DIY Rib Cage Sweater

So incase no one has noticed yet- I've got a thing for skulls & bones... but only the adorable ones. I've been seeing these rib cage cut out tees all over the internet, which I absolutely adore (a great companion tee to the skull back tee).

check out this shirt from Gypsy Warrior. 

But it's cold season here in Pittsburgh, so I wanted to mimic the design but make it winter-friendly.
The result? A neat-o sweatshirt with a ghoulish design that I want to wear every day!

Supplies:
-1 Plain, cotton blend sweatshirt. I picked up a Hanes boatneck sweatshirt for $7 at Target (bonus: Target carries men's & women's so you can get a thinner, more shapely one if you want it to be a bit more flattering)
-Fabric with an awesome pattern that will span the back of whichever sweatshirt you get.
-Sewing Thread - choose the same color as your sweatshirt or a bright color for a pop.
-Sewing Needle
-Fabric Scissors
-A Sharpie

Step One:
Turn the sweatshirt inside out. With the back-side facing up, draw a simplified ribcage using your Sharpie. I just drew nine circle-ish shapes to represent the spine (try to make them organic looking- perfect circles will look odd) and then curved rectangular shapes on either side of the circles (7 on each side- 14 total). The bottom ribs are longer and more curved and end in two little triangular shapes for the tail bone.

Step Two:
Cut out the design. Be carful and take your time!

Step Three: 
Turn the sweater right-side-out. Pick out a fabric and place the whole sheet behind the cut out design. It's important to use the whole piece of fabric and not random scraps if you're using any sort of pattern. You want it to flow consistently from cut out to cut out.

I had problems deciding on fabric and used my fellow instagramers for help. 

Tie-Dye won the popular vote!

Step Four: 

Pin the whole sheet of fabric to the sweatshirt- smooth it and pin each corner to the outside of the sweatshirt to keep it laying flat. 

Pin one cut-out at a time to the fabric behind it & then sew it! Only pinning & sewing one shape at a time helps to keep the fabric from puckering. 

I didn't use a precise hand-sewing technique.. I wanted a rough, uneven look.. like so:

Step Five:

Finish sewing all the shapes... I know it takes a while so it's a good time to start a new series on Netflix. If you're a perfectionist go for machine sewing, it's a lot faster too. 

Now turn the sweatshirt inside out again so that the sheet of sewn fabric is facing you. 

Cut around the outside of the sewn shapes. Be really careful not to cut what you've sewn! Cutting off the excess fabric will make the sweatshirt lights and less bulky. 

That's it!!

Turn your sweatshirt right-side out again and enjoy your masterpiece!