Winter is once again upon us and that means two things: cold weather and big sweaters. As you put your summer wardrobe away and unearth your winter one, it’s tempting to do some organizing and get rid of the items that you forgot you even had in the first place. If your first instinct is that you probably won’t wear something regularly, then it’s time to upcycle!
This is a great way to repurpose much loved old sweaters into some new winter essentials like mittens and gloves. Upcycling is a sustainable and ethically responsible fashion choice and embracing practices that reduce waste is vital if we want to change our impact on the world. So, grab a sweater and let’s get started!
What You Need
- 1 old sweater
- scissors
- paper and pencil
- pins
- sewing machine (or needle and thread for hand-sewing)
Step 1
First, you need to create a template for your gloves. This is really easy: just take a sheet of A4 paper and roughly draw the outline of your hand. We’re making mittens so you don’t need to trace the fingers individually. You also only need one template sheet because you just turn the sheet over for the other hand.
Step 2
Before you start cutting out the shape, turn your sweater inside out.
Place the template onto the sweater so that the glove’s cuff lies on the sweater cuff (like in the photo). Use a couple of sewing pins to secure the pattern to the material to make it easier to work with. If you want mittens with a long cuff you can fold over, you can change your template to suit that. Pick a template that works for you!
Step 3
Now you are ready to cut the first mitten. Using your fabric scissors, cut both layers of the sweater at the same time. Repeat this step for the second mitten.
Step 4
For each mitten, make sure that both layers of each are perfectly aligned before you start sewing. With either a sewing machine of neat hand stitches, sew each mitten all the way around – except for the cuff, which you leave open. Turn the gloves right-side out and voila, your new mittens are done!
Upcycling is not just environmentally and budget friendly, it’s also the perfect activity for crafters who don’t have enough free time to set aside for longer projects! We can’t wait to see your upcycled crafts this season, remember to share your pictures with us on Makerist Showcase and on our social media channels!
