Sweater Pillow

The following is a post from contributing writer Jackie.

This summer I found a cardigan sweater at a yard sale for 25 cents. It was so soft, and I thought it would be perfect for this winter. However, when I tried it on, after I got home, I realized it was way too big on me.

So, I put the sweater in my sewing room to wait until I figured out what I could do with it.

Recently, I had a brainstorm. Why couldn’t I turn the cardigan sweater into a Christmas throw pillow? Lightbulb moment! 🙂

You won’t believe how easy it was to make this pillow. By using the button front of the sweater as the opening to place a pillow form, I didn’t have to sew a zipper or other type of closure for the pillow.

Here’s how you can turn a cardigan into a throw pillow.

Supplies Needed

• Cardigan Sweater
• Pillow Form
• Scissors
• Thread
• Ruler
• Sewing Machine or Serger

Instructions

1. Lay out the sweater and smooth out any wrinkles. You will be cutting through both layers so be sure to line up the bottom edges.

2. Determine the size you will need to cut your sweater to in order to match the pillow form you have chosen.

I used a 16 inch pillow form, so I cut my sweater to a size of 18 inches square because I was using a serger. If you are using a regular sewing machine the minimum I would cut the pieces would be 17 1/4 inches square.

3. Cut the sweater to the size desired. Remember to add 1 1/4 to 2 inches to the size of your pillow form to make sure it will fit inside the sweater.

4. Pin the sweater pieces, right sides together, on all 4 sides.

5. Serge, or sew, around the entire sweater. Remove pins as you sew.

If you use a serger you can use a 1/2 to 5/8 inch seam allowance.

If you are using a sewing machine I recommend sewing a 1/2 inch seam allowance and then zig-zagging around the edges.

6. Turn the sweater right side out and slip a pillow form inside. Button it up and you are finished.

I loved the simplicity of this project and the fact that, because I used a pillow form I already had and a 25 cent yard sale cardigan, the project was very frugal.

Now I want to hit the thrift stores to find Christmas sweaters to make more of these. The possibilities are endless.

I didn’t want to waste any of the sweater so guess what I did with the sleeves from the cardigan?

I turned them into pants for my little girl using my shirt to pants tutorial. They will be so warm on cold days this winter.

More posts from Jackie