"The Child" Ugly Holiday Sweater Aka: Baby Yoda-wear

So... "Baby Yoda" has taken the internet by storm and made his way into my heart. Disney's delay in marketing and merchandise has left me without a "Baby Yoda" Ugly Holiday sweater to add to my festive-wear arsenal. While this is my take on it, feel free to use what you have around, or go out and buy supplies. I mostly used what I had around the house spare a few pieces... and what little time I had in a very busy weekend (by the time I saw this contest). I know I am going to keep adding to this sweater, but I am submitting what I have so far... who knows, it might stay like this.

Supplies

Supplies:

• Sweater
• Textiles & textile Tools:
  • Fabric
  • 2-sided fusible fabric interfacing (optional)
  • Iron if you have fusible interfacing
  • Scrap Ribbons & Trims
  • Pompom
  • Felt (or fabric, fleece)
  • Polyfill stuffing (optional, I just cut up some fleece but more on that later)
  • Fluffy Trim
  • Needle, thread, and misc sewing supplies
  • Wash-away fabric pen (or if you are like me, sharpies and an "I don't care, attitude"
• Painting:
  • Fabric Paint OR Acrylic Paint & Textile Medium (paint)
  • Brushes
  • Paint tray (or a plate)
• ADX3d LED Lights, LilyPad, Conductive Thread kit
• Tools:
  • Template
  • Plastic (or plastic food containers/ scrap thin plastic)
  • Cricut (or a good craft knife)
  • Ruler
  • Straight Edge
  • Scrap paper
  • Heat Gun
  • Glue Gun
  • E6000
• Accessories:
  • "Doll" Eyes
  • Bells
  • Scrapbooking eyelets and eyelet setting kit/ tools
  • Optional: More bells, sew-on rhinestones

Step 1: Make Your "Egg"

For the egg-shaped hoverer that The Child was seen in, I swapped in a present. I opted for a dimensional one, but you can do a single dimension. While I like the depth, I did notice that since I centered the main panel of the package, rather than the whole package (because doing it dimensionally was a second thought), that I did not have even spacing on either side of the package. If I were to do it again, I would even things out.

1. Using a straight edge, make a square shape. I had a square box that I keep my thread in, I looked at it as a short cut and used it to create my square.
2. Using your ruler, map out your angle for your dimension, and trace.
   1. If you are using a stiffer fabric, I would recommend removing one side of the interfacing's backing, laying it out on 2-sided fusible interfacing. This will hold a LOT better than hand stitching.
      1. Iron your fabric to your interfacing.
      2. Once firmly bonded, cut out the package and remove the other side of the interfacing.
   2. If you are using a stretchy or knit fabric, just cut out your pieces.
3. Lay your pieces out on your sweater
   1. If you are like me and pulled a knit sweater out of your closet that you hardly wear because of snags in it, or whatever, carefully sew it to your sweater. I recommend doing small runs of stitches maybe 1cm long before an equally sized space. I was a bit lazy, so my sewing and spacing is a bit... more than that. This will allow your sewing to have stretch places, so you don't pop a stitch through wear.
      1. Keep sewing until your package fabric is secure.
   2. If you were thoughtful enough to have a sweater with less "give", use an iron to affix your package as per your interfacing's instructions.

Step 2: Paint "The Child"

1. Find a reference photo for the pose you want. Even if you get started, as you can see from my painting, I clearly changed what perspective I wanted to use.
2. Draw out your reference on paper (I used an envelope from junk mail!)
3. Cut out to use as a template, then trace (with either a pen, sharpie like I did, or paint if you are feeling bold).
4. Decide if you are using fabric paint or acrylic paint.
   1. If you are using Fabric Paint, decide if you are brushing or squirting it on. I would use a brush because otherwise, my work would look like a Jackson Pollock painting... I am terrible with fabric paint.
   2. If you are using Acrylic Paint, like I did, mix your paint to the color you want before mixing with your textile medium.
   3. Textile medium allows you to use the acrylic paint on fabric and have it be "wash safe". I used Ceramcoat Textile Medium this time, but you can use any brand. It claims it is for use with their paints, but I used whatever I already have and it has already passed a wash test. Use what you have if you can.
   4. Textile Medium mixed acrylic paint is heat set. It is recommended that you run it through a dryer. Because the fabric of my sweater is less than happy in anything but a dryer on low, I used my heat gun to set my paint. If you do happen to burn a hole through it as I did, you can easily use a yarn needle and some embroidery floss (or a bunch of layers of thread together) to sew it back up. Just use small zig-zagging stitches to mimic the knit pattern and no one will know).
5. Paint your Child
   1. Paint your base layer. Allow to dry and repeat until it is well on.
   2. Then add your details
      1. I did the face first, then the inside of the ears, then the darker green for the outlining and wrinkles. I then did the mouth before using my finger to give a bit of color to his cheeks.
      2. Make sure that the area you marked for eyes is not too big or small by laying the eyes over it to check.
   3. Don't forget to give him a body. If I were to do it again, I would put more torso out of the box so that I can give him more robes.
6. Paint the inside of the box. Think whatever your package's main color, but darker. Since my scrap fabric (from making some pajama pants last year) was mostly red, I went with a burgundy.
7. After each layer, let it dry then heat set (or get impatient like I did, use the heat gun to dry and heat set it at the same time!).
8. Don't forget the hands!
   1. Draw out vague hand shapes on some fabric (I had scrap fleece)
   2. Sew and then turn right side out.
   3. Stuff with polyfill (or cut up scrap fleece if you are like me).
   4. Sew shut and paint like the child.

Step 3: Decorate Your "Egg"

1. Use your scrap ribbons or trims to add some flair to the package.
   1. I recommend measuring with plenty of extra... If you don't you will be short and have to add on a weird bow in a strange place to hide the fact you were an inch and a half short on the trim around the box edge. If you can, cut after you have sewn.
      1. If you have a wire-edged ribbon/trim, remove the wire if you can.
      2. Sew the trim on with the same tactics you sewed the package on (spacing and small areas of sewing).
      3. If the trim is easily frayed, you have some options to choose from.
         1. Melt the end with heat gun/ fire.
         2. Seal with hot glue (I did this because impatient. I covered it with puffy paint where visible).
         3. Sewing it/ wrapping with thread.
      4. If you would like to, you can use a glue gun, just remember, the dryer is not your friend then (but there is still value in line drying!).

Step 4: Clothe the Child

1. If you are a smarter human that I am, you would have drawn out a template of more than just a head, that you can use to measure out the clothing. If not, you are like me! An "I'm winging it superhero!".
2. Eyeball the shape of your clothing. If you would like, then draw a quick template, cut that out and check your measurements. Adjust for there. If you are feeling bold, reach right for the fabric you are using for his robes. I have brown felt left over from another project.
3. Make the chest piece.
4. Guess at some collar bits.
5. Make tubes with cuffs for sleeves.
6. Squish the hands into the tubes, scrunch up and sew to hide the stubs.
7. Sew all pieces to the sweater.
8. Dirty it up.
   1. I used some brown paint on my finger to smudge it up and give it character.
   2. I blasted it with my heat gun to set it, but turns out felt melts pretty quick, so I have some lovely holes and melty bits.

Step 5: Fix His Face and Make Him Festive

1. Add the eyes.
   1. If you have the doll eyes, just poke em through, and put on the backing.
   2. If you have flat-backs, clue them on. Hot glue works, but I love E6000.
2. Add a Hat
   1. Eyeball your basic hat shape
   2. Sew on some furry trim (I did it like you would sew anything else, outside to outside and turn it right-side out).
   3. Add a bell to the end.
3. Clean up
   1. Remember when I mentioned a being short on trim while making the package? This is when I fixed that with a bow.
   2. Add some detail to the box by outlining the other dimensions.

Step 6: Create Templates to Make Painting Easier

If you are like me, this could get messy, so I created some SVG files to use as templates to make things easier.

1. If you have a Cricut
   1. Create/ find SVG files
      1. I created the files using some clipart and this website: https://www.autotracer.org/
      2. Upload the SVG files to your Cricut
      3. Cut out the templates at your preferred size (I did some at 3 inches and some at 2.5 inches wide)

Step 7: Create Your Death Stars

1. Using the templates, I painted on my Death Stars.
   1. Do it layer by layer, details last
2. My Death Stars light up. Once dry, I began this long and arduous task.
   1. Poke Eyelets through where you want the light to shine through. Set using your eyelet setting tools.
   2. Unpack your LED light kit. It should have a battery holder, conductive thread, LEDs.
      1. SORT IT OUT! LAY IT OUT! Make sure + is with + and - is with - in the line.
   3. Sew your LEDs to the sweater to ensure they shine through the eyelet holes.
   4. Sew your circuit for the LEDs + to +, - to -.
      1. If you have never done it before, visit this website: https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/lilypad-basics-e-sewing/all
      2. When sewing, I recommend testing at each light before continuing. This was my first light-up project like this, and I did not, and had to do a lot of un-doing.
      3. Remember to remove the battery when not in use!

Step 8: Add the Final Details

1. Paint using the template-layer-detail method until your heart is content.
   1. Do the sleeves, do the back, do whatever your heart desires (my finishing touches will have to wait since I heard about this contest less than 72 hours ago... and it is currently 1:36 AM on a school night... and I have a first-period class).
2. Add any other details you want.
   1. Add more bells & trim.
   2. Add sew-on rhinestones to make it look like you are blasting into hyperspace. Go wild!