I think most of us had "the white flocked stuff" or "white felt with glitter" tree skirts back then to simulate snow. Patchwork tree skirts with rich colors and fancy embroidery became popular when I was in college (around 1970), and I remember making a 12 Days of Christmas one with felt cutouts and jewels and sequins and braided trims. It took weeks to make, but lasted for many, many years before becoming too ratty to use. My current tree skirt is simply a claret-colored crumpled upholstery velvet with a nice wide gold fancy braid trim. I didn't glue the trim, but loosely stitched it so that I can salvage it later. They are easy to make: get wide fabric in a length equal to its width. Turn it upside down. Find the center point. Measure out on the radius to mark the circle and cut. Make a slit to the middle. Turn it back over and hem, trim, bejewel to your heart's content. Note: I saw a tree skirt with a bit of fancy braidwork in a catalog for $300. That is ridiculous for something you can make without a pattern! Carolly