Creative ways to upcycle sweaters! Click to see a curated list of fun decor, gifts, accessories, all using up old sweaters.
Peek at the "goodies" you'll see at our upcoming sale!! Small tables, chairs and random furniture pieces.... Fabric by the yard 50% off and scraps sold by the bag (a big bag). Great potential for tons of projects!! Various floor sample rugs. Seriously good pricing on tons of treasures and handmade. Drawers of goodies priced at $3.00-$5.00-$7.00 Discontinued Company C carpet samples for sale for the fist time ever!! Make your own cool rug. officially begins....june 4th 9:00 am
Many of you have asked where I buy my wool felt or how I make my felt…I have been wanting to explain this anyway, so here you go! I make my felt from wool sweaters, blankets, hats, scarves, coats, etc. This scarf is made from alpaca wool. I use the process of fulling to create felt. I have actually gotten comments on my blog from the fiber purists pointing out that what I call felting is actually fulling! Basically it boils down to this…if you start with something already made (knitted, crocheted, woven,etc) you are fulling when you attempt to shrink it to produce felt! Fulling is A finishing process in which the woven or knitted cloth is subjected to moisture, heat and friction causing it to shrink considerably in both directions and become compact and solid. In heavily fulled fabrics both the weave and the yarn are obscured, thus giving the apprearance of felt. Felting is an ancient technique that produces a non woven sheet of matted material which is most frequently made from wool, hair or fur created by the entanglement of a mass of fibers that takes place when heat, moisture and pressure are combined. Ok, so now that we have cleared the air on that topic, I actually start out at the thrift stores, yard sales, auctions. Those are the places that I look for anything that is mostly wool. I prefer 90-100% all wool, such as shetland, merino, lambswool, alpaca, llama, cashmere, mohair. Now cashmere and mohair is wonderfully soft, but it won’t give you the tight felt that I prefer to work with, so I might buy it to use on some delicate projects, like baby blankets or soft flower pins. Look for wool solids to start with as prints are difficult to predict until you have some experience in how pieces look after they are washed. Avoid any wool product that says superwash, because it will not shrink…it is meant to be washed. The good sweaters are the ones that say DRY CLEAN ONLY! Occasionally if I need a certain color, I will buy a sweater that is less than 100% wool if it is mixed with angora or mohair. Those fibers will bond with the wool so they will still give a nice finished product with more texture. OK, so let’s say you have your wool sweaters…get them ready to shrink! The hardest part of all this is finding the wool articles to shrink so after that it’s all downhill! Start by putting the similar colors together. I like to wash my sweaters all together…to save $$$. If you mix different colors together, the colored fibers from one sweater will attach itself to other sweaters in the washer. To prevent the colors from mixing I enclose my similar colors in a zipped pillow case cover or just tied up in a old pillow case. You want the zippered bags to be loosely filled, not full and snug by any means…the pieces need to be able to move around freely. Another take on the zippered bags…this process will yield a lot of fuzzy debris that will clog your washer’s lint trap, so it is a good idea to contain that in these bags. Trust me, I know. Some of my fellow crafters use their local Laundromat for this process. Nest fill your washer with water as hot as you can get it…add your regular laundry detergent. Never use fabric softener when fulling/felting wool as this causes the wool fibers not to stick to each other and therefore wont make felt! Then toss your pillowcases into the washer! Add an old pair of tennis shoes or rubber balls or old tennis balls as this adds some mechanical agitation of the wool, helping it to felt. Set the washer on hot wash and hot rinse too…my washer is not fancy so I just hand set the rinse cycle. The next step is to wait anxiously while your washer does the work…You can open the lid and look inside every few minutes….I usually do that but I have to warn you about the smell of wet sheep which will emanate from the washer! And if you used old sweaters, think of the wet sheep smell combined with mothballs! Mmmmm, lovely! You remove the sweaters from the zip bag outside preferably…this part is plenty messy as the fuzz will be everywhere! Shake each piece off and stuff it into the dryer. I usually clean my lint filter once while the sweaters dry and of course at the end of the load because it will be full! Once everything dries, you have wool felt! It might look really fuzzy…like this… So if your sweater is fuzzy, then you brush off the fuzz…I use this Sweater Stone. It neatly cleans all the fuzz off the sweater in just a few swipes! You can get one here for only $5.99 and I have heard Target also carries these stones! You can see the left side of this sweater has been de-fuzzed and the right side (where the stone sits) still is fuzzy. Now let’s compare a pre felted sweater…(you can see the rows of the yarn if you look closely) with a post felted (or fulled!) sweater (all you see is fuzz)! These two green sweaters made wonderful felt! One was an Old Navy and one was a Gap sweater…seems like the more expensive brand name sweaters make the best felt! Grab some scissors and start cutting up your felt! It will not fray or ravel…the edges should be finished looking…if you can see threads or stitches, then the piece needs to be fulled again! Now you are done! All you have to do is find something fun to make…like this or this or this! I am linking to these great parties!
Get yourself a selection of unwanted wool sweaters from the thrift store or from the closets of indulgent friends, and then check out my massive collection of wool sweater crafts.
Our Felted Wool Patchwork Quillow has been a favorite Bee project ever since we posted it last winter. And no wonder! It's quick, practical and totally gorgeous! The Quillow's rich beauty comes from Mary Flanagan's incredibly soft Felted Wool, which is hand dyed in a spectrum of warm, earthy colors. We're thrilled that this wonderful wool now comes in bundles of smaller, 7-inch by 8-inch pieces. Inspired by these little stacks of sumptuous fabric gems, we decided to revisit Mary Flanagan and her perfectly patchwork-able Felted Wool! This time around, instead of a quillow, we decided to make a simple throw . We picked out eight lovely bundles ranging from the soft golden palette of "Straw" to the deep purple tones of "Blackberry". The effect is like a walk through the countryside, with each bundle evoking its own special place: a grassy hill, a plowed field, a bubbling stream. Expanding on Page's original detailed instructions and ingenious construction, the Felted Wool Patchwork Throw is a snap to make. It's amazing to be able to sew such a substantial throw (53-inches by 56-inches!) in a weekend! Best of all, because it's made from such special material in such a cozy palette, it comes out looking absolutely beautiful!
Love felting? Learn to felt wool. Skip the fabric stores this round and head to your local thrift store for high quality material at a fraction of the cost.
Today's sewing project combines four of my favorite things: felted wool sweaters, DIY pillows, applique and free sewing patterns! Yes, get ready to sew your own felted wool pillow with a free pattern for leaf appliqué! This sewing tutorial and pattern are part of the Cucicucicoo Learn to Machine Sew course for beginners, and goes
Creative ways to upcycle sweaters! Click to see a curated list of fun decor, gifts, accessories, all using up old sweaters.
Browse the best felt projects—including blankets, ornaments, pillows, and more—to make for every need in your life.
Upcycled felted wool sweater Christmas tree for WIST 2009 Ornament Swap
Wool Appliqué Fast and Easy by Marya Kissinger Amig of Spoolproof.com It’s hard to imagine that a needle art that evolved at the time of the Civil War is surging in popularity today. But if you’ve ever stitched wool appliqué, you know why. Whether primitive or modern in design, wool appliqué is portable, tactile, and
Somebody very special to me had a birthday this month. Naturally, she already has everything - except a felted wool pillow. So that is what I made her, and here is how. First, you need a wool sweater that, once felted, fits over the pillow form you bought or rediscovered as the real first step. I chose a very soft sweater in cream, so it would feel and look nice anywhere she wanted to put it. It had a few moth holes in it, but nothing I couldn't hide. Then you need to make it square - first by cutting off the arms and neck, and then by piecing sleeve patches over the curves left by the arms and neck. (See how the pieces got skewed in the felting process? They don't line up, which posed a problem when it came to the button band. More details on that later.) This brings us to the 'if you can't hide it, focus on it' part of our program. We are dealing with moth holes and giant ovals that just look weird. Solution? Flowers. A lot of flowers. All cut from one of the sleeves, by the way. Once they're pinned you can hand- or, in my case, machine-stitch them down: and find matching buttons. Around this time I also stitched down the corners of one side of the bottom of the pillow, a nice finish that didn't work because of the skewing problem, as you'll see shortly. I had to rip that stitching out. Then it's buttonhole city - measuring for them and pinning to mark where to cut them open with a ripper: I used the pins that ran perpendicular to the buttonhole to help me line up the buttons when I sewed them onto the other side: You could probably leave the buttonholes unfinished, but I didn't want to. I also didn't have any matching embroidery thread, so I had to settle for the same sewing thread I'd used to stitch the pieces together: Sewing thread is so fine I feared it would be way too much work, but it wasn't any trouble at all. What gave me greater trouble was the skewed fabric - in the end I had to rip open the seam at one side of the button band and whipstitch hems for the front and back of the pillow to ensure the band didn't pull when the pillow was closed. This is the other side, pictured here - it neatly tucks under in the exact line I had stitched and ripped out: And then - you can sit down and relax with a nice book and some cookies!
Easy tutorial on how to make felted wool from thrift store sweaters for boot cuffs, hand warmers, pillow covers, and more!
Most people have sweaters and knitted jumpers in their wardrobes, but what do you do with them when they get a hole in or don't fit any more? Well, this page should give you plenty of upcycling ideas!
With summer just around the corner, it's time to pack away all those warm woolies and bring out light hot-weather clothing. So what do you do with those sweaters with little moth holes or stains, or with the ones that are stretched out or a bit shrunken? Put them in a big pile and get
Felted wool made from recycled sweaters, vintage buttons, wool thread; 18” x 17”.
If you’ve ever worked with felt and wanted to trace shapes to cut out, you may have noticed that the fuzzy texture can make it difficult to trace directly onto the fabric. Whether you are working with polyester craft felt, a wool blend, or 100% wool felt, freezer paper is an easy-to-use method for t
Spring is the time to say “see ya later!” to all my winter clothes. I don’t actually have a special place to put them, but I do shuffle things around…
By far, one of my favorite things to up-cycle for crafting purposes are wool sweaters! It's nearly addicting. And you can find them for only a few dollars at your local thrift store. TIPS
Wool is one of my favorite materials. I work with reclaimed wool that I turn into felt as well as with wool roving that I both wet and needle felt.
Hello, Felt-sters! I have for you today a quick technique tutorial. I received this tool a few months ago at CHA from the lovely people at Clover. It works pretty much like the other tool I use, but able to pinpoint (ahem) a tinier area. I think it works great for a technique I'm calling
Handmade, one of a kind, pin/brooch. I hand felt wool sweaters to create my own felted wool. This pin design is a flower bud with matching center. It is made from super soft wool. It measures approximately 4” across. Pin back, flower, and button mount are all stitched through the felt wool. Great piece for a sweater, hat, scarf, or jacket. Thank you for looking. From my smoke free home.
Felted wool made from recycled sweaters, vintage buttons, wool thread; 13” x 13”.
I’m a great recycler, as I suspect many textile lovers are. Much of my business is based on scouring charity shops and jumble sales for items that other people have discarded and transforming…
Looking for great ideas for recycling your wool sweaters? Here are over 25 ideas to start with - from accessories to home decor to Christmas.
Most people have sweaters and knitted jumpers in their wardrobes, but what do you do with them when they get a hole in or don't fit any more? Well, this page should give you plenty of upcycling ideas!
All round it’s been a pretty productive day here at Clasheen …… Hedge cut down the lane Well up and running again at last Upcycled bag sewn Orange flower wet felted and beaded to…
We hope you have enjoyed this section of WOVEMBER featuring knitwear designers, hand spinners, weavers, knitters, event organisers, mill restorers & co. but no collection of writings on ‘…
Here is some of the lovely art created by Morna Crites-Moore. She makes it out of felted recycled sweaters. _________________________________________________________________________________________…
Browse the best felt projects—including blankets, ornaments, pillows, and more—to make for every need in your life.
Learn how to felt cashmere sweaters with these simple techniques, tips and tricks! This tutorial is perfect for those recycled cashmere sweaters!
Felted wool sweaters make the best material for so many sewing and crafting projects! | Great tips for felting/shrinking sweaters to get them ready for your projects #upcycledsweaters #sweaterrecycling #feltedwoolsweaters #feltingwool #feltingwoolsweaters #recyledsweaters #upcycledwoolsweaters #youmakeitsimple #woolsweaters #janhowell
Hi guys! Today I am show and telling my latest project..a tote I am in the process of making myself from vintage estate sale wool sweaters. I look for 100% wool sweaters while I am estate sale-ing. My price cap is $2 unless it is one I plan to wear as is. I ran these thru the washer (on hot) and dryer a couple times to shrink. I then snipped and dyed some of the pieces with Rit dye. I never wear gloves so my fingers were pink for a day! The base sweater I left undyed. I love colorful against a neutral. The gold was vintage wool yardage that I also shrunk/felted. The black and white is vintage yardage..not all wool but I just love the houndstooth pattern! I drew a pattern on paper and cut out my shapes and snipped out the flower circles. I pinned then sewed them on. Because some of these were a bit thick, I zig zagged the centers to the flower bases first, then sewed the flowers to the tote face. I then added vintage buttons from my stash. This one is actually a gilded pressed glass Victorian one. I was going to add rick rack stems and felted leaves but I could not find my rick rack stash..yes I have a rick rack stash..doesn't everyone? I have decided to call these poppies.. Since Plan A was not happening, I tried my hand for the first time at some free form machine stitched stems and leaves and I actually love how these turned out! I think I like it better than my original plan. I like how the stitches have an ink drawing quality. I must try more of this! I plan to finish this up tonight so I can have a new tote when my husband and I go to the Country Living Show in Atlanta tomorrow. I will share completed pics and I also plan to take lots of pics at the show (if I remember my camera!) 'Til next time! Julia
Piecework Wool Applique, Wool Applique, Folksy Bird and Bloom, Piecing, Different Wool Applique Techniques, Kit, Hand Embroidery, Giveaway, Rose Clay, Three Sheep Studio, How To/Tutorial
Our Felted Wool Patchwork Quillow has been a favorite Bee project ever since we posted…
* Do you have a question about this blanket? Check out the FAQs post! (added 11/13/12)* I'm so excited to share this project with you! It...
Love felting? Learn to felt wool. Skip the fabric stores this round and head to your local thrift store for high quality material at a fraction of the cost.
Many of you have asked where I buy my wool felt or how I make my felt…I have been wanting to explain this anyway, so here you go! I make my felt from wool sweaters, blankets, hats, scarves, coats, etc. This scarf is made from alpaca wool. I use the process of fulling to create felt. I have actually gotten comments on my blog from the fiber purists pointing out that what I call felting is actually fulling! Basically it boils down to this…if you start with something already made (knitted, crocheted, woven,etc) you are fulling when you attempt to shrink it to produce felt! Fulling is A finishing process in which the woven or knitted cloth is subjected to moisture, heat and friction causing it to shrink considerably in both directions and become compact and solid. In heavily fulled fabrics both the weave and the yarn are obscured, thus giving the apprearance of felt. Felting is an ancient technique that produces a non woven sheet of matted material which is most frequently made from wool, hair or fur created by the entanglement of a mass of fibers that takes place when heat, moisture and pressure are combined. Ok, so now that we have cleared the air on that topic, I actually start out at the thrift stores, yard sales, auctions. Those are the places that I look for anything that is mostly wool. I prefer 90-100% all wool, such as shetland, merino, lambswool, alpaca, llama, cashmere, mohair. Now cashmere and mohair is wonderfully soft, but it won’t give you the tight felt that I prefer to work with, so I might buy it to use on some delicate projects, like baby blankets or soft flower pins. Look for wool solids to start with as prints are difficult to predict until you have some experience in how pieces look after they are washed. Avoid any wool product that says superwash, because it will not shrink…it is meant to be washed. The good sweaters are the ones that say DRY CLEAN ONLY! Occasionally if I need a certain color, I will buy a sweater that is less than 100% wool if it is mixed with angora or mohair. Those fibers will bond with the wool so they will still give a nice finished product with more texture. OK, so let’s say you have your wool sweaters…get them ready to shrink! The hardest part of all this is finding the wool articles to shrink so after that it’s all downhill! Start by putting the similar colors together. I like to wash my sweaters all together…to save $$$. If you mix different colors together, the colored fibers from one sweater will attach itself to other sweaters in the washer. To prevent the colors from mixing I enclose my similar colors in a zipped pillow case cover or just tied up in a old pillow case. You want the zippered bags to be loosely filled, not full and snug by any means…the pieces need to be able to move around freely. Another take on the zippered bags…this process will yield a lot of fuzzy debris that will clog your washer’s lint trap, so it is a good idea to contain that in these bags. Trust me, I know. Some of my fellow crafters use their local Laundromat for this process. Nest fill your washer with water as hot as you can get it…add your regular laundry detergent. Never use fabric softener when fulling/felting wool as this causes the wool fibers not to stick to each other and therefore wont make felt! Then toss your pillowcases into the washer! Add an old pair of tennis shoes or rubber balls or old tennis balls as this adds some mechanical agitation of the wool, helping it to felt. Set the washer on hot wash and hot rinse too…my washer is not fancy so I just hand set the rinse cycle. The next step is to wait anxiously while your washer does the work…You can open the lid and look inside every few minutes….I usually do that but I have to warn you about the smell of wet sheep which will emanate from the washer! And if you used old sweaters, think of the wet sheep smell combined with mothballs! Mmmmm, lovely! You remove the sweaters from the zip bag outside preferably…this part is plenty messy as the fuzz will be everywhere! Shake each piece off and stuff it into the dryer. I usually clean my lint filter once while the sweaters dry and of course at the end of the load because it will be full! Once everything dries, you have wool felt! It might look really fuzzy…like this… So if your sweater is fuzzy, then you brush off the fuzz…I use this Sweater Stone. It neatly cleans all the fuzz off the sweater in just a few swipes! You can get one here for only $5.99 and I have heard Target also carries these stones! You can see the left side of this sweater has been de-fuzzed and the right side (where the stone sits) still is fuzzy. Now let’s compare a pre felted sweater…(you can see the rows of the yarn if you look closely) with a post felted (or fulled!) sweater (all you see is fuzz)! These two green sweaters made wonderful felt! One was an Old Navy and one was a Gap sweater…seems like the more expensive brand name sweaters make the best felt! Grab some scissors and start cutting up your felt! It will not fray or ravel…the edges should be finished looking…if you can see threads or stitches, then the piece needs to be fulled again! Now you are done! All you have to do is find something fun to make…like this or this or this! I am linking to these great parties!
