Tuesday, January 17, 2017

The Itchy Sweater Purse

Hello Refashion Co-op. I had a very itchy, scratchy wool sweater that I hated to wear. I decided to shrink it and make it into a bag. 


After washing in hot water and drying on high, I had a half-size sweater. Most wool garments have a warning tag telling you not to wash and dry them because of all the shrinking they will do.


It was small and the material was thicker now. I cut the arms and the neck band off the sweater. 


I connected the front and the bottom. I narrowed the shoulders to match the straps I had cut out. It is starting to look like a bag. 


I connected the shoulder strap pieces and added a pocket on the front. The button on the pocket is from the neck of the sweater. The bag is really sturdy and the wool is so tightly shrunk together that it needs no lining. It doesn't fray when it is cut so this material is easy and fun to work with.  


I thought the weight of the bag might stretch the narrow shoulder strap over time, so I reinforced it with some grosgrain ribbon. I just stitched it to the under side of the shoulder strap. 


Thanks for reading, for more details and pictures go to I Can Work With That.


6 comments:

Unknown said...

Brilliant idea. Well done

RePurposeFul said...

Love it. Great idea, and it turned out awesome.

I Can Work With That said...

Thanks Ladies.
Chickie

Saga said...

That sweater looks so much better as a bag, than it did as a sweater. The grey pattern really pops now.
Good idea with the ribbon on the back of the straps.

Stine, EOD

I Can Work With That said...

Thanks Saga, I totally agree.
Chickie

Amy Jo said...

Great bag! I like that you thought ahead about possible stretching and added the ribbon. :)