A few Christmases ago, I tried to convince my four sisters to do this awesome DIY elbow patch tutorial together. Cute right?! Well not everyone was feeling it (surprise surprise) so it didn’t happen. I was pretty bummed out, but kept telling myself I would do it anyways.
I finally did it.
And I can’t wait to wear it to one of my many holiday events this winter-ish season! Now, I just have to control myself from placing elbow patches on all my (and Khang’s) sweaters.
Step One: Picking out a sweater (hardest part) and gathering rest of supplies (Hobby Lobby FTW)
1. Sweater (mine contained rayon+polyester)
2. Felting needle or similar
3. Dense foam pad (cut to size)
4. Wool roving (a little goes a long way)
5. Any cookie cutter shape to your liking or stencil or draw out your own!
6. Iron
Step two: Mark elbow with tape
[gallery size="full" columns="2" ids="596,597"]It’s important to try on your sweater and not just guessing it. Trust me. Remove tape after you place foam pad underneath marked spot.
Step three: Position your “shape guide” and evenly place wool roving.
[gallery size="full" columns="2" ids="599,598"]Step four: (Slowly) Stab away m’dears. Stay VERTICAL or the needle will break. Trust me again.
[gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="600,602"]I agree with Erica about starting at the outer edges and working your way in. Don’t worry about the “holes”-that’s what the iron is for. Feel free to add more roving where needed. I like to remove the “shape guide” after getting an even surface to really refine the edges.
Step five: Slowly remove patch from pad. Spritz water and iron on wool setting to smooth surface.
[gallery size="full" ids="603,605,607"]Confession: I do not iron. Honestly, the iron pictured is brand-spanking new. I bought it for this tutorial. Judge my wrinkly clothes all you want.
Slowly pull patch from pad. You may need to use felting needle again to secure loose roving.
Step six: Admire your lovely elbow patches. Always admire, y’all.
[gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="610,609"]Step seven: Ask a sweet friend to take photos of you…you cute little thing you… because it’ll be hard to do by yourself. Again, trust me. Plus, I really want to see too!
[gallery size="full" ids="612,613,611"]Depending on the fabric, if you mess up then you might be able to pull off the roving and start over. I practiced on old sweaters just in case I messed up, which I did a lot. So please feel free to ask questions if you run into a problem.
This also inspired me for my dental office’s “Ugly sweater contest” in a few weeks. Here’s a sneak peak. Did I mention that I’m a dental hygienist? Shout-out to all my UMMC girls!
Thanks for following and reading along,
with me
Jules.