About this design
The Garland Swoop Christmas Tree starts with a simple tall triangle and draws three curving garlands across it. The garlands are cut right through the tree, so the shape breaks into four bands with gentle swooping gaps between them, like strings of tinsel draped across the branches. A five-point star sits on top and a trunk below.
When you stick or glue it over a contrasting color, the background shows through the garland lines, which is the whole charm of this design. It cuts as separate bands plus the star and trunk.
Project ideas
- Layered cards. Cut the tree from green cardstock and lay it over gold or red paper so the garlands shine through.
- Gift bags. Iron it onto a kraft bag; the bag color becomes the garland.
- Chalkboard signs. Paint it through a stencil so the board shows through as garland lines.
- Window art. Cut it from dark vinyl; light coming through the gaps looks like tinsel.
- Banners. Use several trees along a felt or burlap banner.
Color ideas
The default color version uses a green tree with a gold star and brown trunk. To make the garlands pop:
- Green tree over gold glitter paper
- White tree over red for a candy-cane look
- Navy tree over silver for a wintry card
- Black tree over kraft for a rustic, modern style
Size and cutting tips
The bands are wide, so this design passes our cut checks from about 2 inches tall. Because it is made of several pieces, keep them grouped while resizing, and use transfer tape to apply vinyl so the gaps stay even.
For iron-on, the gaps can be tricky to align by hand; keep the design on its carrier sheet and press it all at once.
Step by step: a layered gift bag
- Download the solid SVG and size it to fit the front of the bag, about 5 inches tall for a medium bag.
- Cut the four tree bands, star and trunk from green iron-on, mirrored.
- Weed the pieces and keep them together on the carrier sheet so the gaps stay even.
- Press the whole design at once onto a kraft or red paper gift bag at a lower temperature than you would use for fabric.
- The bag color now shows through the garland gaps.
- Add tissue paper and a tag cut from the same green vinyl.
Pairs well with
The Striped Band Bauble uses the same banded look, and the Classic Tiered Christmas Tree offers a one-piece alternative.
