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.