Make A Sweater Better......into a The Cardigan Hat!

I wanted to share one of my favorite tutorials from last year, created by Disney from Ruffles and Stuff!  This masterpiece was a guest post at Thirty Handmade Days.

The Cardigan Hat

  Click on the picture or here for the tutorial.

Guest Post @ Sew Chic & Unique: How to Make a Sweater Better.....as Handwarmers!

Today I'd like to welcome the readers of Sew Chic and Unique to my little corner of the blog world.  I wrote this tutorial as a guest post for the Inspire to Create event going on there right now.

I thought this was a perfect opportunity to tie in my Make A Sweater Better tutorials, so I decided to make fingerless handwarmers made from the sleeves of an old felted sweater!

(ok, I needed a model, and I was the only one around.  Everyone keeps telling me I look 13 in this picture instead of 33.  I guess that means everyone should have a picture of themselves in B&W!)

Materials:
All you need is an old wool sweater.  Felt it by washing it in hot water and drying it on high heat.  The sweater I'm using is 90% wool, and 10% acrylic, and it felted nicely.

You also need embroidery floss, but a lightweight yarn would work well too...maybe even better!

Tutorial:

 

Cut both sleeves off of your felted sweater.  Try them on with the cut end toward your fingers.  Locate where you want your gloves to hit on your fingers, and mark it.

Take the sleeve off, and cut straight across where you marked. 

Cut a deep slit for your thumb.  

 

Then cut a bit off the thumb to make it shorter than the rest of your handwarmer.  

 

 Thread your embroidery floss or yarn into a needle with a head that will accommodate the size your your floss or yarn.

 Start your stitch in the back layer corner closest to the thumb.  If you don't already know how to do a blanket stitch, go to this great tutorial.  

 

Stitch around the opening of the hand.  When you get all the way around, you will blanket stitch BOTH pieces together, down the inside of the index finger and up the inside of the thumb.  

When you get to the opening of the thumb, blanket stitch around the opening. 

Enjoy your toasty hands!



Find other great projects along with mine at these link ups:

The Girl Creative
Making The World Cuter
Motivate Me Monday
Creative Itch
Sew Much Ado
Someday Crafts
My Repurposed Life
Tatertots and Jello
I heart naptime

Make a Sweater Better .....into a Dog Sweater!

I really thought "summer" was winding down for us, but because I decided not to put my daughter into 3 year old preschool this year, we are finding lots of trouble to get into these last few hot days.

I've been working on 2 new tutorials for Make A Sweater Better, but they are for guest posts, so I can't post them right away.  They are coming VERY soon!

I stumbled on an awesome tutorial today from Kris at

 

I loved the idea of making a dog sweater, but my dog already has a built in fur coat (part chow).  So I'm going to leave it to Kris to give you the how to on this outstanding tutorial.

Click on that adorable face in the picture to find out how!

 

Have a reclaimed sweater project in mind, but just can't find the "right" sweater?  You can find it in Resweater's Artfire shop!

Purse Week @ A Lemon Squeezy Home!

There is an awesome contest getting ready to start over at A Lemon Squeezy Home....Purse Week! It's a contest to show off your purse making skills!  There is an amazing panel of judges and equally impressive prizes.  AND....I'm super excited to be guest posting!

Tutorial: Make a Sweater Better as a......Shrug

 

 Make a Sweater Better as a......Shrug!

Remember the leftover sweater from the last tutorial?

If you didn't make the legwarmers from the last tutorial, all you need to do to get started is cut the arms off your sweater, leaving enough to form a short sleeve!

Cut the band off the bottom of the sweater.

Put the band aside we will be reattaching it shorty.

Find the middle of the front and cut open just the front layer.

 Try the sweater on and decide where you want the bottom to reach.  Don't forget to include the added length of the bottom band we are going to reattach.  Cut your sweater, and you might as well save this piece too because I will probably think of something to make with it later.

Reattach the bottom sweater band back onto the sweater.  To do this, place the band upside down so cut edges are touching the cut edge of the sweater.  Right sides should be touching.

The best way to sew this back on if you don't have a serger like me (but I'm saving my money!)  Use a zig zag stitch first.  Then, when both pieces were attatched, I ran a straight stitch down the length really close to the outer points of the zig zag stitch.

It should resemble something like this.  If you have a lot of lumps and bumps they will usually iron out nicely as long as you sewed a straight line.

Find some coordinating ribbon and cut 4 strips the length of the front of your sweater plus 2 inches.

 

Sew the ribbon strips onto the front opening of your sweater by pinning one on the right side and one on the wrong side and sandwiching the cut edge of the sweater in between.  Tuck the ends inside themselves.  It's important to not stretch the sweater when you are pinning or stitching.  It will cause you to have lumps and bumps that you can't iron out.  Stitch down both edges of the ribbon.   

To finish the arm holes, measure your bicep.  If your bicep is bigger than your sweater arm hole opening, cut 2 ribbons the size of your bicep plus 1 inch.  If you sweater arm hole opening is bigger than your bicep, cut 2 ribbon the the size of the opening.  (my sweater was bigger than my bicep, arm curls anyone?)  

I'm only finishing off the outside of the sleeve, because you aren't going to see the underside, like you possibly could with the front opening.  But if you are so inclined to finish it on the inside too, it's your choice.

Pin your ribbon onto the arm opening starting at the armpit.  

Continue pinning around the arm opening, and finish at the armpit.  Fold your edge under.  Careful not to pull and stretch the sweater or you will get unwanted lumps and bumps.  

Sew around both side of your ribbon.

All done!  I think this would look lovely with a pin made out of repurposed leather.  Gonna write that one down for another time.

I will be sharing this tutorial with the awesome links located at the bottom of this page, or you can find them in the navi bar under "linked to"

New in my shop!

Make a Sweater Better WILL resume tomorrow!  I've had a lot of obligations this week.  I have to work and overnight shift tonight, and after I get a few hours of sleep tomorrow, I will put up the next tutorial using the rest of the sweater that we used for the legwarmers.

What I really wanted to share was what I did this past weekend!  I attended an engagement party, and of course, that day, I decided I needed a necklace to go with my dress.  So what does any self respecting crafter do??? Drive my husband crazy and make my own!  It turned out so well, I decided to make a few more and put them in my esty shop!

Tutorial: Make a Sweater Better as....Leg Warmers!

 I'm kicking off Make a Sweater Better event with....
Leg Warmers!

They say if you wait long enough, long ago trends eventually come back into style.  I'm so glad this one is coming back with a vengeance.

Simply made out of the arms of an old sweater, this is a fast project to whip up, and can be made with a light weight sweater for a softer look, or a heavy weight sweater (like me) for an in your face, bold fashion statement. (ok, that might be a little extreme, but my husband thinks these are a little over the top)

Materials:
1 sweater 
1/4 elastic  
basic sewing supplies

Grab your sweater and lay it out flat (unlike mine, go figure)

Cut the arms off the sweater.  LEAVE ENOUGH ON THE SWEATER TO MAKE  A SHORT SLEEVE!!  We are going to use the rest of this sweater next time!

Use a serger, or if your like me and don't own one (yet) use an overcasting stitch on the cut edge.  Make sure your stitch is wide enough to catch onto the unraveled part of the sweater.

This is what you should be going for.

 

 If your sleeve isn't already turned inside out, do so now.  Fold over the top edge, and pin.

Sew your fold edge closed using a zig zag stitch, leaving a small opening to thread your elastic.

Measure the circumference of the leg right above the knee.  Cut your elastic from this measurement.

Thread your elastic through the channel of your leg warmer and pull the ends out. Sew the ends together approx. 1/4 inch away from the elastic ends.

Sew the hole closed and enjoy rocking your new leg warmers!

I'll be sharing this tutorial with the awesome links at the bottom of this page.  You can also find their buttons in my navi bar "linked to"