After months and months of wanting to do a crafty project, my visualizations turned into action in a few short days. This past weekend, 2 things made this happen: I saw an easy project on an episode of HGTV’s “Myles of Style” and Goodwill had a 50% off sale.
Designer Kim Myles created a throw pillow for a homeowner’s living room from a vintage sweater. When we moved, I didn’t bring any clothes but the necessities, so I didn’t have a sweater on hand to use for the project. But thanks to Goodwill’s monthly sale, I snagged a couple of great sweaters very inexpensively, and my mother-in-law has about a zillion throw pillows and gave me free reign to use as many as I wanted. So here are the simple steps for making a decorative pillow like (or better than) the one shown above.
1. Select a sweater, ideally with a unique design, pattern or texture on the front. Make sure it is laundered and not too stretched out. Before you cut, make sure that your pillow form will fit inside the sweater from below the sleeves to the hem with about 1/2 inch left to allow for a hem.
2. Cut the sweater straight across right below the place where the sleeves attach to the body.
3. Turn the cut bottom portion of the sweater inside out and close the cut edge with a simple overcast stitch. I haven’t sewn by hand since high school (10 years ago), and I managed to do it pretty quickly. Be sure to do this with the top edge that you cut, since it will probably be a little jagged, and you can save the hemmed bottom edge for a more polished look.
4. Place your pillow form inside the portion of the sweater you have cut. My mistake was that I cut the sweater before making sure I had a pillow that was the right size to fit inside it. One came close, but I decided to rip it open and use the stuffing without the cover. It fit, but I wound up with lumpy stuffing.
5. Close the final edge with a backstitch and you’re done!
This is a great DIY gift that won’t cost you anything if you have the materials at hand. This project took me a total of about 30 minutes, mostly because I had to get used to sewing again. You can make one of these for any room in the home. Mine is on my bed, and I plan to make another for my daughter’s bed (with an enclosed pillow form this time). But this will also work for an accent pillow in an office, living room or anywhere else where a little inexpensive texture is needed. If you give it as a gift, the recipient will really appreciate the handmade quality of your pillow.
Now I just have to figure out what to do with the rest of the sweater. I’m thinking I’ll make some cute, fuzzy Chrismas ornaments.
Why It’s Green:
- Made of a used, repurposed sweater and an existing pillow insert
- Handmade
Who would like it:
- Almost anyone on your gift list. Just try to pick a sweater that you think suits their taste, not just your own.
Price: For me, $3 for a used sweater from Goodwill.
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I’m Jennae Petersen, and I’m a lot of things. A mother, a graphic artist, a connosieur of beautiful interiors and a purveyor of all things design. Green Your Decor was borne of frustration in my attempts to find eco-friendly housewares that were also beautiful, and inspiration to do something to reduce my own carbon footprint and help others do the same in a beautiful way.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
nice article!
Great ideas! I have a few worn out sweaters that would make great throw pillows for those lazy, casual rainy nights curled up with a good book.
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