When going through your winter clothes this fall did you find some sweaters that you can no longer wear? Don’t toss them or donate them just yet. There are so many ways to reuse old sweaters! You can upcycle your old sweaters, even the ones that have shrunk or have a few moth holes. You can cut them up and create quilt squares, make trendy pillow covers, make mittens, make a felted hat, or even turn an old sweater to create a tea cozy.
Are you feeling left out because all of your sweaters are in great shape, then pop into your local thrift store and pick up some old sweaters to use in your sewing projects. Check out the men’s department as well as the women’s section for old sweaters. Look for interesting patterns and colored sweaters for your projects.
Some craft projects require felted wool. If you have old wool sweaters, you can use this tutorial showing you how to felt wool sweaters or this one showing how to turn old sweaters into felted wool, instead of buying felted wool. You can also unravel a sweater and reuse the yarn for other projects. Here is how to unravel a sweater to recycle the yarn.
10 Ways to Reuse Old Sweaters in DIY Projects
How to Make Mittens from Recycled Sweaters / Simplify Live Love
How to Make a Tea Cozy from an Old Sweater / Aunt B on a Budget
Felted Wool Sweater Blanket Tutorial / Yellow Suitcase Studio
How to Make Hats from Recycled Sweaters / CraftStylish
How to Make a Braided Sweater Scarf / Just Another Day in Paradise
How to Make a Pillow Cover from an Old Sweater / Brassy Apple
How to Make a Skirt from an Old Sweater / Blooming Leopold
How to Make a Felted Wool Laptop Bag / Not Dabbling in Normal
How to Make a Felted Hand Bag / The Inadvertent Farmer
Upcycled Sweater Vase/ Premeditated Leftovers
How to Make a Book Bag from an Old Sweater / Craft Snob
How to Make a Ear Warmer from an Old Sweater / Premeditated Leftovers
How do you reuse old sweaters? Have you ever upcycled an old sweater for a DIY Project? We would love to hear about it!
Thrifty Gal says
How about making gift bags? I make reusable gift bags out of regular cotton fabric (fold a square, hem the top, stitch side and bottom, put ribbon into side seam before sewing), but why not use a sweater instead?
jean says
When my daughter’s twins were in cloth diapers, I purchased nice manly wool sweaters from the thrift shops, shrunk them in hot water, and then created diaper covers and longies. I am in my late sixties, and did not know that 100 per cent wool diaper covers, especially treated with extra lanolin, work like plastic pants of my day, don’t smell, and don’t need washing if air dried, unless they get poop on them. Easy peasy with a serger. I used the collars and cuffs and waistbands to make the waistbands and cuffs on the upcycled product. I added and extra layer in the crotch.
[email protected] says
Thanks for the shout out, Alea. 🙂 I love that felted hand bag!