gap will make it easier to stuff and add a tree trunk if you like.

Use a blanket stitch to get pretty edges. I used a beige colored thread to create a more interesting trim than just white thread which would disappear into the white fleece.

Next, add the third tree piece with the good side facing out and repeat the same process used to sew the first 2 pieces together.

In order to create the pillowy tufted look, sew up the remaining sides one part at a time so that it's easier to stuff and "tuft". Begin with the top part and work your way down.

From above, your tree should look like this.

Stuff the top part of the tree so that it looks like this. Concentrate the bulk of the stuffing in the corners of the tree leaving the middle part with little stuffing.  

Next, make a tiny stitch on all 3 sides of the tree to join the center of each side together. To do this, insert your second threaded needle through the inside of the tree just under the batting.

Position the needle so that when viewed from the outside, the needle is centered. 

Now make a tiny stitch by inserting the needle through to the other side of the tree. Repeat again so that all 3 sides are stitched together. Tighten and secure the thread to the inside of the tree to hide the knot.

 Repeat this process for the remainder of the tree sections.

When the last section of the tree is stuffed, stitch the tree closed. If you want to add a tree stump, just insert it into the gap below where all 3 pieces are joined.

I think a spool of thread makes a really cute stump. You can find really cheap spools of thread to use from the dollar store.  

I decided to make my trees trunk-less so I just finished stitching the bottom shut. In order to hide the thread after knotting it, I inserted the needle through the stuffed tree and snipped the thread on the other side.

Once the tree puffs back up, the thread will be hidden inside of the tree leaving you with a more professional looking tree.

 And now you have a cute little plush Christmas tree. :)

I made a few more trees in different sizes to create a mini forest around my candles. I'm so pleased with how cute they look on my dresser! *grin*

Oh and I linked up to Kate from Centsational Girl who I adore. :)

Happy crafting!
-Trinh