Rudolph Riding Elf Ugly Christmas Sweater

You can turn any sweater into an exciting, playful, very ugly Christmas sweater! In this Instructable, we’ll be making a sweater in which Rudolph is coming out of the night, ridden by an elf whose face is that of yours. Of course, you can set up your own scene and create that, but the ugly sweater shown above is the craft of the day.

Step 1: Materials and Tools

Materials:

- Green, Red, & White Cloth and Cotton OR an Elf Plush Toy (I used both to show the steps for each)

- Reindeer Plush Toy (Preferably Rudolph)

- Any Sweater

Tools:

- Needle and Thread

- Scissors

- Measuring Tool (Ruler, Measuring Tape, etc.)

Step 2: Plan and Measure

First, wear the sweater you’re using to see where you will need to place the Reindeer and the Elf, and take note by marking the points to sew on the sweater. You can also draw a picture beforehand to really know what you want the final product to look like. Make sure you leave enough space for the body of the Elf, but also remember that the neck of the Elf should be at the collar of the sweater.

Step 3: The Reindeer

Now, mark the line you will cut the Reindeer plush through. Make sure it’s at an angle as shown in the picture because once sewed on the sweater, it’s likely to hang down a little bit. Now cut the Reindeer, and take only the front part for now. You will need the back of it for making the Elf. Sew the front onto the sweater at the place you marked from the previous step.

Step 4: The Elf

This is the step that will make the difference in what your ugly Christmas sweater looks like at the end. You can either purchase an Elf plush toy, or make your own. As I mentioned above, I did both; I bought the lower half (legs and waist), and made the upper half (arms and chest.) You won’t need the head as that will be your face when you’re done. To make the upper half, take the back of the Reindeer from the last Step, and use the green cloth to cover it, then sew together. This will be the Elf’s shirt on its body. Then, sew together the legs and the body, and you should have a headless Elf. Lastly, you can add buttons and a collar to the Elf using the white cloth. You can additionally decorate the Elf as you like. If you purchased an Elf plush toy, of course, you don’t have to do this step.

Step 5: Adjust and Sew Together

Place the Elf on top of the Reindeer on the sweater, and wear it. Adjust their places so that the neck of the Elf is at the collar. After you know where everything goes, sew them in their places. Since the Reindeer is already sewed onto the sweater, all you need to do is sew the Elf’s neck on the collar. You can also sew the Elf's legs onto the Reindeer's body if you'd like. That’s all you should need for it to be stable. If it’s very slanted, then you can use a large and thin black rubber band and put it around the Reindeer’s and your own neck.

Step 6: Get Ugly!

Good job! You now have transformed a boring, plain piece of cloth into the ugliest Christmas sweater! It's different from a regular sweater in that not only is it 3D, it also allows you to be part of the sweater too, as the Elf's head. You can wear pants of your choice and even an Elf hat along with this as an upgrade. You can also add on some jingle bells or tree ornaments. I hope you've been good this year, have a merry Christmas!