Poshta Presents - Decorating a Tiny Tree!

Hello Poshta Friends! Welcome to another edition of Poshta Presents! Our July guest, Megan Swindell, is joining us again today with another round of fun and festive holiday decor to end Christmas in July!  She has lots to share, so let's get to it! Take it away, Megan!

For my final week of projects, I’m going all in on Christmas in July! I decorated my mini tree with a new tree skirt and angel tree topper, featuring the Pencil Pine and Scalloped Spruce dies along with the Festive Flannel Color Story.

First, let’s look at the tree skirt. I used light blue wool-blend felt from my stash and cut two 17” circles for the base. I wanted to work exclusively with one color story because Lizzie curates the colors so beautifully, and I wanted them to shine. I cut three Pencil Pines and two Scalloped Spruces, using the layered pieces to showcase every felt color. The tree details are stunning—lining up the dies took patience, but it was absolutely worth it. I stitched the details with three strands of 3865 and added clear beads from the Festive Flannel Color Story for a little sparkle.

I made pom-pom trim with 1cm Wintergreen and Cardinal Wool Felt Balls, plus blue, pink, and dark green poms from my stash. Using pearl cotton string, I threaded the poms about 2” apart. Then I lifted the center of each two-pom section and stitched it to a 37” piece of white twill tape. I used quilting clips to sandwich the trim between the two layers of light blue felt, then topstitched around the skirt and added gingham ribbon to tie it closed. I used tacky glue to attach the five trees and a few extra poms. I’m so happy with how it turned out that now I want to make more tree skirts—maybe even a larger one for my main tree. Good thing it’s only Christmas in July!

Next, my sister had the brilliant idea to turn the tree shapes into an angel—she saw the scallops and immediately pictured wings. I was determined to make it work! I used a large Scalloped Spruce in Pine Forest for the base, layered on a medium Wintergreen Classic Evergreen with details, added a small Sapphire Scalloped Spruce, and used the circle from the Scissor Keeper die in Peach Puff for her head. For the wings, I cut two medium Scalloped Spruces in Midas Touch.

To keep the layers from getting too bulky, I trimmed several pieces as I assembled them. With all that felt, I didn’t need any batting. I decorated her dress with beads and sequins, free-stitched her sweet face, added rosy cheeks with distressed ink, and finished her with a halo made from 20-gauge wire wrapped in gold crochet thread.

Using the new Homespun Holiday: Evergreen Kit, I stitched a few ornaments in the Festive Flannel Color Story and added red and pink baubles. I loved decorating this little tree for July, but with 100-degree weather outside, I know I’ll enjoy it even more when it goes back up in November and I’m actually wearing flannel!

For my final bonus project, meet my Party Pizzazz Penguins. August is birthday month in our house, and as you now know, no celebration is complete without penguins! I stitched their hats using the stem from the Tulip Bouquet die on the diagonal. I used combos of Coral Reef/Geranium, Tangerine/Monarch, Limelight/Peridot, and Calypso/Deep Teal, Granite for their bodies, Tundra for their faces, and metallic gold felt for their beaks and hat toppers. To finish the sign, I used Rich Plum and the Banner Builder Alphabet to stitch “celebrate.”

A huge thanks to Lizzie, Sean, and Audrey for inviting me to contribute to Poshta Presents for July and to all of you for your comments and support. It was a true joy to share these projects with you!

Goodness, I couldn't love these projects more!  Such a delightful little tree, with a beautiful color scheme! And another adorable penguin project! Thank you so much for sharing your time and talent with us this month, Megan.  It has been a pleasure! Join us again next week as we kick off a brand new month with a brand new Poshta Presents guest! Have a great week everyone! :)