Make Wednesday Addams' Checkered Knit Pullover From Recycled Sweaters

If repeated viewings of the first season of Wednesday have you set on wearing a Wednesday Addams costume this Halloween, this project is for you. Rather than buying something ready-made, you can turn a few thrifted or closet-bound sweaters into her distinctive black-and-white checkered pullover. Some sewing is involved, but a handmade piece is far more in the spirit of Wednesday than a purchased costume. Let's get to work.

Plain black and white sweaters are all you need as a starting point — whatever you already own or can find secondhand works fine.

1. Take the sweaters apart

Pick two plain black sweaters and two plain white ones of comparable weight and knit type. With sharp scissors, remove the sleeves at the seams and put them aside for later use. Then cut along the side and shoulder seams of each sweater.

Lay each opened sweater flat on a cutting surface. From the fabric, cut 20 black squares and 20 white squares, each measuring 6 1/4 in. If you come up short on fabric, the reserved sleeves can supply a square or two.

2. Join the squares

Pair two squares with their right sides together, align the edges, and pin. Using the ballpoint needle and a zigzag stitch, sew a 1/4-in. seam.

3. Press each seam

Steam does a lot of the work here. After sewing each seam, press it flat with a steam iron; this keeps seams even and makes it simpler to align the squares afterward.

4. Build alternating strips

Alternate black and white squares into four strips: two strips of six squares and two strips of four squares. With right sides together, pin the strips so that each square lines up with its neighbor and the seams meet. Sew the two long strips and the two short strips together. Once all four are joined, the result is a T shape.

Make a second T-shaped patchwork piece the same way. One will form the sweater front and the other the back.

5. Cut the front using the pattern

Set the front pattern piece on the left half of one T-shaped piece, centering the pattern on the squares. Pin it down and cut along the pattern lines for the side, sleeve opening, shoulder, and neckline, leaving the center uncut.

Unpin, flip the pattern to the right half of the fabric, realign the center, and pin again. Cut the side, sleeve opening, shoulder, and neckline as before, again keeping the center intact. Remove the pins and pattern — this piece is the front of your Wednesday sweater.

6. Cut the back using the pattern

Pin the back pattern piece onto the left half of the second T-shaped piece, centering it on the squares, and cut the side, sleeve opening, shoulder, and neckline while leaving the center uncut. Unpin, flip the pattern to the right half, center and pin it, then cut the same edges. Remove the pins and pattern, and the back of the sweater is ready.

7. Join front and back

With right sides together, align the side and shoulder edges of the front and back pieces. Pin and sew the sides and shoulders with a 5/8-in. seam allowance.

8. Finish the bottom edge with knit trim

Tuck the sweater's bottom raw edge inside the black knit trim, pin, and sew through all three layers with a zigzag stitch.

9. Trim the sleeve openings

Sandwich the left sleeve opening's raw edge in black knit trim and the right opening's raw edge in white knit trim. Pin and sew each with a zigzag stitch.

10. Trim the neckline

Cut the trim at a 45-degree angle. Sandwich the left side of the neckline in the black knit trim and the right side in the white trim. Pin and sew with a zigzag stitch.