The most wonderful time of the year is approaching. It calls for holiday parties, fun Christmas cards, great food and—best of all—ugly Christmas sweaters!
DIY ugly Christmas sweaters are not only fun to make, they are also really easy, especially if you own a glue gun. Make it as ugly (or as cute) as you want, but be as festive as possible.
If you have a sweater party coming up or just want to have fun creating sweaters with your family, we’ve got five ideas that are sure to fit any personality. From the classic wreath or snowman to more modern twists like tassels and sequins, you’re sure to make the ugly Christmas sweater trend fun and stylish.
Pair your Christmas sweaters with a pair of jeans for a casual look, but if you want to go big, try using colorful patterned pants.
Pretty in Red
Bows and wreaths are a staple of Christmas decor, so why not extend them to your Christmas apparel? Keep reading to learn how to make this ugly bow Christmas sweater.
What You’ll Need:
- Bows
- White sweater
- Small wreath
- Glue gun
Instructions:
- Grab your wreath and add a couple of small red bows to it with a glue gun.
- Glue a large red bow on top of the wreath.
- Take your glue gun and add glue all around the back of the wreath, then place in the center of the sweater.
- For the bows along the arms, simply take your larger red bows and glue them along the seams of the arm.
Ice Blue Winter
Pretty blue hues and snow create the perfect winter wonderland. Snowflakes in a variety of shapes add texture to this soft, cozy sweater. See what you’ll need below.
What You’ll Need:
- Felt snowflakes
- Blue sweater
- Blue and white pom-poms
- Glue gun
Instructions:
- Carefully place your snowflakes on the sweater before gluing to ensure they are where you want them.
- Take a glue gun and add a small dot of glue to the back of the snowflakes, then press the snowflake onto the sweater.
- Repeat until all of the snowflakes are placed.
- Glue the pom-poms in between the snowflakes. Make sure to use a variety of sizes.
Merry Tassels
Tassels have come a long way from just decorating your grandmother’s curtains. They are festive, fancy and give fun movement to clothing pieces. Check out our tassel sweater below.
What You’ll Need:
- Colorful medium silk tassels (pack of 100)
- Gold medium silk tassels (pack of 100)
- Green sweater
- Glue gun
Instructions:
- Cut off the loops from all of the tassels.
- Separate the colored tassels from the gold tassels.
- Place colored tassels along the chest of the sweater. Make sure to leave enough space in between each tassel because you will be placing gold a tassel in between.
- Glue your gold tassels in between each colored one.
- Continue the pattern onto the arm of the sweater, following the seam.
Sleigh All Day Sweater
For those who love pop culture and a modern twist, a statement sweater is the way to go. Check out our matching antler phone case for the complete look. Find out how to make this sweater below.
What You’ll Need:
- Iron-on white letters
- Black sweater
- Precision knife
- Iron
- White fabric paint
- Reindeer stencil – the medium was used for the sweater above
- Paint brush
Instructions:
- Download the stencil and print.
- Decide which stencil size you want to use and cut around it. Make sure you leave enough white space around the edges of the dotted area.
- With an precision knife, carefully cut along the inside of the stencil. You’ll want to cut out the dotted area so that you have a hollow reindeer left.
- Position where you want the reindeer on the sweater and tape along the edges of the stencil to keep it in place.
- Fill in the inside of the stencil with white fabric paint.
- Iron each letter, one by one, until completed.
Fancy Snowman Sweater
Who doesn’t love a cute snowman in the winter? Whether you are 4 or 40-years-old, building a snowman is a wonderful childhood memory. Create one of your own on a simple red sweater. See details below.
What You’ll Need:
- White, black and orange felt
- Red sweater
- Colored sequins
- Scissors
- Branches
- Glue gun
Instructions:
- Cut out three white felt circles. A good idea is to place three different cup sizes face down for circle reference.
- Take your black felt and cut out a hat shape.
- Glue gold sequins onto the hat and add it to the top of the first circle, slightly slanted.
- With the same black felt material, cut out small eyes and a mouth.
- Next, take your orange felt and cut out a thin rectangle for the nose.
- Place all three circles onto the sweater and have them overlap just a bit.
- Add a dot of glue to the two branches and tuck them underneath the white felt on both sides to create arms.
- Now, it’s time to decorate. Take your sequins and add three to the middle circle. Once complete, place sequins all over the front of the sweater in any pattern you desire.
25 More Ugly Christmas Sweater Ideas
Shimmery Cat by Crafting in the Rain
Knitted Deer by Crafty Queens
Meowy Christmas by Laura’s Crafty Life
Oh Deer by Less Than Perfect Life
Glitzy Reindeer by One Krieger Chick
Maternity Christmas Sweater by Running With Scissors
Deer Head by The Country Chic Cottage
Purrfect Christmas by The Crafty Blog Stalker
The Alternative Ugly Christmas Sweater by The Modern Austen
Oh Christmas Tree by Andrea’s Notebook
Fancy Tree by C.R.A.F.T
Gingerbread Tree by Diana Rambles
As A Dress by Dude That’s Dope
Dog Bandana by Lily The Wandering Gypsy
Felt Tree by One Artsy Mama
Furry Tree by Sew Doggy Style
Garland Tree by The Southern Couture
Christmas Lights by The Cards We Drew
Big Bow by Fashion Meows
Give Them The Boot by Heather O Made
All The Tidings by At Home With Love
Cactus Fun by C.R.A.F.T
String of Lights by Hey There Home
A Little Of Everything by I Love To Create
Candy Cane Fun by Irresistible Pets
Christmas Specs by Life After Laundry
Bells by My Thrifty Chic
Sweater Party by Pretty Providence
Garland Fun by Sequins and Things
Baby’s First Ugly Christmas Sweater by Sew Woodsy
Elves On A Sweater by Spit Up Is The New Black
Christmas Lights by Studio DIY
Merry and Bright by The Celebration Shoppe
DIY Light Up by The Samantha Show
Baby Sweater Tutorial by To & Fro
May Christmas Be With You by Clever Pink Pirate
Star Trek Style by Punk Projects
Tiny Elf by Refunk My Junk
Home Alone by Sadie and Stella
Advent Calendar by Shrimp Salad Circus
Stranger Things Christmas by Instructables
When it comes to your ugly Christmas sweater, consider the Christmas party theme for the occasion and try incorporating some of those elements in your design. Your sweater doesn’t have to be perfect but as long as it’s entertaining, you can’t go wrong. Now that you know how easy these are to make, which one will you attempt to make first?
