Sweaters into Pillows

Thanks for the great info you guys gave me on the silk.  My goal is to take care of that today as I spent yesterday in bed and then on the couch after staying up all night with a stomach bug.  Fun stuff.

Before the sickness hit, I finished up these two pillows.  I DID NOT knit them.  The kindergarten teacher at my girls' school gave me her mother's Christmas sweater to make into pillows.  I cut the front from the back of the sweater and then stitched (with the sewing machine) around the images.  The knit tends to pull alot so I sewed it on to some muslin to stabilize it before sewing it to the back of the pillow.  I must admit to being a bit scared about cutting this up, but once I started it came together pretty easily.  I think that it was a great idea, too.  There are plenty of Christmas sweaters out there that no one wears, but would make great pillows to be pulled out once a year.  Great gifts for moms and grandmoms too.

That's it for today.  Have a great Thursday.

Comments

[Kim]

how clever! were the sweaters cotton - or felted wool? i've been contemplating cutting up a sweater --- but it seems a big leap of faith that the whole darn thing won't unravel. maybe a tutorial????

hope you're feeling better.

[janice]

wow. what a terrific idea!!! I love it.

[Tracy]

That is indeed a super cute idea. I've been wanting to make sweater pillows out of some groovy old sweaters that I have, not christmas ones, but regular ones, for awhile. Never get to it though.

[AmyDe]

Oh yes - there are Christmas sweaters out there that no one SHOULD wear - HA! Those are adorable. Now if we could just rescue everyone else from their Christmas sweater...

[Lisa]

Great idea! Off to the thrift store for sweaters.
Our house has survived the stomach bug also, hope your feeling better soon.

[kirsten]

those turned out great! i went thrifting a couple of years ago looking for sweaters to turn into pillows - but i was looking for sweaters that were mildly holiday-ish that i LIKED. see, i should have gone for the full-out holiday sweaters. great idea. is the back of the pillow cotton or sweater?

[Sandy]

These are terrific - what a great idea (although I can't imagine wearing one of these sweaters!)

[amandajean]

that is a great idea! sorry to hear that you were sick. ugh.

[jess]

That is brilliant!
Thanks for the inspiration!

[Ashley Ann]

Those are adorable!

[kristyn]

wonderful creating Erin! cute pillows! isn't it fun pulling out your creations (and the memories that go with each one) each year at Christmas?

[Missy W]

Really, really adorable! Now I need to go through my cedar chest and see what kind of treasures I can find to recycle!!

[blair]

they are beautiful. I was looking for something to wear to a cocktail party the other night, and my mom suggested I wear a Christmas sweater. To which I replied, "do you know me at all??"

This is much better solution, and if I can get my hands on her sweaters I may have to do this to them.

Sorry you're sick, hope you're feeling better.

[heather jane]

I've been trying to get brave enough to do this. Thanks for the inspiration!

[Gretchen Skovron]

Those are so cute. Now you have me thinking about those Christmas sweaters I've seen at the thrift store with a small flaw...pillows! great idea!

[Heather]

This is such a cute way to recycle those christmas sweaters you may not want to wear!

[Old Red Barn Co.]

great idea!

[geek+nerd]

What a brilliant little idea!

[Taryn]

Those are great! I'll bet that after the holidays there will be even more available in the thrift shops.

Hope you're feeling better.

[Grace]

Ugh, I'm sorry to hear about your stomach bug! I hope it's not catching through the internets! It seems like several people I know have had it lately. :( Feel better. And cute pillows! I'm sure they're much cuter than the original sweater, lol!

[Christen]

That's great! I'd so much rather see those sweaters made into pillows than on my mom! I should grab some of hers to do this to.

[amyehodge]

I am SO going to make my mother-in-law one of these if I can find a sweater at the GoodWill. You are just brimming with good ideas, Erin! (and I'll be posting my finally completed rock pocket picnic blankets shortly as well!)

[Keanalee]

I love that idea, off to Goodwill to find some sweaters!

[lera]

Glad you're feeling better. I think there is nothing worse than a stomach bug.

I have been meaning to cut up some non-Christmas sweaters for pillows and haven't gotten around to it. I like your idea to use the muslin. I've been worrying about sewing the sweater, hence my procrastination. Thanks for sharing.

[kathryn]

finally--a great use for christmas sweaters! now, if only i can convince a few people i know to give them up for the cause... ;)

feel better soon!

[carol]

Feel better soon!

[Mary]

Great idea! I love your new banner.

[Lisa Q]

I like the pillow variety so much better than the sweater variety. Very nicely done. Glad you're feeling better.

[Vanessa]

waaay cuter as a pillow than a sweater!

[anina]

I'm glad you're feeling better. Those pillows look so much nicer than Christmas sweaters. Wonderful idea!

[leslie]

oh no! the stomach flu! there is nothing worse. so sorry.

i have a michael simon Christmas sweater that my mother in law bought for me when we were first married. every december she would ask me if i got that sweater out yet! i pillow is the perfect solution!!!

[muralimanohar]

That's a genius idea for those hideous sweaters! :D

[Cae]

Oh wow! What a wonderful idea; I've been looking for a new creative idea to pillows.
A tutorial would be much help for this beginning sewer. Pretty please???

[Amy @ parkcitygirl]

fun stuff! hope your feeling all better :)

[sulu-design]

Now this is a good use for those sweaters that only elementary school teachers are able to pull off (and even they can't do it well).

[Rebecca]

That's such a fantastic idea!!!

[angela]

GREAT idea... bring on the sweaters! I have a few friends that I could pull them off of!

[tiennie]

Great idea!

I hope you feel better soon!

[melissa]

thanks for the muslin tip. I have a vintage (80s) cabled sweater that belonged to my mother's youngest sister that I'm turning into a pillow for her since she can't wear wool and the sweater is, ah, too 80's for me.

[heidi]

glad to hear that you are bouncing back a bit. cute cute cute pillows!

[Christa]

I love this idea, what a perfect way to make those tacky sweaters into something nice to bring out for Christmas

[Melissa]

What a fantastic use of what would be some cheesy sweaters!

[Suzie sews]

what a great idea... must go and poke about the thrift stores now....

[Andi]

ah! that sweater on the left must be made by the same maker of the Christmas sweater I was handed down by my mom and I wear cheekily for holiday parties and socials! I know the smoking santa anywhere :)