The long awaited Origami Christmas Tree is finely here! I hope you are able to follow my instructions. The images should be of great value if I have failed.
Using Freezer Paper, I made ten triangle pattern pieces with seven inch sides . This gave me enough triangles for half the project. You need ten triangles in a dark and ten in a light tone. I made four trees, hence it saved me reusing the template so often and of course saved a lot of time. The Freezer Paper templates are now packed away safely for another day.
It is surprising how often Freezer Paper can be ironed onto the fabric, shapes cut out and then paper peeled away for another time.
Using a scant 1/4” seam, sew a light and dark fabric triangle with right sides together by machine. Leave enough room on one side to turn your triangle in the right way. Carefully push out corners. You do not need to sew the opening shut. Press well.
HINT: Depending on how thick the fabric is, you may need to snip the excess fabric away at the corners before turning the right way.
Using a piece of paper the same size as your triangle template, fold it so that you can find the centre of the sewn triangle, plus each edge centre.
You may find it easier to remove the seam allowance on this paper to mark your centres on your made up triangles.
HINT: Transfer these centre marks onto the dark side of your triangle using chalk or other removable marker of your choice. It is easier to see chalk on the dark side of the sewn up triangles.
Take each point of the triangle and tack it to the centre mark as you see in the image below. Take the tacking stitch right through to the light side of the triangle so that the fabric sits nice. The stitches will also be a guide for the next step. Try to keep the stitches small and tidy.
Turn your work over for the step that you see in the image below. This is where you will tack with 3 or 4 stitches, the guide marks you made along the straight edge to the centre on the light side (previous tacking stitches will be your guide for the centre). I didn’t take the stitches right through to the dark side.
Continue with each side as above trying to keep the folds as neat as possible. Here you will tack each centre of an edge together so that the fold is held snug and tight to the middle.
The image below shows the completed triangle all folded ready to be hand stitched to its neighbour.
Lay three pieces together as you see below so that you will get the idea of which parts have to be sewn together. You will add to these as you progress.
The hand sewing (I used the same whip stitch that I sew my hexagons together) will be done on the back so you will need to face two pieces together and sew the folded edge that you see touching in the image below.
The finished Origami Christmas Tree at the very bottom of this tutorial will also help you to understand this step.
You can put any shape pot that you want at the base of the tree. I did put a little bit of padding in mine, as I felt it gave it a bit more oomph. Don’t pad the trunk or you will not be unable to turn the fabric if you are going to hide the opening behind the tree.
Wrong side of finished Origami Christmas Tree
Decorate your tree in any manner that you wish.
I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial, even though a snail is much faster than I am getting it put together!
May your day be full of creative time,
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