First up some details about my sweater in progress. I’m making a Calligraphy Cardigan (love that name). I think it will be just right for all of those autumnal hikes I’m praying I have the chance to take. It’s not my highest knitting priority at the moment, but I’m still hoping that putting in a bit of time here and there will let me finish it by cool weather.
My “Just for Fun” project is nearly complete. I really needed something frivolous and not the least bit serious to counterbalance some intense situations in my life. And while it felt like just what I needed in that moment, I was also making it for a specific event, which has now passed (because rushing and pushing myself for something entirely unnecessary was decidedly not what I needed) and now I have absolutely no idea where I would ever wear it. I’m feeling a little panicky, like autumn is bearing down on me, and perhaps this particular detour was not such a good one? I now need to get very serious about some practical sewing, not just for myself, but also for my children.
I thought I would start by trying to make something of a couple of pieces which currently aren’t of use to anyone, but still have a bit of life left in them, and seeing if I could make them useful again.
This first sweater was accidentally sent to us. I believe it’s a men’s sweater. When I asked the two man shaped people in my house if either of them was interested in it they scoffed and looked at me like I was nuts. It’s not like I picked it out! I just wanted clearance to cut it up!
It’s 90% cotton and 10% cashmere, so quality fabric worth trying to make something of.
I’ve had this basic cotton cardigan for maybe 6 years now? Every outfit that I put it over suddenly turns all frumpy, and not in a good way. Plus there is that weird, slightly off thing with the button band and also, this hole…
This was one of my favorite shirts of Steve’s because it’s incredibly soft to cuddle up to. But it’s life as a men’s shirt was cut short by a building accident….
Classy, no?
I have no idea what’s going to come of any of these projects, but there is nothing lost by cutting them up and giving it a try. Something to think on this week: is there anything around your house that’s just dying to be made into something new?
Just today I culled a worn LL bean chamois work shirt from my husband’s “farm clothes.” The collar is worn ragged and it has holes in the sleeves, but the main pieces in the back and front are still thick and soft. It’s a lovely brown color reminiscent of suede deerskin, or something.. I’m going to make it into fall pants for my 18 month old son!
P.S. I don’t have a blog, but would love to share pictures of my handmades here… does anyone know if I can just upload a photo? Does it need to have another home on the internet? Please forgive… I am hopeless when it comes to technology.
P.S., I was gifted a horribly ugly ribbed merino turtleneck… which I made into underwear! It was such a good idea. Are the arms on that cotton/cash sweater long enough to make into leggings for your little girl?
Hi Emily,
I would love to see you contribute! Your photos do need another home on the
web to be added in the link up. The easiest solution is to create a free
Flickr account, that way you can make notes about what you did or anything
else you would like to share in the captions. Once you have your picture
uploaded somewhere you just click the blue link up button, paste in the URL
of the page that your picture is on and it’s pretty much self explanatory
from there. It will walk you through the last couple of steps. You can
also link to Instagram of Facebook if you have accounts in either of those
places. Or you could even do a free Blogger blog where you just upload the
photos you want to share.
If you have more questions, don’t hesitate to ask!
happy sewing,
Melody
Yes, the sleeves would be long enough. But I’m more in need of clothing at the
moment than she is! So I’m going to try to alter it for me first. If that
doesn’t work, there should be plenty of usable fabric left to sew for the
kids!
I’ve been considering sweater underwear, ever since I saw cashmere undies in
an Etsy shop. I’ve been wondering if they end up being too bulky under
certain things and also if they stay up well. I might have to cut a pair out
and give it a try!
I wonder if you could make a cozy, oversized or long cardigan with that large man’s sweater?
I’m excited to see what you make from that cotton/cashmere sweater. It looks so cozy! I bought a cashmere sweater for crazy cheap a few years ago and it got stained and worn so now I wear it as an under layer and it’s amazingly warm so I think undergarments is a smart idea.
I wrote a blog post about an up cycling project I sewed recently. https://8to10jellybeans.wordpress.com/2016/06/21/fleisig/
It’s not clothes though so it doesn’t really fit your theme. But I am quite proud that I spent zero dollars on it. Everything used was from my stash of stuff that would otherwise have been trash. It really does pay to save scraps and worn out items. Most things are not beyond repair. I should post an update now that it’s done.