Easy To Make Unique Denim DIY Christmas Tree

Add texture, character, and eco-charm to your holiday decorating with a Denim DIY Christmas Tree! In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to upcycle old jeans -using seams, belt loops, hems, and scraps to wrap a cardboard cone in layers of denim. These trees make charming mantelpieces or year-round décor with rustic appeal.

I know indigo is not a traditional Christmas colour, but who cares? I wanted to make some DIY Christmas trees out of denim scraps. I've made Christmas patchwork denim stars, so why not trees?

You can always decorate the denim Christmas tree to give it a more festive feel. Or leave the trees "aux naturalle" and have the trees as a year-round decoration.

These DIY Christmas trees are made in a very similar way to the felt Christmas tree I made last year. Like with those trees, these denim ones are made from all upcycled materials you will likely have to hand in. Or they should be easy to get hold of.

To decorate the trees, you can use some pom-pom trim. Or, keeping with the reuse, repurpose theme, make a tiny felt chain garland out of wool sweater scraps.

This is a simple no-sew denim upcycle that uses old jeans seams.

We're a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Upcycle Your Jeans Into A Fun DIY Christmas Tree

What you need to make a denim DIY Christmas tree

• Seams, hems and stitched denim trim from old jeans.
• Hot glue gun - Strong, clear glue and pins.
• Cardboard - I used the cardboard base from a frozen pizza. Any scrap cardboard packaging will do as long as it is not too thick; you must bend the cardboard.

• Twigs to use as trunks
• Wood slices for the base

For the denim Christmas tree decorations

• Mini pom pom trim about 3-4mm red & white
• Felt stars
• Cocktail sticks
• Sweater felt scraps in various colours and a needle and thread

How to make a DIY christmas tree

Step 1: First, make a cardboard cone for the body of the DIY Christmas tree.

I used a cardboard base from a frozen pizza; I cut the base into a quarter. This quarter circle was then rolled into a cone shape and held in place with tape.
 
Top Tip: If you don't eat frozen pizza, you can just draw around a plate with a sharpie on some other suitable cardboard packaging. Make the cone whatever size you want.

Step 2: Starting from the top, cut a strip of denim to fit precisely around the tip of the cone. For these small strips, I used belt loops cut from old jeans. Glue this strip in place and hold it with a pin whilst the glue dries.

Step 3: Next, glue strips of denim to the cardboard cone. Work your way down the cone until all the cardboard is covered.

Once the cone's circumference became too large for belt loops, I used the hems of old jeans, followed by the long inside seams. If you are making a more oversized DIY Christmas tree, you can also use the waistbands from old jeans.

Using different parts of the jeans and different pairs only adds character to the trees.

Step 4: To make the trunk and base for the DIY Christmas tree, glue a twig to the middle of a wood slice. I used a hot glue gun for this, as the glue dries quickly.

Step 5: To finish the DIY Christmas trees, pop the denim cones on top of the twigs. Use a dollop of glue on the top of the twigs to keep the cones in place.

Step 6: Make the denim trees more festive by adding a felt star to the top and decorations. The felt star is held in place with a cocktail stick.
 
The colourful mini garland was made by sewing small strips of sweater felt scraps into a chain.

 Or you can wrap some mini pom pom trim around your jean's Christmas trees.

Other Denim Christmas Ideas

I love both the decorated and plain DIY Christmas trees. The indigo shades and interesting textures on the trees look great. They would look lovely on a mantle or as a table decoration. I like having a mini forest of these trees in different sizes.

You could make the denim trees on a Christmas tablescape as place card holders. If the whole tree is in denim, it is a bit much for you; you can make the bases in denim, like with these tartan trees.

You can also make denim ornaments to hang on your Christmas trees. Check out these fabric star ornaments with denim tassels. If you have some jean belt loops and seams left over, try one of these denim medallion ornaments.
 

 If you aren't afraid of using denim in your upcycled Christmas decorations, you should check out the denim Christmas decorations here.
Or, if you like more festive colours for your Christmas decorations but still want to make repurposed decorations, check out my sweater upcycled Christmas ornaments.

I love a tabletop Christmas Tree and have also made some cute Scandi felt Christmas trees that stand on a wood slice. You'll find other cool Christmas crafts for adults here.

 Or check out my denim feather wall decor.