Hi everyone! In Part Two we continue with Sewing Holiday Traditions with a look at upcycling and creating a special keepsake item. Shari is here to share this project with us, take it away Shari...
I live in northern Minnesota, and like most people around here, I tend to collect sweaters. There is nothing quite as cozy as wearing layers of warm woolly sweaters when the temperatures get frigid. Even on the hottest summer days, the weather here is prone to abrupt changes and the evenings can get rather cool so it is always a good idea to keep a light sweater near at hand.
Every now and then, I need to thin some of my old worn out sweaters from my closet, but it always seems a shame to simply discard these old friends because of a worn spot or a hole when most of the fabric still has plenty of wear left in it.
In this tutorial, I am going make a doll-sized cardigan from an old cashmere sweater and demonstrate how you can reduce the width of the ribbing from the bottom edge. I'll be using my new pattern the Open Front Cardigan For 18" Dolls.
Follow along to see how it's done:
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Since we are in the midst of the holiday season, I thought the pretty blue of this sweater with a sprinkling of little snowflake buttons would make it just right for Hannukah and the winter season. I've used these darling Itty Bitty Snowflake buttons incorporated with my hand-embroidered design. You can find the PDF embroidery design outline in the SWC Bonuses section or included with the Open From Cardigan pattern.
It is so satisfying to see new life given to my old sweater in the sweet little cardigan and there is plenty of fabric left for other projects as well. I hope the tips I've shared with you in this tutorial will help to get your creative juices flowing with ideas for how to reuse your old sweaters!
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Susan Petersen
January 12, 2024
Love this sweater! Thank you for the fabulous tip on marking the embroidery with chalk.