DIY: Owl Cardigan

I practically fell out of my chair when I saw this Anna Sui owl cardigan in my Glamour magazine. How cute! But for $100? I could buy two complete outfits for that much money! So I decided it was time for another DIY project. (In case you missed my cap-toe glitter heels, you can check them out here.)

First I started off with a sketch of what I wanted to do- this helps get an idea of where to start and what you need. I bought all the supplies listed below at Target, Michaels Craft Store and Joann Fabrics:

1- sweater or cardigan ( I bought this teal one from Target for $19.99)
1-piece of brown felt
glue ( I used all purpose tacky glue- but fabric glue would work okay too)
tweezers (optional)
ribbon (for varsity piping- optional)
rhinestones for eyes, beak, feathers and tail
beads for ears (optional)
scissors
silver thread (optional)

Step One: Cut out the owl on the felt. You can add the ears and tail as separate pieces as I did or you can do the entire thing as one piece.

You have the option of adding the “varsity striping” if you please. I like the look so I added it. I brought my sweater with me to the craft store to measure out just how much ribbon I would need. Lay the sweater out flat and gage where you want the ribbon. Then, carefully glue it down. Do this before you apply the owl incase the the owl needs to cover some of the ribbon

You have the option of adding a silver stitching to the boarder of the owl, but I would advise to do this BEFORE you glue anything on the owl itself because it is difficult to sew around the small pieces.

Step Two: Lay out all the rhinestones and beads on the felt as you would like them to be placed, then glue them down.

Step 3: Carefully begin gluing down your rhinestones and beads. Once complete set a heavy book on top to press the beads & rhinestones and let dry for a few hours.

Tip: I used tweezers to apply the small rhinestones around the eyes and tail to get a more precise placement.

Step 4: Once the embellishments are dry, if you have not already glued or sewn the owl to the sweater, do that now. Let dry. Here is a close up of the detailing on the owl’s tail: