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October 26, 2011

Upcycling Sweaters. Part 1- Big and Little Bags.

This is a great time to find sweaters in your local thrift store - many people are putting away their winter clothing and getting rid of some pieces. You can make everything from sturdy tote bags to felted jewelry
It's quite easy to felt a sweater, really - just run it through your washer with hot water and soap, and then through your dryer. 
Only animal-fiber sweaters will felt, so look for wool, alpaca, cashmere, or a blend of these. If you find a great sweater that's at least 80% animal fiber with a little synthetic thrown in, give it a try - sometimes, they may felt just fine. It felted when you cannot see the stitches, and it will not unravel when cut.
 I made this bag from upcycled 100% wool sweater that I felted. I used all scraps from that sweater:flowers were made from sweater's sleeves. You will love it because it's soft, light , beautiful, and did I mention warm?



A couple weeks ago, I found long 100% merino wool sweater, size XL. When I felted it, it could fit my 7 yo daughter. No kidding! I made a lot of cool stuff out of it thought! First, I wanted to "dress up"  a laptop.


Then, I made this Eco-friendly sleeve for iPhone. The felting makes the cover strong yet remains soft and will add a layer of cushioned protection. 
 Tooth Fairy having trouble finding anything under your pillow? This cute felt little pillow is just for her! 


Unwanted sweater has several lives now :)

You can buy all of these featured stuff at my GoodWeather shop. Use coupon BLOG10 for 10% off.

To be continued...

PART 2 

7 comments:

  1. Great ideas and beautiful designs! Well done, Albina!

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  2. This is a great article. I once by mistake washed and dried a sweater that I just knitted for myself... taking it out of the dryer was painful - it shrunk enough to fit a teddy bear... I wish I would have thought of making a bag out of it then :(

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  3. Bravo, Albina! Your works are so unique!

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  4. Great ideas! I like the laptop sleeve!

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