Make a Throw Blanket from Old Sweaters

They gathered in my attic over the years: old sweaters that were to good to give away, but no longer worn. Some sweaters were hopelessly out of style. Other sweaters no longer fit ... and were waiting until I earned them back. Hmmmm. Some were worn looking, but reminded me of good times. I felt guilty not wearing these sweaters and yet I just was not ready to let go of them.  Perhaps you understand.

So I solved the problem of what to do about this growing gaggle of old sweaters by getting out my trusty scissors, taking a deep breath and reclaiming the fabric so I could repurpose these much loved items into something my whole family could use and enjoy. My old sweaters became a new throw blanket that I could use as an accent in my family room.

The process took a day and the result was a blanket that was as soft as, well old sweaters, and my kids literally fight over...until I made another upcycled sweater blanket for each to enjoy. 

Tools
Sewing Machine or Serger
Fabric scissors
Rotary cutter
24 x 36 self healing mat
6x24 quilting ruler
Embroidery scissors
Digital camera (optional) 

Materials
7 or 8 long sleeved sweaters
Thread
Needles

Collect old sweaters

Step 1
Identify seven or eight sweaters that are made with about the same weight fabric and with coordinating colors.

Step 2
Take a sweater and cut the sweater apart at the seams using fabric scissor. Measure the fabric using a quilting ruler to determine the best way to cut the most 6x6 inch squares of fabric. Cut the sweater into as many 6x6 inch squares as you can using a rotary cutter on a self healing mat. In most cases, you can get three 6x6 squares from each sleeve. The numbers of squares from the remainder of the sweater will vary depending on style, size and design.

Step 3
Repeat with the other sweaters until you have the number of squares needed for the size throw blanket you want. For our project, we cut enough squares to create a blanket with 10 squares across and 11 square down.

Arrange Squares

Step 4
Arrange the squares in the pattern you want to sew. We arranged the squares on the floor and played until we liked the design. Hint: Take a picture of your completed design with a camera or your cell phone to refer to as you sew.

Step 5
Use a sewing machine or serger to stitch the squares together. Use a zigzag stitch on a sewing machine. Use a four thread overlock stitch or a three thread rolled hem stitch on a serger. Stitch square by square to sew a row together. Then sew the rows together one by one until the blanket is complete.

We used the rolled hem setting on a Babylock Imagine serger with five cones of brown serger thread to create the look of piping between squares.

After: Loving our new throw blanket!!

Step 6
Stitch the edge using a blanket stitch by hand or on a sewing machine or a rolled hem or overlock stitch using a serger. 

Step 7
Trim thread using embroidery scissors.

Further Reading
"Sweater Surgery: How to Make New Things with Old Sweaters (Domestic Arts for Crafty Girls)"; Stefani Girard, 2010.
"The Sweater Chop Shop: Sewing One-of-a-kind Creations from Recycled Sweaters"; Crispina Ffrench; 2009.
"Sweater Renewal: Felting Knits into New Sweaters and Accessories"; Sharon Franco Rothschild; 2008.
"Felted Wool Fashions: Making New Styles from Old Knits"; Vivian Peritts; 2008.
"Felt It! Stitch It! Fabulous!: Creative Wearables from Flea Market Finds"; Katheryn Tidwell Biebe; 2007.
"Warm Fuzzies: 30 Sweet Felted Projects";  Betz White; 2007.
"Second-Time Cool: The Art of Chopping Up a Sweater"; Anna-Stina Linden Ivarsson, Katarina Brieditis, Katarina Evans; 2005.