DIY Lace Trimmed Cardigan

Hi! Recently, I have been inspired by wonderful, ethereal, fairytale-esque fashion. If you don't believe me, check out my pinterest style board! Being that school is now out, I have also had more time on my hands. I decided to get crafty and DIY some of my old sweaters and cardigans for this upcoming fall. I have already posted my DIY letterman sweater. Haven't checked it out yet? View it HERE. Now it is time for my DIY lace trimmed cardigan!

Level of difficulty: Easy- Medium. However, this DIY is very time consuming if you hand sew like I did.  

Supplies: Cardigan, two different types of lace, girly/vintage buttons, seam ripper, pins, sewing machine (optional) needle & thread, scissors and patience!

Cost: This DIY cost me nothing; I used an old cardigan that I swapped at a clothing exchange a while back and lace and buttons that I had left over from another project. I would recommend that you use an old sweater or that you thrift one in order to keep the cost of this DIY low. Lace and buttons can be purchased at craft stores like Ben Franklin or Michael's for under $10. 

Steps: 

1. Gather supplies.

2. Decide whether you want your cardigan to keep its buttons or not. I chose to use my seam ripper to take off the buttons. However, everyone has different aesthetic tastes and you should do what suits you. 

3. Cut lace the length of the sweater. Cut two pieces of each thing of lace (one for each side of the cardigan).

5. Pin lace down.

6. Sew lace down either using a sewing machine or needle & thread. Mine was hand sewn down because I like to hand sew. However, this took a while and if you would prefer using the sewing machine, go for it! Take out pins as you go.

7. Now that your lace is sewn down, decide where you want your buttons and how many buttons you would like to use. I recommend using different buttons (I used 4 different types) to give a shabby-chic, Anthropologie feel to the sweater. 

8. Sew down buttons.

9. Voila! You have a new sweater perfect for this upcoming fall.

Remember, if anyone tries this DIY, I would be thrilled to see your results! Just let me know via an email or blog post comment.