A woman who makes and sells the world’s worst Christmas jumpers is back with her 2015 range and some even celebrating – HANUKKAH.
Deb Rottum, 46, has turned her madcap hobby into a full time job, by making second-hand sweaters into ‘hideous’ festive creations by sewing on tinsel, bells and toys.
And whenever the mum-of-three updates her eBay store ‘Deb’s Handmade Ugly Tacky Christmas Sweaters’ she poses with the new addition.
Deb pulls the exact same terrified facial expression and wooden pose which has seen her small business go viral.
She is now getting so many orders she’s turned her hobby into a full time business, and is doing a rip-roaring trade combining traditional Christian and Jewish holiday themes with her range of ‘Shal-Ho’ sweaters.
In one awful creation, Deb sewed a Santa hat on a dreidel, and gave Father Christmas a Star of David.
On another of the madcap designs, quirky Deb put blue tinsel and stars on a burgundy tank top.
Deb said: “I have made around 180 sweaters so far this year, but I’m doing them every day now in the run up to Christmas.
“They take me around an hour each to make – as a stay-at-home mum, it’s a hobby until autumn, when it becomes a full time job.”
“I started doing the Shal-Ho sweaters because somebody approached me and said his family celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah – they took off from there.”
Deb, who has been flogging awful Christmas jumpers two years ago, added: “I get all the stuff from thrift stores, charity shops and boot sales and craft fairs.
“I have piles and piles of festive rubbish that will eventually be sewn onto jumper.”
Some of the absolutely dreadful jumpers include massive teddy bears sewn onto the front, including penguins, moose, polar bears and even a Christmas monkey.
She said: “I just try and come up with something that’s themed, even if the theme is ‘ugly.’
“They’re quite clearly not in the best taste, but they certainly serve a purpose, and also nobody can see them and not get in the mood for Christmas.”
Deb, of Tampa, Florida, sells her creations for up to £50, and is struggling to keep up with orders because she can only make two in an evening.
One of the best features of Deb’s business is the pose she pulls in all the pictures.
Her ‘signature’ modelling stance involves wide eyes and a toothy grimace-like smile, and standing with her arms by her sides and clenched fists pointing at the ground.
She said: “I don’t pose like that because I have a gun pointed at me, that’s for sure.
“I stand like that so people can see the detail on the arms.
“I am purposely smiling big and making my eyes look crazy because these are crazy sweaters”
“I’m not terrified, I promise.”
Deb, who is willing to ship her incredibly hideous jumpers all over the world, also does commissions and has shipped dozens over to Britain in the last few weeks.
