Recycled wool sweaters

[Jenivere]

I've been reading up on wool covers and on making my own out of old sweaters. I have basic sewing skills as well as a sewing machine and a serger. So I went looking today and found two 100% lambswool sweaters and one 80% at the second hand store. They are soooo soft and I think they will make great longies and covers. I just had to share my excitement over finding them! Two are in shades of green and one is a multi color stripe that my daughter is attempting to claim for herself despite it being too big.

[izadora]

That's great!!!

what pattern are you going to use?

my dh felted down a couple of Banana wool sweaters I have here, one is organge lambswool and the other is a light green lambswool. so I felted them more last night, only thing is.. I hate sewing (well, I'm crap at it) I have a sewing machine but not a serger, actually, I'd rather hand sew anyway.. I just don't know what pattern to use.. I think the arms on the green sweater (it was an xs to begin with) are too tight for longies, so I amy have to do a soaker with that one? not sure yet. It might work for a small baby though.

I'm excited (the colours are so cool) but I'm nervous too, I hate cutting things up, even yards of fabrics.. but I have planned on doning this for a couple of years now lol...

[Jenivere]

Probably this http://www.borntolove.com/frugal-column2.html

[levans]

WOW!! That link is amazing! What an easy, thrifty idea for how to make soakers! Thanks!

[mamapixie]

If you use the sleeves to make longies, you can usually get 2 soakers out of the body of a sweater, so I get 3 pieces of wool from a single sweater. What I use for the legs of the soaker is extra waist ribbing rather than the wrist cuffs.

[tradatz]

I agree with mamapixie about getting more than one cover out of each sweater.

izadora - for that green sweater could you use the arms to make leggings?
I would just fold over the top and add some elastic there and use the cuffs for the bottom. I am going to do this with the longies that my girls have outgrown. That way I get some extra use out of them

Theresa

[scrapadoozer]

I found a really nice soft & thick cashmere sweater last weekend. I am so excited! I just have to bring myself to chop it up.

[DeerMother]

I just got some sweaters from a friend who had already used the sleeves for longies. I used this tute for longies from the bodice. http://www.rookiemoms.com/make-some-easy-kids-pants/. It was so easy! I did use the biggest pair of pants dc had and allowed about .5 inch for seam allowance.

[tbone_kneegrabber]

http://www.cafepress.com/thatskindacool/864331

I haven't made these but I want to try

[DeerMother]

Originally Posted by tbone_kneegrabber

http://www.cafepress.com/thatskindacool/864331

I haven't made these but I want to try

I used this pattern last night and the rise was too short. So either I needed bigger sweaters or, and this was what I did with the 2nd pair, scooted the normal pair of pants down so that the cuff of the normals was past the cuff of the sweater. Then added an inch to the crotch pin mark. This gave me more room to fold over the waistband. Does that make sense? I'm horrible at explaining sewing using words.