How to Make an Ugly Christmas Sweater-Inspired Outfit

Go way beyond just an ugly Christmas sweater this year and craft a truly one-of-a-kind outfit that'll be the hit of any holiday party.

Photo by: Shain Rievley

Shain Rievley

Show: Easy Does It
Ugly Sweater Costume
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Materials Needed

  • green turtleneck
  • 48” Christmas tree skirt
  • star Christmas tree topper
  • heavy-duty snips
  • craft and jewelry tools
  • headband with loops
  • pair of green-and-white striped socks
  • various sizes of safety pins
  • variety of mini ornaments, silver tinsel garland and bead strand
  • pair of tacky ornament earrings
  • hot glue gun and glue sticks
  • pair of bootie shoes
  • pair of black socks
  • box of mini foil-wrapped presents

Craft a Tree Topper Headband

Using snips, cut off the bottom of tree topper. Note: Making it shorter helps it to stay balanced on your head. Cut a 12" piece of craft wire. Loop it through the bottom of topper and back through the headband's top. Do this several times until topper feels secure. Use needle-nose pliers to twist and turn wire so no sharp points are facing out. Tip: You could also hot glue a piece of felt to the headband's underside for extra comfort.

Make Present Shoes

Cover your everyday booties with a pair of old black socks. Roll top of sock into shoe. Use a small bead of hot glue to attach each foil-covered present to cover the entire sock-covered shoe. Vary sizes and colors for dimension. You could also do this with jingle bells, gift tags or Christmas bows. Tip: Slide a piece of aluminum foil paper between the sock and shoe to ensure glue doesn’t go all the way through.

Wrap Tree Skirt Around Waist

Wrap tree skirt around waist and close in the back. If there is still excess fabric, just fold over and secure with a safety pin.

Photo by: Shain Rievley

Shain Rievley

Embellish Turtleneck

Wrap tinsel around neck and chest and tie off in the back. Wrap garland around neck and arms. Use safety pins to add ornaments to become a walking Christmas tree.

Ready to Party

Now, you're ready to party and, best of all, everything you added is removable so your clothing items can be returned to normal post-party.

Photo by: Shain Rievley

Shain Rievley

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