From cozy sweater to perfect lil bag in a flash: The Recycled Sweater Bag

When I first came across this idea for repurposing old sweaters to make a Recycled Sweater Bag on Perched on A Whim's amazing blog I was soooo psyched to try it out. Then I thought, how damn cute would that be if I made it with a colorful lining?! Sooooo...after rummaging through my closet in search of cute, colorful fabric and a good old sweater to try out my idea on, I settled in and went to town sewing.

How freakin' easy was this?! SO damn easy! Now, not only do I want to run around stealing everyone's sweaters to make sweater bags out of, I totally have a new favorite homemade gift to make for people. With Christmas coming up, this is an ingenious new discovery (especially for my broke ass!!) Did I mention I am absolutely in LOVE with these things??

Recycled Sweater Bag

So, how do you create your own? First things first, find any old, too big, too small (and too cute!!) sweaters you have lying around. If you have any old shirts, they make a perfect lining material for the inside of the purse. If not, hit up your local fabric store and shop the clearance bins or the fabric ends for your lining.

Now, (I know you may cringe at this next step. I sure did!!) Cut the sleeves and neck off of the sweater.

 

 

*Handy tip: If you're jonesing for a pocket in your sweater bag, find an old pair of jeans, cut off the back pockets close to the seam and sew it onto the liner fabric before attaching the liner to the sweater! Insta-pocket!!!

 



Now, cut the side seam and open up the sweater and lie it on a flat surface, removing any wrinkles.

 

Carefully lay your liner fabric over the inside of the sweater and pin in place around all 4 sides.

 

Sew the liner in place, then fold the sweater in half so the outsides are touching. Sew the open side seam and bottom of the sweater, making round corners on each of the bottom sides of the sweater. Next, fold each cut edge around the sleeve and neck areas in toward the liner about 1" and sew along the edges. This will create more sturdy handles and make sure your sweater bag won't fray at the edges, making it more durable!

 

 

Last step: (yeah, you can totally do a victory dance! Woot Woot!) Turn the sweater inside out and you have a perfect, cozy, cute sweater bag to pack full of all your goodies or to give as a memorable gift this Christmas!

 



 

Christmas is the perfect time of year to discover your crafty side. What perfectly handy crafts do you love to give out as gifts?

 

~KG