October 9, 2012 94 comments By

DIY Sequined Sweater

I must admit when Grace, of The Stripe, suggested that we each try making our own Markus Lupfer-inspired sequined sweater, I was uncertain. Attempting to attach tons of tiny sequins onto a sweater seemed difficult and downright messy. But I’m known to never turn down a DIY challenge and after the first successful attempt, I’m happy to report that this tutorial isn’t nearly as difficult as it seems. Because I chose a design that covered a lot of surface area, using sequin trim was a huge time saver. Thank you, Grace, for motivating me to just go for it!

You’ll need:

Print the pattern at 100% scale. Cut out the pattern and position the ears on the center of the sweater. Trace the outline with a fabric marker or pen.

Run a very thin line of glue along the inside of the outline. I like to work a few a inches at a time. Lay the black sequin trim over the glue and gently pat it down into the sweater. Continue adding glue and trim until the outline is complete. Cut the trim with scissors and glue the last sequin down with a small drop of glue.

Continue onto the next color. Run the next line of glue close to the previous row of sequins. Using the pattern as guideline, trim the sequins and glue down accordingly.

Fill in the rest of the empty space with white sequins. Don’t worry if some sequins fall off the ends of the trim as they can be fixed later.

Continue gluing and don’t forget to use the tweezers to help with tight areas.

Once both ears are filled in, add any additional accents with glue. If there are any bald spots or frayed ends, cover them up with loose sequins and glue.

Allow the glue to dry completely. An optional step is to reinforce the sequins by stitching sections of sequins onto the sweater from the backside.

And you’re finished! The sweater should be dry cleaned only.

Don’t forget to head over to The Stripe to see Grace’s purr-fect version!

(all images by HonestlyWTF)

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94 Comments

  1. Candy wrote:

    This is so genius….the sequins actually dont seem like the are “too much” b/c of the coolness of the design!! I’m definitely going to be trying this over the weekend!!!

    xoxo
    Candy
    taylor & DEMOLISH

    Enter my ‘taylor & DEMOLISH + Amrita Singh’ Collaboration Jewelry GIVEAWAY!!!

    10.9.12
    Reply
  2. nicole wrote:

    So nice!!!

    Lovely Idea

    10.9.12
    Reply
  3. Elo wrote:

    This is soooo cute!

    10.9.12
    Reply
  4. Tabetha wrote:

    Interesting idea– love the design!

    http://aclosetintellectual.blogspot.com/

    10.9.12
    Reply
  5. Bonnie, Clyde and Marni wrote:

    Love it!!! It looks easy do to!!
    http://bonnieclydemarni.blogspot.gr/

    10.9.12
    Reply
  6. Cravingforbarneys wrote:

    Love the design!

    http://cravingforbarmeys.com

    10.9.12
    Reply
  7. THE STEL STYLE wrote:

    I love this diy, it’s so cute!!!

    http://thestelstyle.com/

    10.9.12
    Reply
  8. Stella wrote:

    Great style and east to make. I will try this on my t-shirts and hope will do better.

    10.9.12
    Reply
  9. Closet Cravings wrote:

    Another DIY fave. I love sequin sweaters. =)
    Satisfy Your Cravings For Celebrity Style and All Things Stylish and Sweet

    10.9.12
    Reply
  10. V. wrote:

    It doesn’t look like DIY 😀

    New post on SEARCH IN FASHION – DIY Inspiration: Sweaters

    10.9.12
    Reply
  11. Gabrielle wrote:

    Markus Lupfer style, how cool!

    10.9.12
    Reply
  12. Nicole wrote:

    Simply awesome! x

    10.9.12
    Reply
  13. Rachel wrote:

    Omg! This is so simple yet it looks so detailed! Can’t wait to try it!!

    10.9.12
    Reply
  14. Nadja wrote:

    OMG how awesome! looks so stunning!! but still, your DIY looks like it takes long time. How long did it actually take you??? 3 hours? or longer?

    http://www.violetfleur.com

    10.9.12
    Reply
  15. Kirbybee wrote:

    This is amazing, love it!!

    xx

    http://thekirbybee.blogspot.com.au/

    10.9.12
    Reply
  16. Annique wrote:

    Wooow, so cute! Never thought about this idea, but very nice!
    I like! 😀

    http://www.fashionique.de/

    10.9.12
    Reply
  17. dorylyn wrote:

    Very nice!

    10.9.12
    Reply
  18. Novella - 9lla.it wrote:

    Woooow! Cool!
    I’m a fan of this KA-POW trend but also of printed sweaters and yesterday I DIYed one 🙂

    http://www.9lla.it
    fashion – trends – DIYs

    10.9.12
    Reply
  19. Drew Elizabeth | Catfish & Caviar wrote:

    Making this Thursday at my crafting party! Love! I feel like even if i suck at drawing it will still look good.

    10.9.12
    Reply
  20. christin wrote:

    omg i need one of these. i would say that i should make one, but i know i would totally screw the pooch on this.

    10.9.12
    Reply
  21. Daisy Nguyen wrote:

    OMG – so CUTE, and so chic – I LOVE it!
    XOXO
    -Daisy Nguyen from PS BANANAS fashion blog:
    http://psbananas.com

    10.9.12
    Reply
  22. Ambyr wrote:

    This is so cute. I love the giant ears and that it leaves your mind imagining the rest. Super cute and great color choice.

    xoxo
    http://www.thewrittenrunway.com

    10.9.12
    Reply
  23. Natalie wrote:

    Thanks for sharing

    http://kittengirlclub.blogspot.com/

    10.9.12
    Reply
  24. Nomadic D wrote:

    You had me until “Reinforce the sequins by stitching them onto the sweater from the backside”. All of them!? Stitch them?! Ha! I’ll pass. Super impressed by those (ie: you) with the patience to actually do it though!

    http://nomadic-d.blogspot.com/

    10.9.12
    Reply
  25. Ruki wrote:

    Pretty and funny- love it!

    10.9.12
    Reply
  26. Johnnybell wrote:

    So cool! Glad I found this site!!

    Johnnybell
    http://Www.nytrendymoms.com

    10.9.12
    Reply
  27. Grace - Stripes & Sequins wrote:

    Love, love, love how yours turned out!!! xoxo

    10.9.12
    Reply
  28. monkeyshines wrote:

    adorable design!

    Bises,
    monkeyshines
    http://monkeyshines-monkeyshines.blogspot.com/

    10.9.12
    Reply
  29. style-xyz wrote:

    the effect is amazing! but I think it is to hard for me to DIY 😉

    10.9.12
    Reply
  30. Luana wrote:

    Really beautiful !!
    I’m posting accessories from Los Angeles on my blog!
    Take a look!

    http://www.thegavlaks.com

    10.9.12
    Reply
  31. Hello Friday wrote:

    OMG! So cute!! Great idea!! Thanks for sharing this!! xoxo
    http://www.hellohellofriday.com

    10.9.12
    Reply
  32. Xeana wrote:

    Fantastic diy!

    From http://www.xeanafashion.com

    10.9.12
    Reply
  33. Mira wrote:

    The sweater looks so awesome now!!!
    xo

    FRENCH CONNECTION AND DR. HAUSCHKA GIVEAWAY

    glamDevils

    10.9.12
    Reply
  34. Armu wrote:

    Flipping awesome!

    10.9.12
    Reply
  35. Lubna wrote:

    Very creative DIY! If I only thought of these ready made sequin strips earlier – I wouldn’t have stitched sequins on my clutches one by one!

    Lubna
    http://www.ellevox.blogspot.com
    http://www.ellevox.blogspot.com
    http://www.ellevox.blogspot.com
    http://www.ellevox.blogspot.com

    10.9.12
    Reply
  36. Adeola Naomi wrote:

    dashing awesome!!!!

    10.9.12
    Reply
  37. Candice wrote:

    Love it! Will definitely try this one. Your DIY designs are great!!

    Candice

    10.9.12
    Reply
  38. Le Fresne wrote:

    So creative, what a fab idea!

    le fresne x

    10.9.12
    Reply
  39. Betsy wrote:

    very well done!

    http://www.suspironews.blogspot.com

    10.9.12
    Reply
  40. Diana Pereira wrote:

    OMG
    I rather just pay for the sweater
    that is so time consuming, not worth my time!
    But what great do it yourself

    10.9.12
    Reply
  41. Courtney wrote:

    This DIY is amazing! I need to do this!

    http://thelittletexan.blogspot.com/

    10.9.12
    Reply
  42. Justine wrote:

    Now the markus lupfer sweater is $425. Going off of the site you provided to buy sequin trim, 1/4 of an inch is 25 cents. To get 10 yards of sequin trim like you suggest would end up costing $360 …. Sometimes you should just buy the damn sweater. 

    10.9.12
    Reply
    • Erica wrote:

      @Justine, the sequin trim is 25 cents a yard which makes the total cost of sequins $2.50. @Chrissy is correct – Sequins direct requires a minimum purchase of 36 yards ($9). However, you can probably find sequin trim at lower quantities on Etsy.

      10.9.12
  43. Danisha wrote:

    Very cool!!

    10.9.12
    Reply
  44. Chrissy wrote:

    Justine – it’s 25 cents for a yard of 1/4″ size sequins… for 10 yrds it would be $2.50 … but the minimum order is 36 yards which is $9.

    10.9.12
    Reply
  45. http://thegreatkate.com.pl wrote:

    OMG! It’s awesome! You have wonderful ideas !

    10.9.12
    Reply
  46. Avianti Jewelry wrote:

    So perfect! Easy to do and very stylish, love it!

    10.9.12
    Reply
  47. CamMi Pham wrote:

    That is a reallly DIY I want to try but I am hopeless 🙁 too clumsy for this
    Cammi @ Cammilicious.com

    10.9.12
    Reply
  48. Carol Rial wrote:

    Hey, you’re right, it doesn’t look so difficult as it seemed at first. Or you make it look easier! Turns out beautiful. Going to try it out!

    10.9.12
    Reply
  49. fashionablecollections wrote:

    Hands down my favorite DIY of yours. Absolutely genius.

    Collections

    10.9.12
    Reply
  50. BougieHippie wrote:

    Omg this is clever and cute!

    10.9.12
    Reply
  51. A's Fashion Files wrote:

    Amazing!!
    I have to try this for sure!
    🙂
    Allison
    A’s Fashion Files
    Shop Kawaii Kitsch by A on Etsy!

    10.9.12
    Reply
  52. Inherent Style LA wrote:

    That is ah-dorable! Well done!

    http://www.inherentstylela.com/

    10.9.12
    Reply
  53. Veva wrote:

    Great and so easy!!

    kisses

    My white idea

    10.10.12
    Reply
  54. Lotts and Lots wrote:

    This is amazing- great job! I really love the bunny ears.

    Lotts x
    http://lottsandlots.blogspot.co.uk/

    10.10.12
    Reply
  55. Mocha wrote:

    Wonderful ! I want to do the same …
    thanks for this idea

    10.10.12
    Reply
  56. Sharon Lei wrote:

    OOOO! Such a rad DIY. Will definitely be giving this one a try… 🙂

    xx Love & Aloha
    http://elisharon.blogspot.com

    **Swing by and enter for you chance to win a gorgeous metal collar necklace! 🙂

    10.10.12
    Reply
  57. Kait wrote:

    This is awesome and so cute, but I don’t know if I’d have the patience for this one. I’d love to know how long it took you in total!
    http://www.whenwewander.blogspot.com

    10.10.12
    Reply
  58. racheeng wrote:

    What a lovely sweater! Now I’m tempted to do one on my own 😀

    startofadance.wordpress.com/

    10.10.12
    Reply
  59. diana wrote:

    So cool, i love it…..Thanks for sharing the idea!!
    Enjoy your day!! 😀

    10.10.12
    Reply
  60. Tanya wrote:

    This looks amazing, so well made!
    xx Tanya
    http://aciddreamsandsugarhighs.blogspot.com/

    10.10.12
    Reply
  61. Betty wrote:

    It looks very cute, thank you for sharing:)

    Find your favourite gifts here:

    http://www.ccchinachic.com/products/5-coupon-gifts/c-161/

    10.10.12
    Reply
  62. Littlelulu wrote:

    This is soooo inspirational!!

    http://lovelittlelulu.blogspot.co.uk/?m=1

    10.13.12
    Reply
  63. Judy wrote:

    Thank you so much for this tutorial! I’ve been wanting to get my hands on a Markus Lupfer sweater for a bit now, but they’re simply not affordable for me. Now I can get creative and get a similar effect. Great job!

    10.14.12
    Reply
  64. rushmeet wrote:

    just awesome

    10.15.12
    Reply
  65. desdetenerifeconamor wrote:

    Wow!! You have been wonderful! Last year I made a very similar! I leave the link for you to see
    http://www.desdetenerifeconamor.com/2012/01/diy-t-shirt-ring-of-markus-lupfer.html

    10.19.12
    Reply
  66. rose wrote:

    I made mine 🙂
    I did my own little twist and personalizations
    its super easy and fun
    and in the end you get a super cute and unique shirt

    10.28.12
    Reply
  67. Claudia wrote:

    i didnt think it was bunny ears it looked like something else

    11.19.12
    Reply
  68. leyla cemal wrote:

    I love this! Definitely want to give it a go

    11.19.12
    Reply
  69. HeadTilt wrote:

    that is an amazingly cute idea for DIY! 🙂

    11.29.12
    Reply
  70. Kate wrote:

    I tried this DIY and it turned out great! Thank you for the inspiration!

    Check out how mine turned out here: highstreetwind.blogspot.com

    12.19.12
    Reply
  71. Myra wrote:

    So cool im going to try this

    2.27.13
    Reply
  72. Ina wrote:

    Wow, this is so pretty. You are increadibly creative.

    http://istyled.blogspot.co.uk/

    2.28.13
    Reply
  73. Alex wrote:

    So cute! And still i cannot do it.

    4.3.13
    Reply
  74. S Mishra wrote:

    Fantastic idea!!! Thanks

    12.24.18
    Reply
  75. SMishra wrote:

    So much creative tips and tricks you sharing in this beautiful tutorial. Thanking You

    12.24.18
    Reply
  76. Rahul Singh wrote:

    Thanks! Your ideas are literally admiring. Good Work, keep on posting.

    12.24.18
    Reply
  77. Bidyut Jana wrote:

    Thanks for sharing some great ideas with us, it so easy to find what you need…

    12.24.18
    Reply