When it comes to the Advent Calendar Spindle Tree, you have several options for the star at the top. I have found ones that would work at the thrift store made from a variety of materials or you can opt for the simple, Benzie Design Tutorial by Sariditty to make your star. But if you are REALLY looking for a show stopper, consider making a variation of the MmmCrafts Lodestar.
I've been meaning to make this pattern for a while now (is there ever enough time??!!), and as I was finishing up the Advent Calendar Design, I thought "How cool would the MmmCrafts Lodestar look at the top of this tree?" - and that's when I decided to give it a try. And it did not disappoint!
There are some small modifications you do need to make to use this pattern. First, instead of printing at 100% for the full-size Lodestar, you want to print at 74%, this will give you a star that will look proportionally correct atop your spindle tree.
The other adaptation I made, was I only did embroidery on the front of the star, the back pieces I just used the basic felt without ornamentation because nobody would see it on my Spindle Tree.
Now, if your intention was NOT to mount the Spindle Tree on the wall, and instead were opting for making a base for it, or securing it in a pot somehow where the tree was visible from all sides, then by all means you'll want to create the front and back of the star with embroidery.
The final adjustment I made had to do with the part of the pattern where Larissa is working on the part of the star that will hold the rod. Her rod is smaller, and I found to make sure I left a big enough opening for my rod to sit securely in the Lodestar, I constructed the star while the rod was inserted to make sure I didn't stitch too close and that I left enough room for it.
You can check this video out here where I show what adjustments I made to the Lodestar.
And now? I'm thinking how AMAZING a version of the Lodestar would look in my Nativity Scene! I did not know Larissa Holland had released this other pattern which is an ornament variation on Lodestar, and there's a Star of Bethlehem Version! I'll come back to this in a future blog :)