Use This Pattern to Make Appliques, Christmas Ornaments, or Other Craft Projects
Christmas trees are central to the celebration of Christmas, and they’re important icons that help to make the Christmas season special. It’s no wonder they’re so popular; evergreen trees look fresh and lovely all year around, long after other tree species have shed their leaves in the autumn months.
In the month of December, evergreen trees are especially eye-catching — particularly when their caretakers transform them into Christmas trees, covering them with colorful lights and decorations.
Christmas trees provide plentiful inspiration for artists and crafters to work with. For example, doesn’t this easy crochet Christmas tree shape inspire you with bunches of ideas for different craft projects you could make?
If you’re looking for a versatile Christmas applique, or the basis for making bunches of simple Christmas tree ornaments, this pattern is a fantastic choice.
Abbreviations List:
- CC = Contrasting Color
- ch = chain
- dec = decrease
- MC = Main Color
- rep = repeat
- sc = single crochet
- sc2tog = decrease by working 2 single crochet stitches together
- sc3tog = decrease by working 3 single crochet stitches together
- sl st = slip stitch
Materials You Will Need:
Crochet Thread, Fiber, Yarn, Wire or Plarn:
I recommend Cascade 220 worsted weight wool yarn for this project in the following colors:
MC – Green
CC – Brown
However, that’s not your only possibility for materials. If you make this in crochet thread, fiber or yarn, the finished tree will look more or less like the project sample.
You could also crochet it using cut up grocery bags, also known as “plarn,” or maybe even colored wire. If you use wire, this could make an interesting metal tree ornament, or perhaps a door hanger.
Crochet Hook: Check your yarn wrapper or thread ball band for a hook size recommendation that’s appropriate for the yarn or thread you are using. My sample Christmas tree was worked with a size I / 5.50 millimeter hook.
Buttons or Other Miniature Christmas Ornaments: You can stitch buttons, sequins, rhinestones, beads or other small items onto the surface of your crocheted Christmas tree shape.
Needle: You’ll need a yarn needle, darning needle or tapestry needle to complete the stitching necessary for this project.
Crochet Skill Level: Easy
Sewing Skill Level: Easy
Gauge: You can work this project at just about any gauge; there’s no need to match my gauge.
Project Size: The finished Christmas tree shape is 5″ high x 4″ across when crocheted using medium weight yarn. Your results may vary.
Design Notes: ch 1 and turn in between rows.
Row 13 is a decrease row; in this row, you will single crochet all 3 stitches together.
Project Instructions:
ch 14 using MC (green).
Follow the international symbol crochet chart for rows 1 – 13, or use the written instructions below if you prefer.
Free International Symbol Crochet Chart
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If you prefer working from written instructions, here they are:
How to Crochet the Christmas Tree Applique:
Using color A, the main color, ch 14.
Row 1: sc in 1st ch from hook and ea ch across for a total of 13 sc.
ch 1, turn.
Row 2: sc2tog. 1 sc in ea of the next 9 sts. sc2tog.
ch 1, turn.
Row 3: 1 sc in ea st across the row. You’ll have a total of 11 sc sts in the row.
ch 1, turn.
Row 4: sc2tog. 1 sc in ea of the next 7 sts. sc2tog.
ch 1, turn.
Row 5: 1 sc in ea st across the row. You’ll have a total of 9sc sts in the row.
ch 1, turn.
Row 6: sc2tog. 1 sc in ea of the next 5 sts. sc2tog.
ch 1, turn.
Row 7: 1 sc in ea st across the row. You’ll have a
total of 7sc sts in the row.
ch 1, turn.
Row 8: Rep row 7.
Row 9: sc2tog. 1 sc in ea of the next 3 sts. sc2tog.
ch 1, turn.
Row 10: 1 sc in ea st across the row. You’ll have a
total of 5 sc sts in the row.
ch 1, turn.
Row 11: sc2tog. 1 sc in next st. sc2tog.
ch 1, turn.
Row 12: 1 sc in ea st across the row for a total of 3 sc sts in the row.
ch 1, turn.
Row 13: sc3tog.
Round 14: Ch 1. Work a round of sl st all the way around the outer edge of the tree shape, putting 1 extra ch st in corners if desired, including the one at the top of the triangle. The extra chs make the corners a bit pointier, and a bit more pronounced, so that they stand out more. If you don’t add the extra ch sts, the corners will appear more rounded than they look on my project sample.
Fasten off. Weave in any loose ends. Flip the work upside down.
Row 15: Make a slip knot using CC (brown.) Find the spot where you want your tree trunk to be located. You’ll want to work the tree trunk across the lower edge of the triangle (crocheting into the starting chain, which you worked at the start of the project.) You want to make sure of centering the trunk in the middle of the tree. Depending on how many slip stitches you crocheted, you might want your tree trunk to be three stitches wide, or four stitches wide. The trunk on my sample project is four stitches wide.
Row 16: When you’ve figured out where to work your tree trunk, crochet 3-4 single crochet stitches into that spot. ch 1, turn.
Row 17: Work 1 sc stitch in each stitch across the row. ch 1, turn.
Row 18: Work 1 sc in each stitch across the row.
Fasten off. Sew in your loose ends. You can block the Christmas tree shape if you like before “decorating” it. After it’s dry, add any embellishments you like to the surface of the tree.
If you make 2 of these tree shapes, you can join them together and stuff them with fiberfill to create a Christmas tree ornament. (Click HERE to find instructions for making a Christmas tree ornament using this pattern.) Or you can just use the shape as an applique by stitching it to the craft project or purchased item of your choice.
Designed By: Amy Solovay
If you found this page helpful, I invite you to return to this site often for more craft tutorials, project ideas and inspiration! You can make sure you keep this site on your radar by signing up for my newsletter and community at Substack. .
About the Author:
Amy Solovay is a real person; she is NOT a robot and does not use artificial intelligence (AI) to design her crochet patterns or write articles for this website. She is a real, live, human content creator and educator who holds a bachelor’s degree with a studio art minor; she has also earned a separate degree in textile design.
Amy learned to crochet as a small child, and she still enjoys crocheting all these years later. Beyond that, she enjoys introducing other crafters to the best new craft supplies, and she also loves helping crafters learn new techniques for making the most of the craft supplies they buy.
As an educator, Amy Solovay used to teach in-person college courses in trend forecasting, marketing and surface design at California Design College in Los Angeles.
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More Crochet Triangle Patterns
If this Christmas tree design isn’t exactly what you want, or if you want to make multiple Christmas trees, you could try making a Christmas tree out of just about any other crochet triangle motif.
My current favorite triangle patterns come from the Crochet Kaleidoscope — Crochet Kaleidoscope pattern book. It’s a book of crochet motif patterns. I used one of the triangle crochet patterns in this book to make the beautiful hanging crochet Christmas tree ornament you see pictured here. Crochet Kaleidoscope also offers you bunches of other triangle patterns plus square patterns, circle patterns, hexagon patterns and more.
If you found this page helpful, I invite you to return to this site often for more craft tutorials, project ideas and inspiration! You can make sure you keep this site on your radar by signing up for my newsletter and community at Substack. .
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This page was last updated on 10-8-2024.