I’m going to my first holiday party of the season this weekend. (Incidentally, it’s my 8th anniversary party. Click here to see the Facebook invite and RSVP!)

Obviously I want to wear something sparkly, but going to the mall depresses me…time for a refashion!

I started with a plain black cardigan. Another refugee from my business casual wardrobe that I put together before I knew that “versatile” does not necessarily mean “plain and boring.”

I was so young! So foolish! Seriously, how dull is this thing? Clearly in need of a little something to make its little cardi life worth living.

I definitely wanted something shiny to perk up this plain cardi. So I went to my local fabric store, and raided the decorative trim aisle. I couldn’t decide between four different trims, so I got them all.

The best thing about this refashion? Even if your trim is super expensive (mine wasn’t – the priciest one was less than $4/yard), it’s still going to be much cheaper than buying a new bling-y sweater…you only need 1.25 yards of trim!

I love contrasting textures, so in the end I decided on the sequins for shine, and the velvet to add depth. Here’s the final look:

The velvet was sewn on by machine (just one long stitch down each side of the ribbon), but I sewed on the sequin trim by hand, using long whip stitches. I used a tiny, super-skinny needle and silk finish thread to make the smallest holes possible in my sweater and in the trim.

I am totally wearing this this weekend, with something lacy underneath and possibly a satin sash tied around my waist!

variations to try
Obviously you could do this with any color sweater and any color trim…they don’t even have to match! What about matte sequins or satin ribbon? How about a strip of fancy fabric instead of trim, like damask or brocade, or something else with texture? You could also replace the plain buttons with something a bit fancier, like rhinestone, glass, or mother-of-pearl buttons.

check out my other cardi refashions
I sort of have a thing for turning my boring cardigans into something a bit more interesting. Check out the other refashions in my “just say no to boring cardigans” series: part one (with lace), part two (with a shawl), part three (with yarn), and part four (the nautical version).

As always, I’d love to see your versions of holiday sweaters that are actually wearable!

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