How to Make an Ugly Christmas Sweater

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: December 20, 2022

Ugly Christmas sweater parties are a really popular holiday-time event. Luckily, it isn’t hard or expensive to make an eye-catching sweater that just might win you the title of “ugliest sweater around.” Visit your local thrift, craft, and dollar stores to gather supplies. You’ll need a sweater, ornaments, bows, garland, and a hot glue gun. Create a gaudy sweater covered from top to bottom in garland, or use Christmas-themed ties to amp up your sweater’s yuck-factor. Get creative and have fun; there’s no right or wrong way to decorate your sweater!

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Decorating a Sweater with Ornaments and Bows

1
Choose a sweater with a thick weave to make it easier to hang the ornaments. Especially if you want to re-wear the sweater without ornaments attached, a thick weave will really help you hang and remove ornaments without ripping the sweater or putting too many holes into it. Stick with a fun Christmas color, like green or red, or go more neutral with a brown or tan sweater.^{[1]
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- A baggier sweater will work better for this DIY since it won’t press as tightly against your body. Visit a thrift store to find a great option.
Tip: If you can’t find a sweater that you like, you could always create an ugly Christmas vest instead.
2
Gather an assortment of ornaments and a variety of bows. Use ornaments that you wouldn’t mind if they accidentally got broken or banged up. Thrift stores often have sets of old ornaments, or you can find inexpensive packs at the dollar store. For the bows, use gift wrap stick-on ones, fabric bows, or use wire-edged ribbon to make bows yourself.^{[2]
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- Anywhere from 15-30 ornaments should be good for your sweater. Keep in mind that they definitely don’t need to match, and they don’t need to be super attractive, either.
- For a flashier sweater, opt for glitter-covered ornaments. They’ll add sparkle to your outfit, and they’ll catch lots of light, making you the star of the party.
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3
Lay out the sweater on a flat surface to space out the ornaments. Play around with the spacing before you actually attach anything. Maybe you want to line the collar, sleeves, or bottom of the shirt. Maybe you want to cover the entire surface of the sweater with as many ornaments as you can fit.^{[3]
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- For this kind of ugly sweater, it’s best to decorate only the front side. If you do the back, it’s more likely you’ll accidentally break some ornaments if you sit down or lean against something.
4
Secure the ornaments and bows into place with hooks or wire. Once everything is in the place where you want, thread hooks or wire through the ornament’s hole, thread that through the sweater, and tie it off or twist it so that the ornament won’t come loose.^{[4]
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- If you’re using stick-on bows, you don’t need to worry about using hooks on them.
Tip: If you’re worried about getting pinched or poked by hooks and wire, use a glue gun to attach your ornaments and bows to the sweater. You won’t be able to reuse the sweater again afterward, but it’ll look nice for your party!
5
Put your sweater on carefully so that you don’t knock off any ornaments. Try putting your arms through first and then bringing the body of the sweater down as slowly and carefully as you can. If you need to, ask a friend to help!^{[5]
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- At the end of the night, you could just take off the sweater. If you want to try and save some of the ornaments, you could undo them first.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Using Garland to Make a Gaudy Sweater

1
Thrift an inexpensive sweater or cardigan. For this particular DIY, it doesn’t matter what color the sweater is since the whole thing will be covered in garland. But, if you’re worried about the color of the sweater showing through, pick a red, green, or black one.^{[6]
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- If you choose a cardigan, make sure you have a red, green, white, or black T-shirt to wear underneath.
2
Gather together several yards of garland. Green, red, gold, silver—pick just one or do a mix-and-match of several different colors! You’ll need enough to wrap around the entire body of the sweater, including the arms.^{[7]
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- You can find garland at craft stores or at the dollar store.
3
Use a glue gun to cover the entire body of the sweater with garland. Lay the sweater out on a flat surface. Starting at the bottom of the sweater, coat a strip of the fabric with hot glue. Lay the garland overtop of the glued section and press down on it. Continue flipping the sweater over and attaching the garland in sections until the entire sweater is done.^{[8]
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- Hot glue dries really fast! Each section should be done within 1-2 minutes of it being applied, but for the best results, wait at least 30 minutes before you wear your sweater.
- Don’t forget to wrap each arm separately with garland.
4
Add ornaments and bows to make your sweater even flashier. Once the garland is in place and has dried, use your glue gun to secure some ornaments to the sweater. Bulbs or balls work really well and will stand out nicely against the shine of the garland. You could even use candy canes, pompoms, or small decorative items.^{[9]
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- Feel free to get as creative as you want with the additions to your sweater. There’s no right or wrong way to do it!

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Turning Yourself into a Christmas Tree

1
Get a green sweater to be the background for your tree. Use a sweater you already have if you don’t mind retiring it from regular use. Or, go to a thrift store to find a used green sweater.^{[10]
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- Any shade of green works for this project. Bright green would be really eye-catching; dark green would resemble the actual color of a tree more realistically.
2
Use a hot glue gun to attach strands of garland around the sweater. Use silver, gold, or red garland for the most holiday-themed effect. Wrap the garland around the sweater starting at the bottom in an upwards spiral, mimicking what you would do on an actual Christmas tree. Once you know where you want the garland to be, apply hot glue to the sweater and press the garland down into place. Although the glue dries quickly, wait about 30 minutes so it has time to fully dry and set before you move on to the next steps.^{[11]
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- Don’t forget to put garland on the sleeves of the sweater, too.
- Depending on how much garland you have, you could do just the front of the sweater. Or, if you have enough, do both the front and the back.
3
Add a few ornaments along each strand of garland. Use your hot glue gun to attach a few flashy ornaments along the length of the garland. Do this just on the front of the sweater; if you put ornaments on the back, they’d be more likely to break if you sat down or leaned against something.^{[12]
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Tip: Light up your sweater by using LED lights with battery packs. Get plain white bulbs or multi-colored ones to stand out even more.
4
Make or find a star to use to create the topper to your Christmas tree. A gold or silver star would traditionally look the best, but don’t be afraid to get something flashier—like one covered in glitter or one that is multi-colored. You can often find these at the dollar store, craft store, or even at the thrift store.^{[13]
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- You’ll carry the star in one of your hands at the party, so make sure it isn’t too heavy to have with you all night.
5
Clasp your hands over your head with the star to become the tree. At the party, show off your costume by extending your arms straight up over your head and putting your hands together. Hold the star in your hands so it becomes the top of the Christmas tree.^{[14]
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- To make your outfit look even more like a traditional Christmas tree, cut a tree skirt in half and attach it to the bottom of your sweater with the hot glue gun. Position the skirt so that the ruffles are facing down.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Exploring Other Fun Ugly Sweater Ideas

1
Make a “punny” wreath to wear around your neck. Buy an inexpensive holiday wreath from the dollar store or craft store. Use a hot glue gun to attach pictures of celebrities around the wreath to create a funny play on words.^{[15]
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- For example, “Wreath Witherspoon” would be made of pictures of Reese Witherspoon.
- Use pictures of Aretha Franklin to make “A-wreath-a Franklin.”
2
Create a scene from a classic Christmas movie out of felt and hot glue. Get a plain-colored sweater, like green, red, or black. Pick a favorite Christmas or holiday movie, and use colored pieces of felt to cut out images from a famous scene from the movie. Use a hot glue gun to arrange the scene on your sweater.^{[16]
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- For example, A Christmas Story, Elf, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Home Alone, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and many other films have great scenes you could replicate on your sweater.
- For How the Grinch Stole Christmas, you could cut out the Grinch’s face wearing a Santa hat. For A Christmas Story, you could make a large metal pole or a turkey.
- Use a black marker to add fine details to the felt.
Tip: Christmas patches or appliqués are also a great option. They can be sewn or ironed on to create a similar effect.
3
Use Christmas ties to make a glaringly ugly sweater. Use a red or green sweater and pick out 5-6 Christmas ties (search your local thrift store for some great finds). Lay the sweater down on a flat surface, and arrange the ties so that they spread out across the body of the sweater from the neckline. Use a hot glue gun to attach the ties to your sweater.^{[17]
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- The gaudier the ties, the better your ugly Christmas sweater will be.
4
Make a gag sweater out of a mirror, Santa hat, and beard. Get a black, green, or red sweater to stick with the holiday theme. Use a small Santa hat or cut one out of felt. Attach the hat to your sweater with a hot glue gun. Underneath the sweater, attach a lightweight mirror. Underneath the mirror, use cotton balls to create a beard.^{[18]
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- Because it’s an “ugly Christmas sweater,” when someone looks at you, they’ll see a reflection of themselves.
5
DIY a couples' sweater out of the front and back ends of a reindeer. Get the same-colored sweater for both you and your partner. Use shades of brown felt to cut out the front and back halves of a reindeer. One of your sweaters will be the front half, and the other will be the back. Attach the felt using a hot glue gun.^{[19]
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- When you stand together, the reindeer should appear whole.
- For even more decorative fun, attach different colored Christmas bows to each of your sweaters so that it looks like the reindeer is expelling them from either end.
6
Attach a large stocking to your sweater and fill it with candy. Thrift a red or green sweater and get a large stocking from the dollar store. Use a hot glue gun to attach the stocking to the center of your sweater or sew it in place. Fill the stocking with chocolates, candy canes, or small toys.^{[20]
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- You could even use 3-4 smaller stockings and fill each one with different treats.

Community Q&A

Question

What kind of sweater is safe for hot gluing?

Community Answer

Synthetic would be your best bet because the fibers are made of plastic and hot glue is plastic so it would most likely stick without destroying it.