Today we guide you through a great upcycling DIY that makes 5 quick DIY projects using an old sweater.
We have all been there: at some point, our old beloved sweater or cardigan becomes full of holes or is stained from deodorant discolouration. But fear not, you don’t need to throw it away yet!
So we thought about small mini DIYs with which you can get as much out of the material of your sweater as possible. Instead of throwing the sweater away, we can turn one sleeve into a simple neck roll and the rest of the fabric into a stylish embroidery , practical make-up removal wipes , a light cap and a duck cuddly toy .
All you need for these five DIY projects is an old sweater or cardigan and a few other small items. For the sweater, it’s best to use a finely woven classic cotton sweater. A sweater that is too coarsely knitted or too elasticated would be too complicated for the DIY.
Before you start preparing for the DIY projects its important to first carefully read through the full blog. Depending on which DIY you start first its important for you to know which projects you will be going in order for you to cut the sweater strategically so that there is still enough fabric left for the other projects.
Here we go!
Material for the 5 DIY projects
What you need
-An old sweater or a cardigan
– A sewing machine , sewing needles for the sewing machine and hand sewing thread in black and white
– Fabric scissors
– Optional: a rotary cutter and cutting mat
– Cloth clamps
– Hobby Scissors
– Stuffing
– A tape measure or a cutter ruler
– A tapestry needle
– A hoop and some embroidery thread in black (or other colors)
– Small yellow fabric scraps of cotton
– Small remnants of terry cloth, for example from an old washcloth
– A printer and printer paper to print out the free pattern for the duck
Do you have all the materials ready? Let’s go!
Upcycling DIY: Make-up removal pads
Use a jar or any other round object to use as a template for the size of your make-up removal pads. Make sure to plan the seam allowance. Cut a circle for the front and back of your make-up removal pads from the cardigan and from the terry cloth. You should now have two different surfaces for each pad.
Next use fabric clips to pin the two pieces of the fabric right sides together.
Sew the fabrics right sides together with a 0.5 cm seam allowance and leave a turning opening.
Turn the make-up removal pads inside out.
Shape the turning opening with fabric clips.
Then close the opening close to the edge with a simple lock stitch and sew around once so that everything looks uniform.
Duck DIY toy
Print out the pattern for the duck and cut it to size with craft scissors. Do not use your fabric scissors for this, as the paper will dull them. Then use the pattern to cut out the fabric for the duck’s body from the sweater and to cut the feet and beak out of scraps of yellow fabric. Use your fabric scissors or the rotary cutter for this.
Use your fabric clamps to mark the fabric where the marks are on the pattern.
Then sew the fabric together at the slit right there to create the arch for the back.
Sew the small pieces of fabric for the beak and feet right sides together.
Next use a pen, knitting needles or sushi chopsticks to turn the fabric inside out and carefully shape the edges.
Then pin all three parts from the outside onto the top of the outer fabric. If you like, you can carefully sew the three yellow pieces of fabric very close to the edge.
Now put the other piece of fabric right sides together and pin everything together with fabric clips.
Sew all around once to secure the layers of fabric in place. Leave a turning opening. Also, when sewing, make sure that you sew on the feet and beak.
Put the duck through the opening and shape the edges with your fingers.
Then use the cotton wool to stuff the duck. Then use a needle and thread to close the opening with a blind stitch.
Now you can embroider the eyes into the fabric with some thread.
Your little cuddly duck from the leftover fabric is ready. Its so cute!
Upcycling DIY: make your own hat
You can make a wonderful light hat from a piece of fabric from the front and back of your sweater or cardigan. Use the size of a hat that fits you well as a rough guide for the cut. It’s best to cut the front and back at the same time and use an existing side seam of your sweater or cardigan for the side seam. Cut a vertical slit at the top as shown in the photo on the left.
Use fabric clips to secure the slots.
Sew the pinned openings together. This is how you make the hat slightly arched.
Then place the two layers of fabric right sides together and pin the edges with your fabric clips except for the lower opening. Of course, you no longer need to mark the side where the side seam of your sweater is.
Sew the fabric on the edges with a 1 cm seam allowance with a simple straight stitch.
Then switch to a zigzag stitch to overcast the seam allowances.
Your hat should now be ready! If you don’t have enough fabric for your own size, this is a great way to sew one for a baby or child.
DIY neck pillows
We have another exciting upcycling DIY: We will sew a neck roll out of an old sweater sleeve. To do this, cut off the sleeve just before the shoulder seam.
Measure the diameter of the lower and upper sleeve opening and cut circles with the same diameter from another part of the sweater. You need them to close the openings.
Turn the sleeve inside out so that the “good side” is facing in. Use fabric clips to pin the round circles right sides together around the two sleeve openings.
Sew both circles with a normal straight stitch and 1 cm seam allowance all around to connect the circles and the sleeve tube. Leave a small turning opening in one of the two circles.
Turn the hose inside out through the opening.
Fill the tube with cotton wool.
Shoot the turning opening by hand with a blind stitch.
Now you have a simple, little neck roll from your old sweater. Because our sweater was slightly elastic, it is slightly misshapen in our case, but so comfortable and practical!
Embroidery picture frame
The next and last upcycling DIY from this series is a simple decorative embroidery picture. Take an embroidery hoop and cut out a piece of fabric that is 1-2 cm larger than the hoop on all sides.
Stretch it on the frame and use pen and paper to create a template for your motif.
Because our fabric is so light, we could simply put the template under the fabric and easily trace it with a little backlight on the window.
Then take an embroidery needle with a point and your embroidery thread and start embroidering your design. We used a simple backstitch for this.
When you’re done, you can either sew your excess fabric together at the back or cut it off right at the edge (and glue it to the hoop).
Your simple little mural is ready. It looks great as a decoration for your home, as a quick activity for kids or as a personal last-minute gift idea.
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