DIY For Divas – Studded Jumper

Posted in Fashion, Second Hand Shopping.

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to get crafty and make something. I was surprised to find that a) I enjoyed myself and b) my creation wasn’t half bad! With the success of that lovely lace collar under my belt, I vowed to swap my debit card for DIY… well, from time to time at least.

As I’m prone to divaish tendencies, I knew my next project needed to be quick and easy to stop me chucking in the towel and hitting Topshop. So when I spotted this jumper in a charity shop, I had an idea…

fashion blog DIY

I picked up this silk/wool mix jumper for £3.99.  Beautiful pastel pattern, but that high neckline was a little old lady for my taste…

DIY studded jumper how to make

… which made it the perfect project piece! Inspiration hit me as I wandered round Topshop (quelle surprise) – I spotted a very similar printed pastel jumper (a bit like this but with a swirly pattern) with rows of studs along the shoulders. It was priced at £29.99 but I knew my £3.99 find was up to the job.

DIY studded jumper

Such a simple project requires very few ingredients – a cute jumper that needs a little toughening up, some cone studs which I bought from this eBay seller for £4 and a pair of scissors.

how to make a studded jumper

My first step was to chop off the collar, but you might not need to do that. I didn’t want to faff about with a needle and thread (the needle injury from my last project is still fresh in my mind) so I left the edge raw. If I wanted to be ‘fashion’ about it, I’d say the raw edge just adds to the general ‘toughened up’ look.

DIY studded jumper DIY studded jumper
vintage clothing DIY
DIY studded jumper

The first step in your granny jumper makeover is to affix your studs. This involves pushing the arms through the fabric then opening and flattening them underneath. I found actually putting the jumper on helped with the positioning of the studs – I could see where the jumper sat on my shoulders and then could arrange the studs accordingly.

vintage fashion blog UK

When I had a cluster of studs assembled, I moved over to shoulder two and repeated the process. I used 15 studs on each side, arranged randomly across the front of the jumper. And… that’s it! A one step DIY – does it get any more diva?

how to make studded jumpers

I really love the finished result – the studs give this vintage jumper a fresh, modern look and make it much more wearable. And the total cost was just £7.99 – far cheaper than Topshop’s £30 offering!

What do you think – will you be giving this DIY a go, fellow divas?

45 Comments

Natalie

Love it! Looks great. Even sounds simple enough for me to have a go.

Natalie x

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Queenie

My only concern is that the back of the studs would scratch or irritate a little, I live the idea though, brilliant xx

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Jen

I thought about that too, so just wear a cotton tee underneath and can’t feel them at all. If you give it a go, just make sure the ‘arms’ of the studs are completely flattened!

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simple sophie

Such a good idea, i love chopping and changing charity shop pieces 🙂 but i’d be woried about the neckline unwravelling or crinkling over ~ ox

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Hayley

I wish I had your eye to spot when something could be crafted from charity shop finds…actually, I just wish I could find some of the bargains you do!

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Helen

I love this, I actually think it looks nicer than the topshop one. Might have to give one of these DIYs a go.

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Ria :)

love the idea but i must say if you dont put some sort of safe stitch on that raw edge its going to fray veryyyyyy quickly, specially when you put it into the wash, the safety stitch wont even show on the jumper so you can see keep that raw edge 🙂

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xxx

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Cassie

Love it, the studs really make the jumper (which is a little too girly and pastel-y by itself for me) into something a bit different and harder edged.

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Carey

Really like it, I’m just not practical enough to do something like that though, not very good at hands- on!!

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KathrynCHub

Totally inspired by this post and have bought myself a stash of studs to do some DIY myself this weekend.

Keep up the good work! x

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Vix

A fantastic transformation, from frump to fab. Well done. Much better than the nasty acrylic versions currently seen out and about. xxx

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Jen

Thanks Vix! The jumper is so beautifully soft – a wool and silk mix – high street versions cannot compare! 🙂

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Lottie

love your blog hun! it’s so good! you have amazing taste!
keep up the good work!
mind checking mine out? i recently changed the web address, its now Idiotic fashion
thank you! would be an honour!
xxxxxxxx
<3 Lottie

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dannithegirl

Good job! That neckline scares me too but you’ve made the jumper beautiful and funky. I usually shy away from charity shop jumpers but I might just keep more of an open mind now! x

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Gems

Just catching up with blogs when i read this inspired DIY. I’ve been wanting to do something to an old pair of canvas ‘daps’ – think those studs would be perfect, but i can’t seem to find the type you used on ebay, any ideas of what i should type into the search bar?

Also I was thinking that it might be cool to ‘stud’ up an old leather handbag….

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Betty - A real knitter.

I can’t believe how many people actually think this is a good idea. It’s knitted and you just cut it.

Literal faceplant.

How long did it last before unravelling into a ball? At least you can reuse the wool for a real DIY.

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Jen

Hi Betty,

Thanks for your comment – always interesting to hear from a ‘real knitter’!

I freely admit I am no good at DIY. The whole point of these posts is to give things I try. I know nothing about crafting. I admit that. I didn’t even consider that the jumper would unravel (that’s your ‘literal faceplant’ moment, I guess) but as many people have pointed out in the comments, it will, and as per my responses to those comments, I’ve now hemmed the neckline to stop this from happening.

Jen

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