Decorate with Crochet Thread Trees

I came across a video to make these trees on Facebook and thought that they would be awesome to make for our Staff Christmas Party and also use in my own decorating.  They looked easy to do, which they were but not so easy to get off the cone forms.

Crochet Thread Trees

Materials:
Crochet Thread
Styrofoam Cones (I used 2 sizes)
Plastic Wrap
Glue and Water (I used Mod Podge)
Glitter - optional

The process to make these trees was very simple.  I covered the styrofoam cones with plastic wrap.  I did tape the plastic wrap.  Once the plastic wrap was on the cone, I covered the cone with the crochet thread both vertically and horizontal, taping the beginning of the string on the bottom of the cone.  I did also bring the thread down around the bottom of the cone as you can see in the picture above.  Do not cover the cone completely.  I found that it was best to end with horizontal pattern and not vertical pattern.  Tape the end of the string to the bottom of the cone.

In a bowl or as I used a low height plastic throw away dish, add glue and water.  I used a 2:1 ratio of glue to water and stir to combine.  Using a foam brush or paint brush cover the entire thread covered cone with the glue/water mixture, except the bottom.  At this point you can sprinkle glitter over the thread.  Let dry.

Once the glue is dry this started the hardest part of making these trees.  I tried many different ways to get the tree off the cone.  In all cases, I did cut the bottom threads off.  The first few trees I made I used the end of the paint brush and pushed it up between the thread and the cone.  By the end of the trees I made, I realized if I squeezed the cone, the plastic wrap came from the cone and then I could remove the plastic wrap from the thread tree.  Trim the bottom of the tree as needed.

Tree used in a centerpiece

I used the trees in a table center piece and also on my mantle. In both cases I bought some battery lights from the Dollar Tree (both sting lights and tea lights) and placed the lights in the center of the tree.

Uses for the Crochet Thread Trees

Crafter Note:  I did find that the cream coloured thread was stiffer than the red and multicoloured thread I used.


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