upcycle your old sweater into a throw pillow

My hand knit sweater looks much better as a pillow!

Brief Description: Ever wonder what you could possible do with old 80s sweaters? Yes, I understand that some things should never be resurrected but, this one had never even been worn. Hard to believe, isn't it?

Supply List:

• old sweaters in excellent condition
• large embroidery needle
• matching embroidery floss
• stuffing inside of a pillow form or cushion material cut to size.

Directions:

1. Cut the sweater approximately 1/8 inch larger than the measurement of your pillow.
2. You will need two identical sides and these may be sewn together to either hide the seam or not, depending on the look that is most appropriate for the sweater's surface.
3. The pictured knit pillow was sewn with the right sides facing out. I sewed the seams twice with a heavy blanket stitch. I find this necessary when working with something that was formerly knit. 
4. Attempt to catch every loop of the knitting with the embroidery floss, otherwise your pillow will unravel.
5. Stuff the pillow with the pillow form, not loose cotton batting. Loose batting will eventually get pulled out from in between the knitting!

Additional Suggestions: A heavily textured knit looks best when sewn together with a similar seam.  For a finer seam, it would be best to stitch the knitted pieces on a sewing machine in order to prevent unraveling.

photographs and written craft pages copyrighted by Grimm 2017 

Upcycle old sweaters into handbags with Craftbrulee.
In England, sweaters are called jumpers.