We made it through another winter and now that Spring is here, it’s time to go through our closets and pack up the sweaters until next season. If you have a few that are too worn or no longer fit, you can repurpose them into all kinds of useful or pretty things. Here is a bunch of clever and crafty ideas you can try, many have you felting the wool first which is easy enough to do by washing in hot water (most projects include detailed instructions for felting). A few of these projects are found in other collections here on Tipnut but copied here to keep things organized in one spot. Have fun!
Bottle Vases: Instead of hot glue, sweaters are cut to fit then sewn so they can slip over the bottle (easy to remove and wash).
Make Hats: Felt an old sweater to make this hat which is still stretchy even when felted.
Recycled Bag: Felted wool sweaters whip up nicely into an easy tote. Embellish with a fabric flower if you like.
Teacup Pincushions: Made with felted wool sweaters, both written and video instructions provided. See lots of pincushions on this page.
Cozy Throw: A good project to use up 5 or 6 sweaters, finished size is 42″x47″ (though you can make as large as you like).
Slippers: Simple slippers made with a wool sweater, top edge is finished with crochet trim. More slipper tutorials found here.
Cozy Candles: Fit sweater cuffs over a glass candle holder for a pretty, decorative effect.
Tissue Cover: A little pouch cozy to carry a pack of tissues, made with a piece of felted wool. More tissue covers & cozies found on this page.
Pet Bed: This is made by crocheting strips of old sweaters together then shaped into a bed that puppy can cozy into. You’ll find more pet beds here.
iPad Sleeve: You’ll also find a Kindle cover here. More iPad & Kindle projects are listed on this page.
Aromatherapy Rice Pillow: The arm of a felted sweater is removed to be filled with uncooked rice and tea, ends sewn closed.
Vases: Cover vases and candle votive holders with fabric cut from old sweaters (hot glued in place).
Felted Tea Cozy: Made with two old wool sweaters that have been felted, grosgrain ribbon and a decorative button. More tea cozies listed on this page.
Flower Pillow Form Cover: Repurpose an old sweater to make this charming flower pillow cover (round).
Flower Pot Covers: Measure planters and flower pots to make a custom fitted cozy out of old sweaters.
Scarflette: A long rectangle is cut from the body of a sweater, edges finished then ends sewn together, buttons added for embellishment.
Box Bag: Fully lined with a handle for easy toting, has a zip pull tab and can be made any size you like (length/depth).
Dog Clothes: Cut from an old sweater vest and turned into a charming coat for pup.
Also see Learn How To Felt Wool Sweaters.
Thanks for linking up to my box bag tutorial! 🙂
I am looking for a pattern to make mittens from old sweaters. Do you have any suggestions?