Handmade Burlap Tree Skirt

I have been dying to make/buy some more home-y Christmas decorations these past few years. Recently I saw this pin on Pinterest:

I had to replicate this for my family! There is no tutorial (though if you've read about my previously posted crafts you know I typically like to wing-it anyway), nor is there any real site connection that I could find. .....so I tried my best.

I bought some burlap (on sale!), green acrylic paint (40% off coupon!), paint brushes, and red thread from JoAnn's. I bought red ribbon from Michael's (50% off coupon!). I bought fabric glue from WalMart.

It took me wayyyy too many hours to hand blanket stitch two layers of burlap together in a typical tree skirt shape. I then looked at different ruffled ribbons to decide how I wanted mine look. I finally decided upon a ruffle that trickled from the top of the ribbon.

To ruffle the ribbon I set my mom-in-law's sewing machine to the longest straight stitch and sewed a straight line  from one end to the other(without "locking in" either end of the ribbon). Holding onto the bottom thread of the stitch I just put in, I pushed the ribbon inward until the entire length of ribbon looked as I desired. In order to have the proper length of ribbon after ruffling it I cut the original piece 2 x the size I needed. I attached the ruffle to the burlap with fabric glue.

Next, I free handed some letters and numbers on a piece of paper to work as my stencils on the burlap. I placed my cutouts on the burlap and traced around them with a black Sharpie.

I painted the letters/numbers green. I then painted my left hand, Bailey's left paw, Ryan's right hand, and Petey's right paw green and placed them on the skirt. :)

Yummmy hands!! lol

Finished product??

It looks a little misshapen in this picture, but I assure you it is not! :)

I like it. :) Do you?