MAKE IT: BEDAZZLE YOUR BORING CARDIGAN

Guys - It's Thursday... And that calls for a spiffy new cardigan. "But how?!" you may ask. 

Well i'll tell you. Straight out. You can make it your gosh darn self.

I had two black cardigans lying around my bedroom for a while. One which I wear quite often, and the other... Gosh. I just don't know if it is even mine. I am 70% sure it belongs to my sister or a traveler who has passed through our house at one point or another. Either way. I have transformed it forever.  Your welcome, original owner!

Here is all you need to start this project:

  > Scissors

  > Cardboard or a manilla folder

  > Pocket fabric

  > Pocket accent fabric

  > Sewing pins

  > A sewing machine and coordinating thread, or ye ol' fashion needle and coordinating thread

  > 1 old cardigan or sweater that is ready for a new and exciting life

To start, I made a pattern with an old manilla folder. I wanted these pockets to be pretty small, and more for looks than for holding large wads of cash which I obviously have but don't want to flaunt. So my original pattern is about 8in x 7in (offering an end result of about 6in x 5in for the actual pocket after sewing). I like the look of rounded pocket corners, so I also rounded the corners of my pattern.

Next, I cut out two pocket squares with my pattern. 

Then, I pinned and hemmed the sides of the pocket square, before it was attached to my sweater.

Then, I used the rest of the manilla folder to cut out a heart shape. This is the pattern that I used to create the accent piece on top of the pocket. I used a heart shape, but you can do whatever the heck your own HEART desires. See what I did there?

Then, I affixed the accent shape onto the pocket using a zig zag stitch, to ensure that the edges were clean and secure. No one wants a floppy heart. No one.

Next, I pinned the finished pockets into place on the sweater, and tried it on. Don't secure the pockets to the sweater until you try it on!!!! If I had skipped this step, then these pocket would have basically been boobie tassels... sitting right on my boobs. Yup. I said it. Yup. I had no idea where my boobies and my midsection fall while dressed in a cardigan.

Then tada! You have this gorgeous, brought to new life, awesome cardigan... which before today... Probably belonged to someone else but ended up in your dresser so instead of giving it to Goodwill you have re-birthed it into a new creation, and that person who originally owned it but was like "oh well... I left it over there... I don't really want it... I'll just leave it there..." will really REALLY want their awesome cardigan back, now that it has awesome pockets with hearts on it... or really any other shape you so desire.

Cheers,

Maddie