DIY Animated Christmas Hearth Shirt

attosa
Diamond Post Medal for All Time! 1,246 Posts

Total Time: 2 hours

Yield: 1

Link: My Animated Christmas Shirt in Action

Supplies:

• 1 mobile phone or iPod Touch
• black pen
• tan felt, 9" x 5 ½"
• ruler
• double-sided carpet tape
• hot glue gun with glue
• mini Christmas present decorations (dollar shop)
• tinsel pipe cleaners in green/red/silver (dollar shop)
• red felt
• white felt
• miniature Christmas ornaments

Steps:

1. To configure the glue zone for the fireplace pocket, place your mobile phone in the center of the tan felt. Trace the sides and bottom with your pen. This will show you what area should not be glued or taped so the phone can be dropped in at the end.

 
2. Now turn on your phone screen and see where the actual video will be playing. Make these markings around the phone.

 
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3. This cut-out area you're marking should be a bit smaller than the phone itself so the phone does not fall out. You could also add a clear plastic sheet from the inside if you want the viewing hole to the fire to be as large as possible. Now cut out this viewing area with your scissors.

 
4. Now we will draw the bricks on the fireplace. Flip over the felt piece and draw evenly spaced horizontal lines across it.

 
5. Now draw evenly spaced lines going down every other section of bricks.

 
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6. Now draw evenly spaced lines between each of those lines on the other lines of bricks.

 
7. Put on your shirt in front of a mirror and measure the perfect hearth placement for your body from the bottom of the shirt. Mine was about 5 ½ inches. Take off the shirt and center the hearth on it, using the measurement you just took from the bottom.

 
8. I used double-sided carpet tape to stick on the bulk of the hearth so it looked super smooth. I used the weight of the ruler to keep it down straight and added the adhesive one side at a time so there were no mistakes or chances of going crooked.

 
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9. Add your mini gifts to the floor in front of your fireplace. I used hot glue, but used double-sided carpet tape for the teddy bear because it was a gift to me from my late grandpa. When I was done with the shirt, it came off nicely, unscathed.

 
10. To make stockings, cut out some fat looking socks from your red felt. Make sure they are the right size to hang off the mantel. It would look silly if they were hanging in the fire. :D

 
11. Cut out some white trim and hot glue it onto the tops of the red socks.

 
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12. Hang your stockings from the mantel of the hearth! I glued on some miniature ornaments I had on top of the mantel to give it some depth.

 
13. To make the wreath, take 2 pieces of green tinsel pipe cleaner and twist them together. Not too tight, as you want it to look a bit fluffy. Now wrap a red tinsel pipe cleaner around the wreath, from the bottom, up to the top, then down from the other side.

 
14. Glue on a mini ornament of sorts on the bottom. You can also add a ribbon here.

 
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15. I thought it would be extra ugly to make the tinsel garland hang off the chest towards the fireplace. While I was wearing the shirt, I marked the proper areas, and added an extra dot in the center where the wreath should go.

 
16. I cut an inch off one of the silver tinsel pipe cleaners to make one look longer than the other.

 
17. Hot glue one side of the garlands down. Place a weight on them as they dry so they don't move out of place.

 
18. Bend the garlands and secure the other side with hot glue. Use the weight again. It won't take long at all to dry.

 
19. I twisted a baby piece of green tinsel pipe cleaner and placed them on top of the ends of the silver garland to make it look more polished.

 
20. Grab your mobile phone and load up a video of a crackling fire. I used this 10 hour one from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_LUpnjgPso

 
21. Put the video in fullscreen mode and pop the phone into your fireplace pocket.

 
22. Obviously, this shirt doubles as a great phone holder when you're at parties. Enjoy and let the laughs roll in!

 

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15mhhm15
Diamond Post Medal for All Time! 1,298 Posts

December 23, 20190 found this helpful

I love it!
I attended a ugly Christmas sweater party this year. But, I borrowed a friend's sweater she had instead. :) Because I could not justify spending $25 for a sweater.

 

poehere
Bronze Post Medal for All Time! 105 Posts

December 23, 20190 found this helpful

Now that one is cute and funny at the same time. Great job.

 

attosa
Diamond Post Medal for All Time! 1,246 Posts

December 23, 20190 found this helpful

Thank you! Yes, the prices on these things get super silly. I will be DIYing for the rest of my life :D

 

attosa
Diamond Post Medal for All Time! 1,246 Posts

December 23, 20190 found this helpful

Thank you so much!

 

Jess
Silver Post Medal for All Time! 267 Posts

December 24, 20190 found this helpful

Love your sweater, Atossa! I found a Christmas sweater dress at Marshalls for $5 after Christmas one year. It's not exactly ugly but I wear it to those type of events. I agree that full price is too much!

Merry Christmas!

 

attosa
Diamond Post Medal for All Time! 1,246 Posts

December 24, 20190 found this helpful

Thank you so much! Yes, those after Christmas sales are the best, aren't they. When we were at the Ugly Sweater Party, we were wondering how many hundreds of dollars were going into some of the get-ups. This was fun! Merry Christmas!!!

 

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