My favorite projects are the ones that become part of our home forever. This felt Christmas tree wall hanging is exactly that—a simple, sentimental piece that invites play and becomes a family tradition. This year is our first Christmas at home, just the three of us, and while we miss family gatherings, we’re excited to make new traditions. I designed this tree so our son Arlo—and his future siblings—can decorate and rearrange the ornaments year after year. Each season you can add ornaments inspired by travels, hobbies, or little moments you want to remember.
I teamed up with Sony Music for this post, which was a dream. They asked if I wanted to use a Christmas playlist they made while creating a family DIY, and of course I said yes. The playlist is full of holiday classics—perfect for decorating, hosting a craft night, or just getting in the spirit.
I enjoy sewing, so my version uses stitching for durability, but I include no-sew alternatives throughout if you prefer to skip the machine.
Supplies
1 yard background fabric (linen, cotton, or felt)
1 yard green felt for the tree
1 sheet 9×12 felt for the trunk
Various felt colors for lights and ornaments
Stuffing for ornaments
Sewing machine (optional)
Thread to match fabrics and felt
Pen or tailor’s chalk
Black embroidery floss (or yarn for no-sew)
Hand needle
Scissors
Hot glue gun (mini works well)
Iron and ironing surface
Pins
Velcro (hook side for attaching ornaments)
36″ wooden dowel
Rope or sturdy string for hanging
A holiday playlist for atmosphere
Step-by-Step Tutorial
1. Cut the tree triangle from green felt. My tree measured about 27″ wide by 33″ tall at the base. Cut a trunk about 4″ wide by 5″ tall from brown felt.
2. Lay the tree and trunk on the background fabric to position them. Allow an extra inch on the sides and bottom for hemming, and about two inches at the top for the dowel pocket. My finished background was 31″ wide by 46″ tall. Set the background aside after measuring.
3. Cut roughly 12–14 light shapes from colored felt for the string lights.
4. Arrange your embroidery thread or yarn and the lights on the tree to find a pleasing layout. For embroidery: trace a thin line with a pen or chalk where the string will go, thread a needle with doubled floss and use a backstitch to sew the line. For no-sew: lay yarn in place and secure it with small dots of hot glue.
5. Stitch or cut and glue small black sockets for the bulbs. For no-sew, cut socket shapes from black felt and glue them on.
6. Glue each felt bulb onto the tree with hot glue.
7. If your background fabric is wrinkled, press it now with an iron.
8. Pin the trunk in place, then sew around its edge about 1/8″ from the edge. For a no-sew version, glue the trunk down.
9. Pin the tree on and sew around the edge, or glue if avoiding sewing.
10. Hem the sides and bottom of the background fabric unless it’s felt. Fold about 1/2″ twice, press, pin, and sew the hem. For the top hem, fold about 1″ twice (or wider depending on your dowel), press and sew to form the pocket.
11. Slide the dowel through the top pocket and tie rope to each end for hanging.
12. Make the star and ornaments by cutting two matching shapes from felt for each piece.
13. For the star: cut two star shapes from yellow felt (use a paper template if helpful).
14. Sew or glue the two star pieces together, leaving a small opening for stuffing.
15. Add stuffing, then stitch or glue the opening closed.
16. Make ornaments the same way. Sew or glue any small decorative details (windows on a car, toppings on a pizza) after assembling the basic shape.
17. Attach a small piece of the hook side of Velcro to the back of each ornament. The rough side adheres well to felt, letting kids move decorations around the tree.
More Felt Christmas Projects
- Needle felted doll topper tutorials and other felt tree toppers
- Felt stripe Christmas stockings
- Felt truck advent calendar ideas
Photos by Jeff Mindell
If you make one, please share a photo—I’d love to see it. We plan to keep ours in the living room for now, but once we have a playroom it will be a permanent fixture there. Watching Arlo walk over to play with the tree on his own is one of those small, joyful moments that make the season special.
Don’t forget to play a festive playlist while you craft to make the experience even more fun.
This post was created in partnership with Sony Music. All content and opinions are my own—thank you for supporting sponsors that help keep creative projects like this going.