DIY: Festive Fir Dress

Deck your mannequin in boughs of fir, tra-la-la-la-la…

There is something magical about wandering down the high street when the department store Christmas windows are twinkling in all their festive glory – their elaborate displays getting more flamboyant by the year as they pull out all the stops to lure us wide-eyed Christmas shoppers through the doors.

A dash of festive sparkle 

If your own Christmas display looks a little uninspiring by comparison, perhaps it’s time to try something a little different to the usual tree and fairy lights arrangement.

Mum, blogger and craft queen Kate, of the highly addictive Kate’s Creative Space blog, did just that, taking inspiration from Christmas store windows to create this simple but stunning festive mannequin display, complete with fir tree gown.

In the true spirit of Christmas, Kate has kindly shared her idea with us. Here’s how to get the look – or why not take this as a starting point to create your own festive foliage design?

What you’ll need:

Bunch of fir boughs (available at garden centres)

A selection of tree decorations

Length of wide black ribbon

Music sheets (charity shops are great sources for old music books)

How to make it:

1. Cut a piece of chicken wire and wrap it around the mannequin’s waist.

2. Thread the boughs of fir through the wires, working your way around the waist.

3. Tie the ribbon around the waist to cover up the wire and branch stumps.

4. Attach your tree decorations to the waist and skirt.

TIP: Here a cluster of baubles have been attached to the waist with a couple of strategically placed robins and fir cones decorating the skirt – but you can go as minimalist or OTT as you like.

5. Roll up the music sheets into long narrow cones and tuck them into the waist to create a bodice.

For the full, illustrated step-by-step blog post, head to Kate’s Creative Space and if you decide to make your very own fir dress, be sure to share the results with us on Twitter or Facebook