Vogue 8568. A bold graphic sweater creates an equally dramatic bag. Because of the pattern piece sizes, this bag uses the body from one sweater and the sleeves from another an extra-large men's sweater for the bag bottom and facings.WHAT TO LOOK FOR
If you’re thrift store hunting for sweaters specifically for sewing projects, follow these tips for the best candidates:
Bigger is better. You get more yardage to work with. Look in the plus-size department and the men’s department for stylish sweater options. Also look for long knitted coats, large cowls and hooded sweaters, as they provide more area of usable knit. The sweater front and back may not be knitted with the same pattern, but they do coordinate, so they can be used together in your project.
Look for coordinates. A twin set can provide two similar knits for instant go-togethers. Sometimes they’re attached, sometimes they're actually two full pieces, offering even more usable area. Remember that sweaters have limited usable area, especially after felting (shrinkage can be up to 90%), so some pattern piecing may be required. Find coordinating sweaters that can be used together for color-blocking sections and some pattern sections like facings, tabs, etc.
Find the frill. Note novelty knits and fun trims that can accent your project. Embroidery, lace, buttons, fun closures, pockets and beading add interest. Don’t forget to check the children’s department for cute knitted-in motifs.
Watch the edge. Check the neckline, front openings and lower edges of the sweater body and sleeves for fun edges that you can incorporate into your project (below, left). For example, a scalloped or beaded edge might be perfect for the upper edge of a pocket cut from the sweatering, and it’s already done for you.
Look at the label. If you plan to felt the sweaters for your project, be sure to look for tags noting 100% wool, or at least a 60% wool blend. Avoid those wool sweaters that say “washable” or “shrink-resistant,” as they’ve been treated to avoid felting.
Inspect carefully. Assess snags, pills and any other signs of wear, as these can affect the durability of your project. On some multi-color patterned sweaters, (left) long underside yarn floats can snag if the project is unlined, even if it is felted, so watch for this deterrent, or plan to line it.
Extra, extras. While you’re at thrift stores, don’t forget to check out handbags and totes for interesting handles and hardware worth recycling.
Watch for sales. Take advantage of sales to build your sweater stash. Thrift stores often have specials on certain tag colors, sale days where everything is a percentage off the marked price, senior discounts, or by-thebag sales where everything you can fit into a bag is a single price.
TO FELT, OR NOT TO FELT
Vogue 7889. Combine sweating with conventional fabrics. The gusset section of this bag is black wool crepe.Felting a wool sweater causes significant shrinkage and makes the resulting knit much more dense, fuzzy and stable than in its non-felted state—a condition that can be helpful for bags and totes. But remember, a men’s XL 100% wool sweater may end up a size to fit your 8 year old!
To felt your find, first remove zippers or other felting hindrances, and turn the sweater wrong side out. Throw the sweater in the washer with a towel, jeans or other agitant in a compatible color. Add a small amount of detergent or dishwashing soap and run the cycle on hot wash, cold rinse.
When the sweater has gone through the rinse and spin cycle, put it in a hot dryer, further compacting the knit. Some felters prefer to simply shape the sweater on a towel to dry instead of subjecting it to the dryer heat and agitation. If you send the sweater through the wash/dry cycle a second time, you may get additional felting to create a more dense fabric than the first time around.
Jacket Vogue 1036
Vogue 8590. Coordinating sweaters work well for these wear-together/wear-apart bags. Buttons from the striped sweater were used to embellish the zipper flap on the coordinate. For both bags, the original sweater edges were used at the zippered openings.Remember to clean the lint filter on your dryer, as felting generates lint. To protect the washer, put sweaters into a mesh bag to contain the wooly fibers. Not all parts of even a 100% wool sweater may felt the same. Ribbing and trims are constructed with different knitting patterns than the sweater body, so anticipate some variation in these areas.
Wool and non-wool sweaters can also be used in their original state, non-felted, but they will have more stretch than their felted alter egos.
HARVESTING THE KNIT
Unless you plan to use it intact with the knit in your project, cut away the ribbing from the sweater. Keep it for trim, purse handles, ties, etc.
Vogue 7354. A sequined sweater has a new life as a chic evening bag. The sweater back was plain knit, an instant coordinate for the opposite bag side.Sweaters are sometimes knitted “in the round,” meaning there are no side seams. These can be used “as is” if the circumference fits your project—often a sweater body is just the right size for a tote bag. Or, if you prefer, cut open the sweater and flatten the pieces for easier layout. If the sweater has side seams, use them as a cutting line. Sweaters knitted in the round can be sliced at what would be a side seam and spread flat. Cut out the sleeves at the armhole seams and open the underarm seams. Slice the shoulder seams to separate the pieces.
If you cut through any trims, like beads or sequins, anchor the thread ends first to avoid raveling.
PREPARATION
Clockwise from left: Vogue 7354. Use the openwork sweater ribbing to finish the bag upper edge, weaving cord through the lattice work for handles, and adding a contrast lining for a peek of color. Neckline ribbing is coiled to form the rose trim. Vogue 8173, view B. Shaped bell sleeves with embroidery and contrast edging were perfect to incorporate into this bag variation. The finished sweater sleeve hemline shapes the bag lower edge and the original sweater’s buttons accent the handle attachment. Vogue 8568. The wooly ball trim sweater accents make the perfect border for this tiny clip-on bag—perfect for make-up essentials and credit cards.On non-felted knits, it may be necessary to stabilize the knit to prevent stretching. Fusible interfacing works well for this purpose; choose a weight suitable for the project needs. A crisp woven fusible interfacing was used on all the featured bags, but if you need a softer look, consider using fusible tricot. Cut the pattern pieces from the interfacing and fuse to the knit’s wrong side; then cut around the edges.
Note: Densely felted sweaters may not require any further stabilization.
Select all the pattern pieces for your bag (or project—throw pillows are great from old sweaters too!) and see how they fit on the sweater pieces. If needed, seam sections together by abutting edges and using a three-step zigzag to join the edges (left), or stitch a traditional seam, depending on the knit weight. Adding piping or other trim in the seam can turn the necessary joining into a design feature on the finished tote.
Because you’re fusing interfacing to the underside, the grain and directionality of the knit really isn’t a concern. The black/ white/red tote shown on page 24 was cut sideways on the sweater so the bold design crosses the bag width, while the bag bottom was cut on the bias of another sweater—the only way it would fit because of its size.
Cut lining pieces slightly smaller than the outer shell, so that the weight of the bag contents don’t stretch the sweater knit.
Don’t hesitate to combine sweatering with conventional fabrics. Wool crepe or flannel works well for some portions of a bag when combined with sweater feature panels.
DETAILS, DETAILS, DETAILS
If a sweater has an open knit design, take advantage of it to thread ribbon, cord or other trim through the holes. This idea can even be used to make a drawstring handle like on the cream color bag shown above.
On open knits, select a contrast lining color so the color shows through the fabric structure, or underline the sweatering before construction for more stability and treat both layers as one during the bag construction.
Use the existing sweater edges as the project’s edge. Sturdy ribbing is perfect for a tote edge, or roll it over to mimic binding. Ribbing is also perfect for a pocket upper edge—simply align the pocket pattern hemline with the finished rib edge when cutting.
If your sweater is patterned, consider quilting on those lines, using a lightweight batting underneath for dimension. Fusible batting helps to keep layers in place as you stitch or quilting can also be done by hand.
Use the pattern as the basis for your bag, but be open to changing it slightly depending on the sweater details you want to incorporate. For example, the red/black bag, shown on the opposite page, was reshaped at the lower edge to use the original sweater shaping.
If you need a small quantity of matching yarn for trim or to sew on fasteners, carefully unravel some of the knit fabric (before felting).
Carry your recycling passion a bit further—use an old necktie (also available in thrift stores) for piping and add it between the bag lining and facing seams for fun. Ties are already cut on the bias, so simply cut a length down the center to cover the piping cord.
By Linda Turner Griepentrog - Vogue Patterns Magazine