DIY PEARL JUMPER
DIY Pearl Jumper
Fun and easy upcycling ideas to make
The other day I found a lovely men’s jumper in a thrift store and decided to use it for this fun DIY pearl jumper project! Upcycling already made clothes is a great way to reduce waste but if you don’t have a thrift store nearby, you can use one of your own old jumpers. Most of us have one at the bottom of the wardrobe that we can turn into a wearable piece of art! You’ll only need a couple of simple tools and basic sewing skills!
Upcycling old clothes
There are different ways to reuse old clothes and with a bit of creativity you can transform them into an original piece. Stained clothes can be naturally dyed and holes can be mended or patched. Another great way is embroidery or decorating with beads and pearls – that’s what we’ll try today! Attaching pearls to knitwear is a slow and calming process that you can enjoy in quiet moments. I love to just sit and stitch outside in the garden or on a balcony. I’ve had a few peaceful evenings to enjoy some bead decorating and as a result I made a lovely DIY pearl jumper. It feels meaningful and creative to reuse what’s already been made and add your signature style to it via simple mending. Here is how you can make your own!
If you enjoyed this creative project – pin it for later to your ‘DIY & Crafts’ Pinterest board!
DIY Pearl Jumper
You’ll need:
- an old jumper
- ivory/white round pearl beads in various sizes
- thin transparent fishing line (approx. 0.16 mm size)
- embroidery needle for beads
- scissors
Instructions
To begin with choose an old jumper you’d like to upcycle for this project. I bought an old men’s jumper in a thrift store for about a dollar. I liked the dense knit material because it’s easy to embroider with beads. It’s always better to have a dense knit fabric as opposed to knits with large holes. Large holes are difficult to catch with the needle to attach the bead. Plus there’s a risk that you’ll deform the fabric as you embroider through it and pull the fishing line tight.
Once you’ve picked your ideal jumper, choose the beads you’d like to decorate it with. There are so many colours, shapes and materials to choose from! You can use small colourful glass beads, clear crystal beads or large wooden beads (remember that wooden materials can get damaged with time and regular wash). For this project I used high-quality wax pearl beads because I wanted to make the jumper look like an artisan jewel. I chose three different sizes to create irregular pattern throughout the design.
Making the DIY pearl jumper
To attach the beads I used the beading needle. It is very thin and easy to pull through the hole of the bead. It’s easily accessible in most craft stores in a pack of 5 or 10. To attach the bead I also used the 0.16 mm fishing line. I love to embroider with the fishing line because it’s firm and transparent. The transparency is amazing to make the bead appear to just be sitting on top of the knit fabric as a drop of moring dew!
TIP: do make sure that any knots are always on the right side of the fabric. That means on the outside of the jumper together with the beads. The knots are very unlikely to be visible so it’s not a problem. Whether you’re just starting or finishing with the line, do make sure you tie the knot from the side facing outwards. This is to avoid any uncomfortable scratchy knots on the inside of the jumper.
Choose the area where you’d like the pearls to be and begin sewing them on. You can choose regular lines from the necklike down or ‘sprinkle’ the beads all over the shoulders and sleeves. I decided to embroider around the neckline and continue over the sleeves. I also attached the beads quite close around the neck and spread them more as I continued downwards. In the end I attached a few more random beads on the sleeves and towards the bottom of the jumper. Voila – the DIY pearl jumper perfect for the summer was made!
Care: Wash bead decorated jumper at 30 degrees on gentle cycle and hang to dry. Avoid tumble drying and do not iron or bleach.
If you enjoyed this creative project – pin it for later to your ‘DIY & Crafts’ Pinterest board!
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