DIY Ugly Christmas Sweater Ideas For Couples!

This project started like so many DIY projects- with a spontaneous trip to the craft store. I went go pick up some sequin lace “really quick” late one night and came home with basic sweaters, loads of rick-rack, extra tree tinsel….. and no sequin lace fabric.

If we’re being honest, my gorgeous, nearly finished sequin dress is still on the dress form downstairs.

When I walked in the door from my shopping spree, not only did Jon not tease me for my purchase, he was also immediately on board with my DIY Ugly Sweater idea.

I love him so much.

This DIY ugly Christmas sweater ideas are so simple to complete. Since they are meant to be ugly, you really can’t mess it up. If the sparkles fall off- that’s okay! If your tinsel statement sleeves snags on a stairwell- no biggie. This is a project where you can really get creative and just have fun. The more ridiculous it looks in the end, the better!

Supplies:

• Basic Fleece Sweatshirt
• Christmas Tinsel Garland
• Fabric Glue
• Rick Rack Trimming
• Letter Stencils
• Loose Sequins

3 DIY Ugly Christmas Sweater Ideas

First, we got our tackiest Christmas decorations together as well as my rick-rack, fabric glue, and stencils and spread them out on a table. From there, we played around with designs and decided how we could create coordinating looks that were still our own. Jon decided his ugly Christmas sweater needed rick-rack abs complete with nipples while I used almost allll the garland to make some statement sleeves.

How To Make Statement Sleeves With Christmas Garland

To create the tackiest of statement sleeves, all you need is a glue gun and some Christmas garland. Since hot glue dries hard, just add small, dime-sized dots of glue and press the garland onto it to secure. I put a glue dot every 4 inches around the sleeve and wrapped my garland like a spiral all the way up to the shoulder seam. They honestly are my favorite aspect of my sweater!

How To Add Sequin Letters To A Sweater

We decided to add “Mr” and “Mrs” labels across the chests of our DIY Christmas sweaters in sequins to tie our looks together. Since loose sequins can be glued on thicker than Ribbon Sequin, we decided to go with that and make a mess. For this project, we used stencils to make perfectly-shaped letters.

First, slide a piece of cardboard or card stock paper inside your sweater to avoid anything leaking through. Then, place your stencil where you want your letter to be. Spread the fabric glue over the stencil, making sure to cover the corners and details. Then, remove the stencil and pour loose sequins over the wet glue. I recommend waiting a few minutes before lifting your sweater to brush off the excess sequins so your glue doesn’t spread.

Adding Rick-Rack & Other Details

Rick-Rack is one of the few craft supplies that I have never stocked up on but this project would have felt incomplete without it.

To apply rick-rack to your sweater, just cut out the length of trimming you would like and create your design. Before gluing, slide a piece of cardboard or card stock inside your sweater and use fabric glue to secure. Once the fabric glue is dried, it creates a strong bond that lasts through several Christmas parties.

The best part? If you want to wear this sweater after Christmas, just toss it in the washing machine and the glue will dissolve- leaving you with a plain sweater again.

Well I hope you really loved this little project and it helped inspire some dorky, crafty projects with your friends or significant other. I love it when Jon wants to do projects with me and I can’t wait to wear these ridiculous DIY Christmas sweaters more this month!

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