10 Best DIY Ugly Holiday Sweater Ideas

How to make an ugly holiday sweater

Winter is here, so it’s time to whip out an ugly sweater for all your upcoming Zoom and in-person holiday parties! Need some inspiration? Here are ten DIY ugly holiday sweaters (that are actually pretty cute):

1. Wine to-go

To create this super easy and funny ugly holiday sweater, hot-glue a stocking onto a green or red sweater, and you’ve got a built-in pocket for your favorite beverage.

2. Christmas tree

This design is just for you if you need an ugly holiday sweater in a pinch. Take a plain green sweater and hot glue some tinsel all over it. Then, stick some small plastic sparkly ornaments all over the tinsel. Your look is complete in under ten minutes.

3. Silly reindeer

You’ll need iron-on transfer paper, fabric, paper, a pencil, a button, and a sweatshirt for this ugly sweater look. Choose a reindeer design you like, then trace it on thick paper. Fuse a piece of fabric to the iron-on transfer paper by placing the transfer paper shiny side against the fabric’s wrong side. Trace your design on the back of your fabric and make sure it’s backward. Cut out your design. Peel off the paper and iron it to your sweatshirt. Sew on a button where the nose should be, and your look is complete!

4. Ornaments

This tacky ornament sweater is sure to be the life of any holiday Zoom party you attend! To create this sweater, you’ll need a pullover sweatshirt, fabric glue, sequined ornament patches, gold tinsel yarn, and scissors. You’ll want to plan out your design with yarn and ornament patches, then glue down the yarn and patches. Be sure to trim off the excess yarn and glue the ends down. Let dry overnight, and your sweater is ready to wear!

5. Holiday lights

All you need is a white sweater, a black permanent marker, and glitter iron-on transfer sheets to create this sweater look. Draw the cord using the marker, and then design a light bulb template, cut it out, and trace it on the glitter sheets. Place the glitter bulbs on the cord and iron them on. Fill in the space between the bulbs and the string with the black sharpie marker.

6. Christmas tie

This is the creme de la creme of ugly sweaters. You’ll need a plain red sweater, five holiday ties, colorful buttons, fabric adhesive, fabric tape, and scissors. To start, lay the ties vertically on top of the sweater and cut them to form a Christmas tree shape. Then place the adhesive tape on each tie’s back and apply the ties to the sweater. Create a bow using one of the tie straps, and tape it to the sweater at the top of the tree. Using the adhesive glue, randomly glue the buttons all over the tie tree to finish the look.

7. Stocking

This is probably the most straightforward ugly holiday sweater you’ll ever make. All you need is a Christmas stocking, hot glue, and a plain sweater. Hot glue the stocking onto the front of the sweater, and your ugly sweater is complete.

8. Snowman face

To create this sweater, you’ll need some black and orange felt sheets, a plain white sweater, a pair of scissors, and some fabric glue. Cut out two circles three inches in circumference using the black felt sheet. This will be the snowman’s eyes. Then cut out six small circles one inch in circumference, which will form the snowman’s mouth. Finally, cut out an eight-inch cone shape using the orange felt sheet. This will serve as the snowman’s nose. Arrange the eyes, nose, and mouth on the sweater’s front and glue each piece on.

9. Gaudy bow

Crunched for time? Find a bright green plain sweater to create this easy, quick ugly holiday sweater. Then buy a large, sparkly red bow. Sew the bow onto the middle front of your sweater, and you’re done!

10. Christmas cat

If you have a Cricut Maker, then this design is for you. You’ll need a sweater or long-sleeved shirt, iron-on vinyl, and a Santa hat. Use your Circuit to cut out “Meow-y Christmas” and a cat face. Consider using black for the text and gold glitter for the cat face (you can use one of the Circuit design space images). Iron on the designs on the front of your shirt. To make the hat smaller, cut about six inches down from the top pom pom, and cut a section of the white band from the bottom of the hat. Use a glue gun to wrap the white band around the bottom of the new, shorter hat. Attach the hat to the shirt using safety pins from the inside of the shirt. You’re all set!

Be the center of attention this holiday season

The holiday season is all about ugly sweaters! Spread the cheer! Be the center of attention at every virtual and in-person holiday gathering you go to this year by creating an ugly sweater that stands out from the crowd.

References

“31 Brilliantly Ugly Christmas Sweaters to Buy or DIY,” Good Housekeeping, November 22, 2019.
“22 Ugly Christmas Sweaters You Need to Buy ASAP,” Woman’s Day, October 17, 2018.