How to Make a Simple DIY Fringed Burlap Christmas Tree
You’re going to love how easy and inexpensive it is to create this pretty DIY Burlap Christmas Tree to decorate your home for the holidays!
I love decorating for Christmas, don’t you?
Some of my Christmas decorations are as old as I am!
Pulling them out each year becomes an instant walk down memory lane.
It’s almost like greeting an old friend.
In fact, AnnMarie and I both fill our Christmas trees with sentimental ornaments.
But over the past 25 years that I’ve decorated my own home for Christmas, my tastes have changed.
I mean, it’s bound to happen, right?!
Lately, I find myself drawn to natural, organic-looking holiday decor.
It looks so good with the antiques I’ve begun collecting.
Something else that works beautifully is burlap.
Honestly? Burlap might be one of the best chameleons for decorating!
It looks great in farmhouse-styled homes.
But it’s also fantastic in boho, traditional, French country, cottage, southern, transitional, country, and vintage decorating!
I loved my table centerpiece last year, but I wanted something a little different this year.
Without breaking the bank.
So I decided burlap would be the perfect way to go.
I love how you can find burlap in so many different colors!
When I found some pretty cream burlap with a little shimmer of gold thread woven in I knew it needed to come home with me.
It was so fun making these fringed DIY burlap Christmas trees!
They pair so nicely with other styles of burlap trees or even with these adorable yarn trees!
You can pair them with greenery, or check out how I used them in my Christmas centerpiece this year.
- How to Make Fringed Burlap Christmas Trees
- What Supplies Do You Need to Make Trees DIY Burlap Trees?
- How to Make DIY Burlap Trees for Christmas or Winter Decorating
- 1. Paint the wood stars with gold metallic paint.
- 2. Cover the Base of the Tree Form with Felt
- 3. Cut the burlap into Strips
- 4. Trim the strips to the right length.
- 5. Fray the bottom edge of the burlap strips to create a fringe.
- 6. How to Assemble a Fringed Burlap Tree
- 7. Start with a strip that you cut from the selvage.
- 8. Attach the strips of fringed burlap
- 9. Cover the top of the foam cone
- 10. Conceal any visible parts of the tree form and the top T pin
- 11. Attach one of the painted stars
- 12. Optional: Give Your Tree a Trunk
- How to Decorate with Burlap Trees
- Pin it to Remember it:
How to Make Fringed Burlap Christmas Trees
One thing that’s unique about burlap is how easy it is to fray.
You’re either gonna love that, or it’s gonna drive you nuts!
I’m solidly in the love it camp.
So I decided to embrace the fray for these cute trees and intentionally frayed strips of burlap to give them a fringed look.
They’re so easy to make!
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What Supplies Do You Need to Make Trees DIY Burlap Trees?
- 1/4 yard Burlap (I used this cream burlap with gold shimmer)
- cream craft felt
- 1-1/4-inch T Pins
- Styrofoam tree form
- Hot glue gun and glue sticks
- Small wood star
- Gold metallic paint
- Small paint brush
- Fabric and Craft Scissors
- Optional: wood spool, slice of a tree branch, large wooden dowel, etc. to form a tree trunk
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When you shop for burlap, you’ll notice that not only does it come in a variety of colors, but it also has different weaves.
The style of burlap you choose can give your trees different looks!
You can even choose a variety of burlap styles and they’ll all work together for a less “matchy” look.
How to Make DIY Burlap Trees for Christmas or Winter Decorating
1. Paint the wood stars with gold metallic paint.
I recommend painting the wood stars first.
They’ll be close to dry and ready to use by the time you’re done making the trees.
Start by painting the edges, then place the star on a piece of parchment paper or wax paper and paint the top.
Set it aside and let the top dry while you complete the next few steps.
If you plan to make several trees, paint enough stars for each tree.
2. Cover the Base of the Tree Form with Felt
This step is optional, but it helps to cover the foam at the base of the tree and also provides a soft surface to protect your furniture.
Trace the base of your foam cone on a piece of felt similar in color to the burlap you’re using, then cut it out.
Apply hot glue to the base of the cone and attach the circle of felt.
3. Cut the burlap into Strips
When you buy burlap by the yard you’ll have two selvage edges that have been stitched by the manufacturer to prevent additional fraying.
I like to make my first strips using those selvage edges and use those at the bottom of the tree.
I generally cut off both edges of the selvage into long, 2-inch strips.
Next, cut 3-inch wide strips. The number of strips you’ll need depends on the height and diameter of the cone you’re covering.
I used 5 of these 3-inch wide strips plus the 2-inch selvage strip to cover a 14-inch tree.
4. Trim the strips to the right length.
Take the selvage strip and wrap it around the base of the tree with a generous 1-inch overlap.
Trim that strip to the correct length including the overlap.
Now, take another strip and wrap it around the tree about 2 inches higher and cut it (again, include about a 1-inch overlap).
Repeat this process until you have enough strips to completely cover the tree.
It’s much easier to create the fringe on shorter pieces of burlap.
Finally, cut one circle of burlap that’s about the same size as the top of the foam cone.
5. Fray the bottom edge of the burlap strips to create a fringe.
It’s fun to fray the edges of the burlap!
Simply pull out the long strings from the edge you’re fraying.
Look out because it can get kinda messy.
You’re gonna end up covered in fuzzy lint.
You want about 1 – 1.5 inches of fringe on one edge of each strip of burlap.
6. How to Assemble a Fringed Burlap Tree
Now that you’ve got everything prepped and ready to go, assembling the tree is super easy!
7. Start with a strip that you cut from the selvage.
Wrap the lightly fringed selvage edge around the bottom of the Christmas tree cone with the bottom edge even with the base.
This strip covers the foam so it’s not visible through the fringe.
Use hot glue to attach this piece to the foam tree form.
Be careful because that glue can squish through the holes in the burlap and it’s called “hot glue” for a reason!
8. Attach the strips of fringed burlap
Take the longest strip of frayed burlap and wrap it around the bottom of the floral foam cone.
It’ll completely overlap the first piece of burlap you attached.
You can either have the fringe end at the base, or you can let it hang over the edges if you plan to add a trunk to your tree.
You can use hot glue to attach the burlap, or I prefer using something else…
T-pins make it easy to adjust the strips if you want to change the spacing.
You definitely need to use a T-pin because the heads of regular pins will slip right through the holes in the burlap!
Take the next strip of burlap and wrap it around the tree a little bit higher.
You want the bottom of the fringe on this piece to reach the spot where the fringe begins on the bottom piece.
Continue wrapping the strips of burlap around the tree until you get to the top.
At the top, you may need to cut a little slit and overlap the edges of the burlap when you pin them to make them lie neatly and close to the cone.
For the very top strip, cut down the burlap so that the unfrayed part is about 1/2 an inch thick (see the image below).
This lets the fringe go almost all the way to the top of your DIY burlap tree.
9. Cover the top of the foam cone
Add some hot glue to the top of the foam cone.
Then take the small circle of burlap and pop it on top.
Flip the tree upside down and trim the circle so that it’s close to the edge of the top row of fringed burlap.
10. Conceal any visible parts of the tree form and the top T pin
If any part of the foam tree is visible, take one last piece of fringed burlap and use hot glue to attach it to the top.
This will cover up any foam that may be peeking through, and also covers up the last T-pin.
11. Attach one of the painted stars
Put a big blob of hot glue on the top of the tree and then place one of the painted stars on top.
Hold the star in place until the glue hardens.
And voila!
You’ve made a fringed burlap Christmas tree!
12. Optional: Give Your Tree a Trunk
If you want your trees to have a trunk, attach the trunk to the base using hot glue.
Get creative with what you use for the trunks!
Old wood spools are fun for smaller trees.
If your tree has a wide base, you may want something more substantial as the trunk.
Try stacking wood slice ornaments.
Or cut down a branch if you have access to one in your yard.
How to Decorate with Burlap Trees
These neutral Christmas trees pair nicely with bottle brush trees.
Or mix them in with other DIY Christmas trees like these chunky yarn trees.
Or this style of burlap trees.
Now go make some more trees to create a DIY Christmas tree forest.
Easy Fringed Burlap Christmas Tree
You're going to love how easy and inexpensive it is to create this pretty DIY Burlap Christmas Tree to decorate your home for the holidays!
Materials
Instructions
- Paint the wood stars with gold metallic paint. Place on wax paper or parchment paper to dry.
- Cover the base of the tree form with felt. Trace the base of your foam cone on a piece of felt similar in color to the burlap you're using, then cut it out. Apply hot glue to the base of the cone and attach the circle of felt.
- Cut the burlap into Strips. Cut a long 2-inch wide strip from the selvage edge. Next, cut the burlap into long 3-inch wide strips. The number of strips you'll need depends on the height and diameter of the cone you're covering. I used 5 of these 3-inch wide strips plus the 2-inch selvage strip to cover a 14-inch tree.
- Trim the strips to the right length. Take the selvage strip and wrap it around the base of the tree with a generous 1-inch overlap. Trim that strip to the correct length including the overlap. Now, take another strip and wrap it around the tree about 2 inches higher and cut it (again, include about a 1-inch overlap). Repeat this process until you have enough strips to completely cover the tree.
- Fray the bottom edge of the burlap strips to create a fringe. Simply pull out the long strings from the edge you're fraying. You want about 1 - 1.5 inches of fringe on one edge of each strip of burlap.
- Assemble the Fringed Burlap Tree.
- Start with a strip that you cut from the selvage. Wrap the lightly fringed selvage edge around the bottom of the Christmas tree cone with the bottom edge even with the base. Use hot glue to attach this piece to the foam tree form.
- Attach the strips of fringed burlap. Take the longest strip of frayed burlap and wrap it around the bottom of the floral foam cone. It'll completely overlap the first piece of burlap you attached. You can either have the fringe end at the base, or you can let it hang over the edges if you plan to add a trunk to your tree. Use one T-pin to attach the strip, or use hot glue. T=pins make it easy to adjust the strips if you want to change the spacing. Continue adding rows of fringed burlap until the tree is covered. At the top, you may need to cut a little slit and overlap the edges of the burlap when you pin them to make them lie neatly and close to the cone. For the very top strip, cut down the burlap so that the unfrayed part is about 1/2 an inch thick (see the image below).
- Cover the top of the foam cone. Add some hot glue to the top of the foam cone. Then take the small circle of burlap and pop it on top. Flip the tree upside down and trim the circle so that it's close to the edge of the top row of fringed burlap.
- Conceal any visible parts of the tree form and the top T pin. If any part of the foam tree is visible, take one last piece of fringed burlap and use hot glue to attach it to the top.
- Attach one of the painted stars. Put a big blob of hot glue on the top of the tree and then place one of the painted stars on top. Hold the star in place until the glue hardens.
- Attach a trunk to the base (optional). If you want to give your tree a trunk, use hot glue to attach it to the base of the tree. Some options for a trunk include stacked wood slices, a branch, old spools, wood blocks, etc.
If you have any questions or suggestions, contact me or leave a comment!
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