Want a fun and modern new way to show your Christmas spirit? This spiral lace Christmas tree makes for unique and fresh holiday decor! It’s simple to make with just a few supplies, and you can choose whether you want a single or double spiraled tree.
Supplies
To craft your beautiful spiral tree, you will need:
- Spiral Christmas Tree (Lace) embroidery design
- Heavy duty water-soluble stabilizer, such as Vilene or Sulky Ultra Solvy
- 100% cotton thread, 30-50 wt.
- Matching dowel or straw. It’s best if it’s a similar color. If not, you can always paint it to match first
- Hot glue gun and glue sticks
- Foam block
- Optional: bell, star or other ornament to top your tree
Note: A scissors or saw will also be helpful to cut your dowel down to size if you need to. It’s also good to mention this tree works best if you can stick the other end in foam when you’re done, so it stands up nice and straight. Really it’s up to you though!
Designs Used
For this tutorial, I’ll be showing you how to assemble the larger lace tree. This one looks best with two spirals intertwined, so stitch out two copies of your lace.
Begin by stitching the pieces of freestanding lace onto heavy duty water-soluble stabilizer using 30-50 wt. 100% cotton thread. Stitch one lace piece per hooping, in the smallest hoop possible for the design, to keep your lace looking its best.
Once you're done stitching, rinse and dry each piece completely. (Here's more on stitching freestanding lace).
To start, turn your lace upside down, and add a dab of hot glue to the middle opening. Hold your straw or stick in place until it dries.
Next, add your second spiral, gluing the center of that one on top of the first, and spiraling in the lace in-between the layers of the first one. You want this second spiral spun further counterclockwise than the first, so they don’t follow the same path.
Now you should have two spirals of lace, slightly offset from each other, like so. The second spiral should fill up some of the empty space left from the first. If they spiral down too closely, you tree will look a little more sparse.
Next, measure roughly how far down the stick you want your last spiral to rest. Remember, you’ll need some extra length on your stick if you’re going to stick your tree in craft foam or another similar substance to make it stand upright.
Mark how far down roughly you want your spirals to be sitting flush with the ground, and then leave a little extra beyond that, around an inch or more.
To help your spirals keep their curled shape as they get towards the bottom, it’s helpful to glue on top of the other.
Overlap your top spiral slightly over your bottom one, and pinch them together where they hold themselves in a nice shape. This will take a little experimentation.
Add a dab of glue where you want them to overlap and glue them in place. That will keep your spirals tight and your tree looking more lush and full.
Finally, add a dab of glue to the top of your tree and add your little decorative ornament of choice. This helps it look a little more like a Christmas tree, and it hides the less attractive top of our stick from view.
Push the stick into some craft foam until the bottom of your tree gently rests on the surface, like so. I then covered my craft foam with some snowy fabric and a little tinsel to set the magic scene!
For the smaller 4x4 swirl, you can decide to go with just a single spiral, or if you want a more full look like the larger tree, stitch and layer two like shown before!
However you craft up your lace tree, it’s sure to add a modern “twist” to your holiday decor!
