I don’t know about you, but I’ve got a lot of grungy sweatshirts in my closet. This particular one has gone through a lot—it started out as my little brother’s but eventually made it way into my closet. Afterwards, it went with me to San Antonio to work for Habitat for Humanity (hence the myriad of assorted paint colors adorning it). 

It was clear that this sweatshirt needed a makeover, Anne Hathaway in The Princess Diaries style. 

Difficulty level: Easy to medium (the skills are simple but it requires some thought) 

Cost: I spent two dollars on the whole thing! 

Time: Two hours 

Got Space?: Need room for a sewing machine   

Materials: 

-Old sweatshirt 

-Two bandanas 

-Sewing Machine 

-Scissors 

-pins 

If you have scraps of fabric left over from another project, feel free to use that for your fabric bows.  Another option is to get a bundle of fabric squares precut for quilting; this will be more expensive but it will be a higher quality fabric and will come in several coordinating prints. Personally, I chose to use bandanas because they matched the aesthetic I was going for and were inexpensive!   

1) Cut your two bandanas into quarters; you will use three quarters to make bows and the other quarter for the centerpiece. Iron them folded with the right side in, and then sew around one end and the side, you can sew up about halfway on the final side. Do this to all six pieces. Flip them inside out so that the right side is facing the outside, there’s no need to sew up the final edge. 

2) Cut strips about 3 inches wide and 4 inches long, and repeat the process above. Then, sew the ends together to create a circle. You can slide this circle down the big fabric rectangle to create a bow shape. You can hot glue or sew this into place so that it won’t wiggle around. 

3) Once you have all six bows complete, you can set them up on the back of your sweatshirt. For this part, I recommend having a friend. Put the sweatshirt on and have a friend pin them straight down your back. While you made six bows, you might decide to use less. 

4) After they are pinned to your satisfaction, you can sew them on.  Just sew all the way from neck to the end in a color of thread that matches your sweatshirt, about a quarter of an inch in from the bows. 

5) Cut out the excess fabric underneath the bows. You might also decide to make other alterations (for example I shortened the length of mine and changed the neckline). 

Enjoy your fun sweater that is perfect for early autumn weather!