DIY Ugly Sweater: Sweater Tree

’Tis the season to be festive…and sometimes that involves an ugly sweater or two! This year, try making your own DIY version that’s filled with ten tiny ugly sweaters arranged in the shape of a Christmas tree!

Image is a collage of photos showing the ugly sweater project, intended for Pinterest.

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How to Make a DIY Ugly Sweater

This sweater is sure to be the talk of your ugly sweater party, and it’s really fun to create. Check out the video below, then scroll down for full step-by-step instructions and photos to walk you through the process.

Materials

solid color sweater or top
double-sided fusible interfacing
fabric in a variety of patterns (I used a charm pack, which is made of precut 5” squares)
scissors
sweater template or traceable
pencil
iron
sewing machine and/or needle and thread
embellishments: your choice of ribbon, pom-poms, ric-rac, fabric paint, glitter fabric paint, iron-on patches, buttons, etc.

Image contains a white sweater, a pack of 5” fabric squares, a small pink template shaped like a sweater, a blue-handled pair of scissors, a jar of multicolored pom-poms, and fusible interfacing on a white tabletop.

Instructions

Choose 10 different squares/scraps of fabric.

If you’re not using a charm pack (precut 5” squares), cut your fabric into 5” squares. The more variety you choose for colors and patterns of fabric, the “uglier” your sweater will be!

Apply fusible interfacing to the back of each square.

Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to iron it onto the wrong side of the fabric. Leave the backing on for now.

Image contains a 5” square of fabric, wrong side up on a grey ironing mat. A piece of fusible interfacing lays on top. Behind it is a pink and white Oliso iron.

Trace your sweater shape onto the back of each fabric square.

I used the Sn-Ugly Christmas Sweater template, which was an exclusive gift in Jenny’s Countdown to Christmas Box this year from MSQC. If you don’t have the template, you can easily find a clip art image of a sweater online, print it out, and use the outline as a pattern instead.

Image contains a piece of fabric with fusible interfacing attached to the back. A pink template shaped like a sweater sits on top of it, and Amy’s hand holds a pencil that is tracing the sweater shape onto the fabric.

Cut out the 10 sweater shapes.

Image contains Amy’s hand holding a pink piece of fabric with pink, white, and blue cats and candy canes, cut into the shape of a sweater. In the background, you can see a white sweater, a jar of pom-poms, a pencil, and a red striped fabric square on a white background.

Cut a star shape and a rectangle from yellow and brown fabrics.

I freehanded these shapes, but you can print and trace a pattern or use a template if you prefer. You’ll want to apply fusible interfacing to the backs of these fabrics before cutting, like you did for the sweater shapes.

Image contains Amy’s hand holding a yellow piece of fabric cut into the shape of a small star, and brown fabric cut into a small rectangle.

Peel off the fusible interfacing backing paper.

Image contains Amy’s hand peeling the backing away from fusible interfacing on a piece of fabric cut in the shape of a sweater.

Arrange the pieces to form a Christmas tree.

I started by making a pyramid out of my sweaters, then added the star and the trunk.

Image contains 10 pieces of sweater-shaped fabric arranged in a pyramid with the star shape at the top and the rectangle at the bottom to form a Christmas tree. They are laying on top of a white sweater.

Iron the sweaters in place.

Place a piece of cardboard or a paper bag inside the sweater to keep the front and back separate. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for the fusible interfacing. Apply heat to fuse the sweaters (along with the star and trunk) in place.

Sew around the edges of the shapes.

I machine stitched a 1/8” seam around each shape, but you can also hand sew if you prefer. You can use coordinating/matching thread if you like; I just used white on all of them since that was easier and it wasn’t supposed to be pretty! Although it may seem obvious, make sure you’re only sewing through the front layer of the sweater, and not the front and back.

Image contains a close-up view of some of the fabric sweaters, which have been sewn in place onto the front of a white sweater.

Add embellishments to the sweaters.

Feel free to have fun and add all kinds of details. I used glitter fabric paint, buttons, pom-poms, iron-on patches, and ribbon to make each sweater one of a kind.

Image contains a white sweater with smaller sweaters cut from a variety of fabrics sewn to the front. Amy’s hand holds an orange paintbrush and applies a layer of fabric glitter to a green sweater.

Although the easiest method is to attach embellishments with hot glue, if you really want to be able to wash and re-wear the sweater (which I do!), you’ll want to hand sew them on instead. You’ll also want to avoid any embellishments that aren’t washable.

Image contains a closeup of several of the fabric sweaters sewn onto the large sweater. One has been decorated with an iron-on penguin patch, one has five buttons sewn onto it, two are decorated with strings of pom-poms, one has a bow, and one has accents made with fabric paint.

Sew pom-pom trim around the neck and sleeves.

I wanted an extra pop of color, so I added this as a finishing touch.

Image contains a closeup view of a white sweater sleeve with a string of red pom poms sewn around the wrist area.

That’s all there is to it! Now you have an ugly sweater ugly sweater! I love how customizable this is, because using different fabrics and embellishments makes each sweater completely unique.

Image contains a white sweater decorated with 10 pieces of fabric cut into sweater shapes and arranged like a Christmas tree. Each sweater is decorated with ribbon, buttons, pom-poms, or fabric paint.

Crafting Tips

Don’t feel like you need to go out and buy a lot of special embellishments and supplies. Raid your craft stash first, and you’ll probably find everything you need!
If you have a Cricut machine, that’s another great way to get a sweater shape pattern for tracing. Plus, you can cut embellishments from infusible ink and/or iron-on vinyl!
This is a great way to use leftover fabric scraps from other projects. Don’t worry if they aren’t all holiday themed prints; anything will do.

Image contains Amy modeling the ugly Christmas sweater finished project.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where did you get your fabric?

The fabric I used for my sweaters is a charm pack called Sn-Ugly Sweater. It was an exclusive release from Missouri Star Quilt Company in this year’s Countdown to Christmas box.

Do I have to use a white sweater?

Of course not! I chose white so the various fabric prints and colors would stand out, but you can use whatever color makes your heart happy.

What if I don’t have a plain sweater for the base?

I got mine for just $6 at Walmart. Or, you can try your local thrift store to find a great deal. In a pinch, you can also use a sweatshirt, t-shirt, or other long sleeve top.