DIY Yourself a Quick Christmas Lights Jumper with our template and tutorial!
Well the big day is almost upon us and it's starting to feel a wee bit chillier so that means one thing- it's Christmas jumper time!
With time tight at this time of year we whipped up a quick jumper DIY you can recreate with just a few trims and some felt!
You will need:
- A jumper or t-shirt - something not too stretchy is best for sewing onto with a sewing machine
- Felt in 5-6 bright colours - approx. 10cm x 6cm
- Felt in silver-grey or gold-beige for bulb tops
- Ric rack trim - approx. 1.5m
- Bondaweb
- Template - download HERE
- Sewing machine or hand sewing needle and thread
We're going to start by applying Bondaweb to the felt.
Bondaweb is a thin layer of heat activated glue with a paper backing. Place the Bondaweb glue side down (paper side up) on your felt and press with an iron on a medium heat setting (silk/2) to adhere.
Cut out the template with paper scissors then draw around this onto the paper side of the Bondaweb-backed felt. Cut out the Baubles.
To attach the Bondaweb-backed baubles, first peel off the paper backing- if you have trouble getting in just tear the paper slightly and this will give you something to grip!
With your garment on the ironing board, position the decorations and cover with a cloth. Press with the iron on a medium heat setting (silk/2) and some steam.
Once your baubles are in place take some ricrac trim - or other narrow flexible trim - and twist it into place to create the wire.
Pin (small pins will work best) then machine or hand stitch the trim in place. Take care to check you are only stitching through one layer of the top! You might need to remove the box on your machine to use the free-arm. The base of the sewing machine usually has a removable section which reduces the width of the base, allowing you to sew things like cuffs and necklines more easily, this is called the free-arm.
To learn more about where the free arm is on your machine take a look at this post
Add some little metal-cap-effect tabs to the tops of the baubles using Bondaweb-backed felt.
Bondaweb will withstand gentle washing, so you can simply attach all your decorations with this for a quick make. We added some machine stitching to fully secure the felt for longevity and add to the handmade finish.
You might like to add some stars too and we’ve included a template for these. Or how about some lace trim, sequins or you could even sew on some tinsel for extra pazzaz!
Now I'm 100% ready to get festive! Pass those mince pies!
We hope you’ll try our quick Christmas make- if you do, please send us a picture!
Happy Sewing and Happy Christmas!
Sarah x