I’m fairly certain at least one of my elementary school teachers wore this exact ugly Christmas sweater vest at some point.
Ah! The ugly Christmas sweater vest! The perfect garment for when your body is a holiday party and your arms aren’t invited. This tacky soiree is for your core ONLY.
I almost took this vest apart and used it for my recent Christmas Sweater Dress refashion, but decided to save it for its very own refashion instead.
Now, I know how to turn a sweater vest into a sweater, but I’m not gonna do that either.
I decided to keep this vest’s festive vibe by refashioning it into a fun halter top!
First, I removed the front buttons.
Then, I pinned the front placket down and sewed it together.
I cut the top of the shoulders, disconnecting the front from the back.
Then, I cut across the back, removing everything from the armpits up!
I turned my mangled sweater vest inside-out. Then I folded the top of the back over once and pinned it down.
Then, I stitched it down, first using a straight stitch, then a zigzag right along the raw edge to keep it from fraying.
So this refashion is going pretty well, but how am I going to make it a halter top? Where am I going to get straps for the neck? WHAT’S MY PLAN?!?!
I knew I’d need to take my vest in for it to fit properly, so I cut off some fabric from the back.
Okay…so the first part you see in the above pic is (obviously) the body of my future halter top.
The next two scraps you see are going to become my neck ties. I measured them to be 2″.
The final piece is just a scrap that will end up in the trash (Sorry little buddy!).
I turned the two middle scraps into tubes by folding them in half and pinning them (with right sides facing each other) and then stitched them down.
Then I turned them right-side out!
Now to bring it all together!
I folded the tops of the front shoulders of the vest under.
Then, I tucked them into the tubes and pinned them inside.
I stitched them into place, feeling quite clever for finding such a great solution for dealing with those raw edges.
The back of my halter top was still wiiiiide open though!
I put my halter top on inside-out and measured how much I wanted to take it in from the back. Then I pinned it.
Then, I stitched up the back!
Now I’m ready to be the most stylish person at my next Ugly Christmas Sweater Party (when we can have those again)!
I styled my cheery new halter top with my Jillian circa 2014 Wig, flared jeans, and Vans.
This top would also look nice with a black pencil skirt and pumps!
If you like this project, check these out too:
This refashion isn’t just for ugly Christmas sweater vests either!
You could do this exact same upcycle on any sweater vest! For instance, I think an argyle one would look really cool!
Cheers!
