Make these beautiful ribbon Christmas trees to add to your holiday decorations this year. Choose whatever size tree and ribbon combination you like to fit your decor style.
Back in October, I picked up a bunch of different craft cones to play around with. For years now I’ve wanted to make different kinds of Christmas trees for my holiday decorations. There are so many things you can cover these cones with I feel like I could never run out of ideas on how to decorate them.
My first project actually ended up being a Halloween/Autumn craft. A few months ago I made a set of Candy Corn Cones wrapped in yarn. It was really fun and easy so I’ll probably be making some more Christmas themed ones later this month.
But for my first Christmas cone tree I wanted to start with using ribbons to decorate it. I still have quite a stash that I’m looking to use up so I saw it as a good opportunity.
While looking through my spools I came across some really pretty glitter ones. I had bought them several years back thinking I would use them to make a tree topper.
But that never ended up happening and at this point I don’t know when I’d even have time to make a tree topper. So the ribbons have gone to much better use in this project.
The final result is gorgeous. It’s too bad I ran out of my glitter ribbon because I wouldn’t mind making a few more of these little trees. Maybe next year, I guess.
What You Will Need to Make Ribbon Christmas Trees
If you’ve never heard of sequin pins, they’re just pins that are much smaller. As the name would suggest, they’re usually meant to pin sequins down.
Since my cone is fairly small (about 4.5 inches tall) it’s best to use really tiny pins. However, if your cone is much bigger you may want to use longer pins.
Using Different Types of Cones for Your Ribbon Christmas Trees
Personally I think it’s easiest to use a Styrofoam cone as the base for the ribbon tree. But it’s possible to use any base you prefer.
You can also buy cones made of paper mache. It’s easier to find these at most craft stores near the Christmas season. But if you’re reading this post at some other time of year I’ve seen them at Hobby Lobby all year round.
If paper mache isn’t your thing, you could also use party hats. Or you could even make your own out of thick paper to get the exact size you like.
With any of these other cones, though, the sequin pins likely won’t work very well to attach your ribbon onto the tree. So you would most likely want to use something like hot glue instead.
What Ribbon to Use for Ribbon Christmas Trees
The nice thing about these trees is they are pretty flexible in what ribbon you can use.
You can use ribbons made of just about any material. So it doesn’t matter if it’s cotton, satin, velvet, etc. And of course, like in my example project, glittery ribbons work just fine too.
So far on the trees I made I’ve only used ribbon that was not wired. I feel like the plain ribbon lays better, but I’m sure wired ribbon would still work if that’s what you’d like to use.
As far as the width of your ribbon, that’s going to depend on the size of your cone. The cones I used are fairly small, at only about 4.5 inches tall and around 2 inches wide at the base. So because of that I used thinner ribbon.
For my cones I tried out ribbon as thin as 1/4 inch and as thick as 5/8 inch. Any wider and it gets more difficult to place the pieces evenly. But if you have a larger cone you could of course use ribbon that’s wider as well. In the end, it’s up to you.
How to Make a Ribbon Christmas Tree
Step 1: Wrap Bottom of Cone
When I first started playing around making these trees I ran into a small problem. After adding my bottom row of ribbons I noticed that the Styrofoam was visible in between the pieces.
Thankfully, there’s an easy fix. You just need to add some more ribbon to the bottom of the cone to cover the gaps.
Start by wrapping a layer of ribbon around the bottom of the cone. As long as the ribbon is thin you don’t have to worry about it overlapping.
The ribbon can now be pinned in place. I like to put pins in a few spots around the cone to make sure the ribbon doesn’t go anywhere.
Step 2: Cut Small Ribbon Pieces
Now it’s time to move on to the rest of the ribbon. For my tree I’m using two different colors of glittery ribbon to make things look a little more interesting. The ribbon I used is also 3/8 inches wide.
Next, cut some pieces of ribbon to your desired length. I found that it worked best with pieces that were about 2 inches long.
I don’t know exactly how many pieces I needed to fill my whole tree because I cut my ribbons in batches. Cutting a handful of pieces at a time also helps prevent you from wasting any ribbon.
But unless you go crazy cutting pieces I wouldn’t worry too much about cutting too many. My tree ended up using way more ribbon than I originally thought it would. Each of my spools had 3 yards of ribbon on them and I ended up using almost all of both spools.
Step 3: Add Ribbon Pieces to Tree
Now starts the slightly tedious but still fun part. Decide what ribbon you want at the bottom of your tree. For me, that was the blue glitter ribbon.
Take a piece of ribbon and fold it in half. Then place it so that the bottom of the loop lines up with the bottom of the cone. Pin the top of the ribbon to secure it.
Fold the next piece of ribbon and pin it right next to the first piece. Continue pinning the ribbon all the way around the base of the cone.
As you can see, that first layer of ribbon at the bottom of the cone prevents the Styrofoam from showing between the ribbon pieces.
Then start on the second layer. For mine I’m using a silver ribbon this time.
With the first piece of the second layer, position it about halfway on top of the first layer. Then continue pinning ribbon around the cone like the first layer.
Keep adding more layers. For mine I alternated my colors, but you can do any sort of pattern you choose.
Continue adding layers until you reach the top of the cone. By this point there will only be a little piece of the cone left sticking out of the ribbons.
Step 4: Finish Tree
This is where I ran into a bit of a problem. By the time I covered my tree up to the top I had almost run out of ribbon. I had just a handful of glitter ribbon pieces left, but there wasn’t much I could do with them.
I first tried making a white loopy bow and tied it together with some thin wire. Then I stuck the wire into the top of the cone to secure it.
It looked okay but I really wanted the top to match the rest of the tree a bit more. So I went back to my remaining scraps of glitter ribbon.
I cut each of the pieces in half so they were about an inch long. Then I folded them all in half and stacked them together in alternating colors before pushing a pin through all of them.
I did my best to fan out all the little pieces to create a makeshift bow. Then I stuck the pin into the top of the cone to secure it.
It’s far from what I had in mind, but at least it’s all the same ribbon. If I had more ribbon left over I would have made the bow a lot more floofy. But oh well.
Other Ways to Finish Ribbon Christmas Trees
There are a number of other ways you can add a finishing touch to your tree. Some can be added using the sequin pins. But other tree toppers might need some hot glue to hold it down.
In addition to DIY bows like I made for my two trees, you could also use a pre-made bow. This makes it a bit quicker to finish off your tree, although it’s less customizable.
If a bow isn’t your style, you could also make a star topper. This can be made of wood, paper, etc.
Really, you can add anything to your tree to finish it off. I just did a tutorial on how to make cracked glass marbles that would look pretty cool on one of these trees as well.
In the end, you can use whatever you like. Just be creative and the end result will be awesome.
My Final Thoughts on Ribbon Christmas Trees
This craft does take a bit of time finish. After all, there are a bunch of small little ribbon pieces that need to be attached to the cone. But I think the end result is more than worth it.
I really love how my blue and silver tree sparkles in the light. It’s a shame that I ran out of glitter ribbon because I’m sure it would have looked better with a bigger bow.
I did make another ribbon Christmas tree so my white bow wouldn’t go to waste. The second time around I used velvet ribbon.
Like with a lot of projects I do, there are so many ways to make it your own. The size of the tree, type of ribbon, and tree topper can all be adjusted to make the perfect ribbon tree for your home.
I hope that you enjoyed this tutorial and found it helpful. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below. I’d love to hear from you! Thank you for stopping by and happy crafting!
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