When I find something I really love, nothing in this world could tear me away. Case in point: my perfect-fitting, soft-as-a-kitten, go-with-everything black cardigan…which has holes in both sleeves from years of clumsiness. Does that mean I don’t still wear it everyday? Nope! But do my elbows get cold? Yes.
 
I could just pick up a new one (black cardigans aren’t hard too come by), but none other could ever compare, and I’m tight on money as it is. My solution? Homemade elbow patches!

Nothing jazzes up a cardigan (or warms my elbows) like custom elbow patches, in any color or shape you could think of. Just follow these easy steps to get a pair of your very own!

What you’ll need:

  • A cardigan or something with sleeves!
  • Scrap of fabric (enough to make two patches)
  • Scissors
  • Needle & thread
  1. Fold the patch fabric in half and trace your desired size/shape (I wanted a cat shape, naturally) onto it with pencil or a fabric marker.
  2. Carefully cut out your shape, making the edges as smooth as possible. If you want a double layer of fabric for each patch (which I’d reccommend), you’ll want to retrace another patch and cut that out as well.
  3. Pin your patches to your sleeves down so they don’t move, and make sure your patches are even for each sleeve (you can use pencil or a fabric marker again).
  4. Carefully sew on the patches! I left some space between the edge of my patches and where the thread went, because I liked having the edges stick out a bit, but this is up to personal taste.
  5. Show off your new patches and make all your friends jealous!

It’s super easy, even for those of you with low-attention spans (like myself!). I’m not the world’s best sewer — on the contrary, I think I might be the worst — but it wasn’t too hard to do once I got into the swing of things. 

 
What do you guys think? Would any of you give this a try?