Christmas (Sweater) Time is Here!

Filling the tree with gifts & spirited ornaments....homey spices....glorious sales....joyful hymns....perennial stop-motion TV classics....ugly Christmas sweaters....What more can you ask for in the month of December?

This year I have an ugly Christmas sweater day at work. I thought I'd share a mini tutorial on how I made mine! It didn't turn out very 'ugly' but it was still fun to make! It's about the same price as the ones you can find online, but it's a lot more fun and memorable to make your own. What's even better... no sewing is required & mine only cost about $25! Much cheaper than a lot of the ugly sweaters you find in the stores and online.

Here are the supplies you need:

1. Long sleeve cotton shirt (I live in Texas so it may be hot even as a long sleeve!)
2. 1/2 yard of funky fabric
3. Heat-N-Bond - I had some left over from another project, but you only need enough for the size of your design
4. 1 Pom pom
5. Puff paint (or fabric paint)
6. Cute ribbon 1/4" wide
7. Fabric marker (I tried using a fabric pencil, but since its a knit fabric it didn't work so well. I used a different method in this tutorial but I think the fabric marker would work even better.)
8. Ironing board & iron

How to Make Your Own Christmas Sweater:

1. Print of your design to the size you want it. You'll be cutting it out so keep that in mind when selecting your design! You can print the pattern for the design used in this tutorial at the bottom of this post!
   
2. Cut loosely around the design to give you a good idea on the sizing for the Heat-N-Bond. I had words that I wanted to put on the bottom in paint, but you can also do the same with the lettering. (Alternatively, you can do what I did. Cut the letters down to the outer portion and hold and trace around in the place you want it on the shirt.)
3. Place your design (facing up), fabric (wrong side up), & Heat-N-Bond on top of each other. Cut the fabric & Heat-N-Bond slightly larger than the design.
   
4. Iron the Heat-N-Bond to the wrong side of your fabric. The best method I've found is to press and hold. Don't move the iron around too quickly. NOTE: One side of the Heat-N-Bond peals off. Be sure your ironing the sticky (textured) side to the fabric. Otherwise, you're going to have a nice permanent piece stuck to your iron.
   
   
5. Let the fabric cool. Now that your design is firm, cut out your paper design and trace the design on the paper backing. Cut out your fabric design. (Do not to use your fabric scissors. The stickiness from the Heat-N-Bond will ruin them.)
   
6. Grab your shirt & place it onto your ironing board. I like to iron it out before pressing my applique to get rid of the Houston humidity to make sure the shirt is ready for adhering well.
7. Peel off the paper from the Heat-N-Bond. The back should be nice and shiny. Place your design (shiny side down) where you'd like it on the shirt. Press and hold until it is well adhered to the fabric, especially along the edges.

   

8. Now if you wish to save your sweater from fraying over time, outline your fabric with fabric glue. I also filled in my letters with fabric glue. In the tutorial, I didn't feel like trekking to the store to buy pens so I just outlined the letters I printed out and filled in the letters, but if you had washable pens, you would outline the letters with a pen instead.
   BEST PRACTICES:
   - Take one direction at a time
   - Keep in mind which hand you are painting with and work the opposite end.
   - Paint into the shape to seal it.
10. Now the fun begins! Add your accessories and enjoy!
    

I had a great time miking this sweater! It wasn't very difficult or nearly as time consuming as some might think. Download the design in this post here.