Little Projects: Sweater Re-fashion

 A couple years ago, I bought a really nice, unique, merino wool sweater at the thrift store. Or at least, I THOUGHT it was nice... After bringing it home I realized that a previous owner must have spilled something on the sleeves and used hot water to try to clean it out... Since I'm not a t-rex with super disproportionately short and tiny arms, it was vastly uncomfortable. 😬 I tried everything to un-shrink those sleeves,soaking it in conditioner and stretching it to dry with pins again and again, but to no avail. So it was tossed into the mending bag until such a time as I found some way to redeem it.

This fall I really wanted to make something special for my little boy's first birthday. I found that sweater in the mending pile, and decided that cutting it up into a little sweater for him was the perfect solution to the tiny arm situation.😀

Laying out one of his 18 month hoodies and tracing it off provided a basic pattern to work with. I left the sleeves extra long so they could have a folded cuff to start, and grow with him as he did. 😊

I was able to keep the selvages for the fronts and bottoms of the sweater, so all that was left raw after stitching it together was the neckline and sleeve hems. Yay! 😁 I used a few scraps from the felted sleeves to bind the neckline, since the felted pieces wouldn't ravel, and left the sleeve hems raw since they were felted as well.

After much deliberation and scouring of Pinterest for inspiration, I opted for the two button look so popular on toddler sweaters. It allows free movement and, most importantly, I only had two random leather buttons of the same size in my stash. 😜 The leather for the loops/frogs were scraps from two different projects I made ages ago.

I'm really excited about how it came out, and I'm very happy that the lovely wool sweater got a new beginning. 

He loves his sweater and it has been so useful through the thick of winter and the early spring. :)