The fluffiest, most adorable and most creative Christmas sweaters you have ever seen are made right here in Temple City, in the home of Junior Kiara Luu.
A giant pile of construction paper scatters Luu’s table, and a great amount of glitter makes her hands, face and room sparkle like the bright, shining, silver star that tops your tree on Christmas day.
To get into the holiday spirit, Luu decided to make homemade Christmas sweaters with her mom two years ago.
Using decorative supplies such as cotton balls, felt, glitter and ribbon, Luu and her mom thought of themes and ideas to decorate their comfy long sleeves.
She first grabbed her needed supplies at arts and crafts stores like Michael’s and Jo-Ann, and so far, Luu has made three designs: one decorated with a Christmas tree, one with Santa and one with a reindeer.
“The sweaters are special to me because they are individually made, and no one else has them,” Luu said. “By making them myself, I can decorate it and make it the way I want it to be, and it’ll be unique as well!”
Since they are handmade and affordable, they are great presents for friends, families and even teachers.
In fact, Spanish teacher Ms. Christine Kenderes asked Luu to make her a sweater last year. For Ms. Kenderes, Luu glued a reindeer stuffed animal on the sweater, so the stuffed animal sticks out.
“It’s my favorite sweater ever,” Ms. Kenderes said. “It’s so cute, and I can’t wait to wear it again. She should start selling them because they look like they were professionally made.”
Luu hopes to make more in her spare time, and is thinking about making them as gifts for her friends this Christmas.
To keep the DIY affordable, she goes to thrift stores to find cheap sweaters, so if she makes a mistake, she can find another and redo it without spending too much money.
Luu usually uses red, green, blue or black sweaters because they can match holiday decorations and themes.
“I love the sweaters that Kiara has made,” Junior Pamela Le said. “I like how she made them herself with her own special touches.”
Holiday sweater making is a fun activity to do with friends and family, especially if you are bored over break.
Luu recommends finding the cheapest sweaters and supplies to guarantee an affordable DIY.
“Making Christmas sweaters gives me the opportunity to express my creativity,” Luu said. “I really do enjoy it, and it gets me into a festive mood.”
TCHS School Newspaper