Woebegone pines, forlorn little trees who do not concern themselves with perfection. These trees are all about heart and the particular magic that something made by hand possesses. I’ve made you a sewing pattern with three sizes: small – 3 inches, medium – 4 inches, and large – 6 inches (the little guy is my favorite). You can add a little trunk and base or just set them on their bottom.
And Woebegone Pines sounds like a lovely place – doesn’t it? A perfect spot for a mouse to take a stroll and think his wistful thoughts.
pattern notes:
The seam allowance is 1/4 inch. You could use a variety of fabrics – I’ve used cotton, linen. wool and felt – all worked well.
material list:
download the pdf pattern
- fabric for the tree and scraps for patches
- matching and contrasting sewing thread ( I think cotton works best)
- stuffing ( I like wool)
- thin cotton batting (felt works as a substitute)
- cardboard – corrugated and thin- a cereal box is good
- pencil or disappearing fabric marker
- sewing and embroidery needles
- pins
- chopstick for turning and stuffing
- large bamboo skewer or similar pointy thing
- paper and fabric scissors
- wire cutters for snipping twigs
- Elmer’s glue
- glue stick
- twigs for trunks
- bases – I used little wood discs and drilled holes myself.
1. Cut out the cardboard base and one or two squares of corrugated cardboard – smaller than the circle.
2. If you plan to add a trunk to your tree glue one of the corrugated pieces to the center of the circle. ( If you are making the large tree glue two – one on top of the other).
3. Use a glue stick to attach the circle to cotton batting and cut out. Let the glued cardboard dry completely.
4. Pin the tree and tree bottom patterns to a single layer of fabric – cut out one of each.
5. Fold the tree piece in half (right sides together) and mark the seam lines on the tree and circle. Stitch the seam – marked in red. Leave the center of the seam open – about 1/3 of it – enough to fit the cardboard circle through later.
6. Snip the seam allowance at the top and bottom of the opening, fold over and press.