Ruffled Ribbon Christmas Tree

I wish I could say that I am all done and sipping hot chocolate while watching old Christmas movies, but the truth is I feel like I am just getting started! I am so happy to have this project done. It is so pretty and really adds a lot of spirit to my decor.

I saw this idea on Shanty 2 Chic and knew that with the endless supply of ribbon The Ribbon Retreat carries, I was set on making some beautiful decorations. (Can anyone else say “Mmmmmm” to the Moonstitch Ribbon!)

The first thing I had to do, though, was buy a ruffler foot.

The way to gather without using a sewing machine takes forever!!! And my thread always would break right in the middle of gathering. When I saw that my dream of automatic gathering could become a reality, I had to get myself one. I couldn’t believe how easy it was to use this ruffler foot and it made me absolutely giddy when I first tried it. 🙂 My poor husband had to endure looking at a ruffle over and over.

I’m so giddy, I took pictures. I took way more than this, but I will spare you. 🙂

Tree #1

I bought the biggest foam tree you can get at the craft store; it is about 12 inches tall. Then I got 5 yards of Emerald/White Moonstitch Grosgrain Ribbon in 1 1/2″ and 5 yards of Forest Green/White Polka Dot Ribbon in 1 1/2″.

I originally planned to do this tree all in the Moonstitch Ribbon, but I gathered too much of it to have enough. I actually LOVE how the combination of the Moonstitch Ribbon and Polka Dot Ribbon turned out.

After I gathered the ribbon together, I used hot glue to attach it to the foam tree. It is better to use a lower temperature glue gun for this particular craft, if you have one. I don’t, so I had to be patient and wait for the glue to set. I also have a nice burn from it on my pointer finger. It was a definite OUCH!

I knew that I wanted to finish off the top with a bow, so I didn’t bother making the top look pretty. Tree #1 is all done!

Tree #2

I bought the medium sized foam tree; about 9 inches tall. I got 5 yards Red Double Faced Satin Ribbon in 1 1/2″. I only needed about 2 1/2 yards for this size of tree.

The ruffler foot had a hard time pulling the Double Faced Satin Ribbon to gather it, so it has a very tiny gather. I was disappointed at first, but now I love the flowy look it created for this tree. I made a little cone for the top of this tree since I wasn’t sure how big of a bow I wanted covering it.

Tree #3

The foam size for this tree was the smallest they had. In fact, it came with two trees in the package. I got 5 yards of Gold Metallic Ribbon in 1 1/2″ for this tree. I used about 2 yards for it, if that.

I did not ruffle this ribbon at all before I put it on the tree. The gathering you see was done by hand, mostly because the shape of the cone would not allow me to put the ribbon straight on. If you don’t want to do the gathering the old fashioned way, doing it by hand (gluing and gathering at the same time) would probably work, but not get the full effect of the first tree.

I also made a cone for this tree, but made the point more prominent. Again, I wasn’t sure what I was going to top the tree with. I think it looks kind of weird alone, which is why I am so glad I added some bows!

I made a bunch of bows using the Tails Down Technique (which is so easy!!) I used the Gold Metallic in 1 1/2″ and Red Double Faced Satin Ribbon in 7/8″. For the first two trees, I used the Gold Metallic as my first layer, and the Double Faced Satin as my second layer. For the last tree, I just used the Double Faced Satin. For all the bows, I used the Double Faced Satin in 7/8″ for my centered knot.

Once the bows were done, I just glued them right onto the trees.

I love how they turned out!

Do you love them too? Let me know what you think! If you make some, we would love to see pictures!