Now that the kids are back to school and the mornings are crisper here in the Pocono Mountains of Northeast PA, I am in the mood for some serious fall crafting. Want to join me?
Don’t worry that these DIY’s will be too hard. Some are as simple as using a pair of scissors – no kidding!
First, gather your main supply – a thrifted wool sweater. I like to head to my local thrift store for this. Always look in the men’s section, because when you put the sweater through the felting process, it will shrink. So, the bigger the better when you’re starting out.
Once you have your 100% wool sweater (no cheating here), wash it on the hottest setting with the most agitation and spin. Dry it with high heat. Don’t forget to empty that lint screen – it will fill up fast! When your sweater has properly felted, you will find that it has a denser, softer finish now. The fibers have tightened in such a way that you can easily cut your sweater up without having it unravel. It’s a very forgiving material to work with!
Now for some fun projects.
Buy a travel coffee mug at your local dollar store. Cut a sleeve off your felted sweater. Add a few fun circles of additional felt, or some buttons. I like to sew them on with embroidery thread. Slip the cozy onto your mug and you’re done! Makes a great teacher gift.
Using the other arm of the sweater, cut sections off and fit on upcycled glass jars and votive holders. I like to pick up miscellaneous pieces from my local Salvation Army. Fit a votive candle in the glass holder and enjoy.
You’ve probably cut up the arms of your sweater, but you still have a lot of material left on the body. An easy and practical project is potholders. Cut out two pieces approximately 8 inches square. Simply stitch around the potholder, with right sides facing out. I like to stitch these about ¼ inch from the edge. Then, stitch diagonally from corner to corner. Done!
Made of 2 layers of reclaimed all-natural felted wool, these pot holders are useful and beautiful without all the icky chemicals. Wool is naturally flame retardant and stain resistant. Great gift idea – stash them away for Christmas!
Who doesn’t love some extra fun color in the house? This project is great for the kids. You can do it with your one felted sweater, but this project is definitely better with multiple colors. Using a large needle and embroidery floss or yarn, just have the kids string on 1 inch square scraps. You can knot the yarn in between each square to keep them spread out. Looks great on the Christmas tree.
Different birds nest at different times, but if you make make this suet holder now, you will be ready when the birds in your region are ready. And maybe you will be greeted by colorful nests!
Simply stick your scraps of felt and other crafting supplies such as yarn and string in an empty suet holder. Hang in the yard and watch those scraps disappear. This also makes a great Christmas gift the littles can make for grandparents.
If you’re looking for more DIY projects using felted wool sweaters, be sure to follow my Pinterest board.
What are you crafting this fall? Do you have a DIY or craft pinterest board? Share in the comments below.
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Abby, I LOVE this post. I adore the wool garland and would love to string a bunch around a Christmas tree. I’ve never tried felting wool before but I am interested in it and I really appreciate you taking the time to put this post together. I adore that you pulled so many projects out of one sweater!
Thanks, Shirley! Felted sweaters are fun to create with, and it’s great that they’re so cheap at the thrift store!
You inspire! Thank you, dear friend. Keep it coming as the Lord fills you with ideas. You bless us all, AND we all love you! (Now off to find my wool….)
Thanks, Amanda! I didn’t buy up all the wool sweaters at Sally’s, so there should still be some left 😉
I know I have some sweaters to re-purpose. These are some great ideas. Thanks for sharing @DearCreatives Inspiration Spotlight party. Have a great week ahead. Theresa
Thanks, Theresa!
These are really great ideas. Thanks for sharing them.
Hey, Kelley, thanks for stopping by!
Thanks for sharing with us at the #WWDParty this weekend.
My pleasure!
Great tips!!! Love them all and I have a sweater or two! xo Thanks for linking w/ Twirl and Take a Bow!
Thanks so much, Robin.
Love how you used the whole sweater. Great ideas. Thanks for linking up at Gingerly Made!
I don’t like waste, so I had to come up with ways to use the whole thing! Thanks for stopping by, Ginger!
Wow, I did NOT know you could do this with wool sweaters! Thanks for the post, I will have to try it now! I’ll pin for later.
Thanks also for linking up to last week’s Weekend Wind-Down party. I wanted to let you know that I am featuring this post on this week’s party! You can see it Friday at 6pm, grab a button, and link up new content. Thanks for partying with us and giving us great content to feature!
Nicole =)
Thanks for the feature, Nicole! Warning: crafting with felted wool can be addicting 🙂 very fun!
I love the mug cozies! I clicked on your link at #wineddown Wednesday because I used to do a lot of felting. This is a little bit different, but looks a lot easier and more fun. Adding this to my list of Christmas gift ideas!
Abby, these are such fun projects-pinned! You are being featured at Treasure Box Tuesday this week- congratulations! We get started tomorrow evening at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time (Mon., 9/22). Hope to see you soon! 🙂
FYI – We’re featuring your awesome post at this week’s Motivation Monday party!