#4 No-Sew Dress-ups! A Christmas Tree!

Published December 1, 2017 | By Susan W Bosscawen

When our youngest daughter was in kindergarten, there was going to be a Christmas parade. Everyone was to dress up as their favorite thing about Christmas.

She attended a Christian kindergarten at a local church and you’d think this parade would be heavy on shepherds, Wise Men, Marys, and baby Jesuses.

Nope.

There was a plethora of ugly Christmas sweaters worn by the teachers with red or green skirts, white blouses, and black flats (This was 1993, btw). There was a Christmas train made from cardboard boxes. There was a cowboy. No boots, barefoot, but with bells on. They were all free to make their own choices.

And we wanted to be a tree. A Christmas tree. Specifically, a light-up Christmas tree.

So how did I go about this? Back to Michael’s, Party City, and Target. Check out my posts on Parrots, Rudolph, and Clowns, too.

Christmas Tree Supplies:

2 Green Bath Towels
Elastic banding (found in sewing supply department)
Ornaments & Garland (Choose according to child’s size: small & light weight)
Battery-powered, colored Christmas Lights
Small brass-colored bells

To be a Christmas tree, I did have some serious sewing on this. Not serious for those who sew, but if you can’t sew a seam with a sewing machine, you’ll think this is serious. If you’re without a machine, I’d suggest staples or no-sew seam tape. Helen owns my local dry-cleaners and also does alterations. I’m sure if asked, she’d sew a couple of seams for me for very little cash. Maybe yours would, too.

I bought two green bath towels and sewed them in a tube, short end to short end. Along the edge made from the long side, I folded this over and sewed a 2″ seam. Inside this seam, I ran a length of elastic for a waist band. It became a towel skirt.

I repeated with the second towel the same thing, but the elastic waist became an elastic neckband. I sewed a giant button hole for arm holes on each side. If you’re really into sewing and have a serger, you could use that to finish the edges for the arms.

I had no pattern, was winging it as I went, so there was a lot of trying on to get everything to fit correctly. When done, we decorated it with wooden Christmas ornaments, red bows, and white plastic garland. I also cut tiny slits in it and ran a string of Christmas lights underneath the top so she lit up. I whip stitched the battery box to the inside hem. There were bells, too. She jingled and twinkled as she walked. Exactly what every five year old wants to do.