DIY Glitter Heart Elbow Patch Sweater

on January 25, 2017

This post may contain affiliate links or sponsored content. That means that the price for you stays the same but I make a few pennies to keep the lights on and feed the cat.

Newsflash you guys: Chelsea loves sparkles. Not like a whole lot, but enough to tell people that I sweat glitter.
Another Newsflash: Captain obvious called and you’re taking his job.

Okay okay, so for the last month or so I’ve been purging. I’ve gotten rid of clothes, craft supplies, craft projects, boxes, bins, more craft supplies, and even some sheets. Yes friends I am feeling the purge. Okay, but really. I found this grey sweater/duster thing and while it’s perfect for the weather and oh so cozy it is not perfect for my current style, which includes bright colors and glitter. Do you have a piece that just isn’t YOU anymore that you’re not ready to get rid of? To rectify this I got out my trusty DIY skills and some glitter and breathed new life into what would be an otherwise boring sweater. It’s super easy to do and I’ll show you how to create or upcycle your own DIY Glitter Heart Elbow Patch Sweater.

Breathe new life into an old sweater with a quick DIY Glitter Heart Elbow Patch! Simply cut out and iron in the desired location and you've got a whole new look! - Heart Patch Sweater | Elbow Patch | DIY Upcycle | Cardigan | Valentines - Do It Your Freaking Self

DIY Glitter Heart Elbow Patch Sweater
Time: 5-15 minutes
Cost: $8 – I already had the sweater
Cuteness level: +5


Breathe new life into an old sweater with a quick DIY Glitter Heart Elbow Patch! Simply cut out and iron in the desired location and you've got a whole new look! - Heart Patch Sweater | Elbow Patch | DIY Upcycle | Cardigan | Valentines - Do It Your Freaking Self

What you’ll need
Sweater I had mine on hand but you can get one like it from Amazon
Iron on glitter paper
Iron – this is the one I have
Piece of scrap fabric
Marker
Scissors
Heart cookie cutter or stencil (optional)
Chalk

Begin by putting the sweater on yourself and marking where your elbows are with chalk. Take it off and set aside.

Breathe new life into an old sweater with a quick DIY Glitter Heart Elbow Patch! Simply cut out and iron in the desired location and you've got a whole new look! - Heart Patch Sweater | Elbow Patch | DIY Upcycle | Cardigan | Valentines - Do It Your Freaking Self

I free hand drew a heart on a piece of paper to make sure I had the right size for the patches I wanted then cut it out to use as a stencil. If you’re not thrilled with the idea of having to draw hearts (mine used to turn out super wonky so I get it) you can use a heart cookie cutter or stencil or even a print out as your guide.

Breathe new life into an old sweater with a quick DIY Glitter Heart Elbow Patch! Simply cut out and iron in the desired location and you've got a whole new look! - Heart Patch Sweater | Elbow Patch | DIY Upcycle | Cardigan | Valentines - Do It Your Freaking Self

Once you’ve got the heart shape and size you’d like, trace it onto the Iron on glitter transfer sheets with a marker. Make sure you give a bit of space between the stencil and the line so that you have room to cut away from the marker line. Basically you don’t want the marker to be anywhere on the patch you’re going on iron on.

Breathe new life into an old sweater with a quick DIY Glitter Heart Elbow Patch! Simply cut out and iron in the desired location and you've got a whole new look! - Heart Patch Sweater | Elbow Patch | DIY Upcycle | Cardigan | Valentines - Do It Your Freaking Self

Once you’ve got 2 patches that you like its time to iron those suckers on. I was a little worried about the texture of my sweater and the transfer, but it turned out great and it hasn’t peeled on me yet.  Dust the chalk bit off from the elbow, lay the transfer rough side up. Cover the transfer with a scrap of cloth to create a barrier. I ended up using some cheese cloth left over from my DIY Tea Bags.

Breathe new life into an old sweater with a quick DIY Glitter Heart Elbow Patch! Simply cut out and iron in the desired location and you've got a whole new look! - Heart Patch Sweater | Elbow Patch | DIY Upcycle | Cardigan | Valentines - Do It Your Freaking Self

Set the iron to the high and slowly move it around the fabric covered patch for 40 seconds. I had a travel iron so I’m not sure how much higher a real iron would go so please keep in mind that all irons are different . Since my patch was bigger than the iron I did it in sections to make sure everything was good and secured.

Breathe new life into an old sweater with a quick DIY Glitter Heart Elbow Patch! Simply cut out and iron in the desired location and you've got a whole new look! - Heart Patch Sweater | Elbow Patch | DIY Upcycle | Cardigan | Valentines - Do It Your Freaking Self

Slowly peel the fabric off of the glitter patch and repeat for the other elbow. Allow to fully cool and your DIY Glitter Heart Elbow Patch Sweater is ready to wear! Its amazing what a simple glitter patch can do to one of your favorite clothing items! *** Hand wash please!

Breathe new life into an old sweater with a quick DIY Glitter Heart Elbow Patch! Simply cut out and iron in the desired location and you've got a whole new look! - Heart Patch Sweater | Elbow Patch | DIY Upcycle | Cardigan | Valentines - Do It Your Freaking Self

Tell everyone the REAL reason you're at their party with this DIY Gameday Shirt! A fun and easy addition to any sports ensemble!
Free printable Galentines coloring page and DIY layered crayons for your Galentines Day event. Parks and rec | Leslie Knope | Galentines Day Party | Activities | Printable | shape Crayons

12 Comments

  • Reply A Narrow-Minded Woman

    Very cute!

    January 29, 2017 at 5:45 pm
  • Reply Julie

    This is really cute. I once fancied up a cardigan with some knitted elbow patches but I love the idea of glittery ones.

    February 3, 2017 at 4:56 am
  • Reply Theresa @DearCreatives

    I love this simple idea. My teen would love me to make her sweater with heart patches. Thanks for sharing at the Inspiration Spotlight party. Pinned & Shared.

    February 3, 2017 at 9:39 am
  • Reply Let Go of Being Perfect

    I really love this. Very simple and easy to make. And I have to say, you are gorgeous!! Came over from The Sits Girls link party. Pinned.

    February 4, 2017 at 7:36 am
  • Reply Barbara

    I had no idea that iron-on glitter paper existed!!! WHAT MAGIC!!! This could be a terrible realization. I’ve recently taken quite the liking to sparkly things.

    February 4, 2017 at 9:37 am
    • Reply Chelsea

      Right!?! Life changing!!!

      February 8, 2017 at 7:25 pm
  • Reply Katherines Corner

    “sew”cute! thank you for sharing at the Thursday Favorite Things blog hop. Pinned! xo

    February 5, 2017 at 6:00 pm
  • Reply Lindsay @ The DIY Mommy

    So cute! So perfect for the non sewers

    February 10, 2017 at 9:19 am
  • Reply Joyce @ My Stay At Home Adventures

    Love this! Um I didn’t even know glitter iron paper existed to be honest. Now watch out! Thank you for sharing this with us @FuntasticFriday!

    February 12, 2017 at 4:31 pm
  • Reply Amber Holland

    Should I hand-wash this sweater?

    February 3, 2018 at 11:26 pm
    • Reply Chelsea

      I just wash mine on gentle and hang it to dry. After a year, the glitter patches are still solidly on!

      February 5, 2018 at 6:45 pm
  • Reply Rachel

    How creative! I’m not great at sewing and I love giving things a makeover so I think this post might be written for me!!

    October 10, 2018 at 11:14 am
  • Leave a Reply

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