Recycled Woven Gift Wrap Vest

What should you do with all your used Christmas gift wrap? Make an ugly sweater vest out of it!

This project requires a stack of large sheets of used gift wrap. Try to carefully unwrap your presents so that the paper doesn't tear. Resist the urge to tear open your presents!

Cut the paper into 1 inch strips. The longer the pieces, the better.

I cut my strips on a large cutting mat, using a T-square and a rotary cutter.

Align your strips vertically so that they are touching side-by-side. Tape one end to a sturdy flat surface.

Next, weave strips through horizontally.

You will need one sheet of woven paper for each side of your vest.

Flip over your woven paper. Apply glue to the white side of the paper with a paint brush (I used Mod Podge and a foam brush). Then put a large piece of used paper over top of the glue. This will give your paper a little more strength and help to prevent your weaving from coming undone.

Use a vest you already have or sketch out pattern pieces for your vest. Then, tape your pattern onto your sheet of woven paper to keep it in place while you cut out your pieces.

Overlap your sides by one inch and tape them together. Next tape your shoulder pieces together.

The last step is to decorate your vest any way you like. I punched holes along the middle and laced up my vest with used ribbon and added a used bow.