35 Wool Sweater Crafts

35 Wool Sweater Crafts

A wool sweater is a versatile craft supply. You can felt it or not, sew it, glue it, overdye it, and more. It has structure, when felted it won’t ravel, it can be waterproofed, and whoever made it in the first place probably already knitted it with a beautiful color and pattern.

Get yourself a selection of unwanted wool sweaters from the thrift store or from the closets of indulgent friends, and then check out my massive collection of wool sweater crafts. There is definitely something that you want to make on this list!

1. Bag. Because felted wool is so sturdy, it’s the perfect materials to make bags and purses.

2. Basket. Felted wool holds up well and keeps its structure in a sewn basket.

3. Beads. Even teeny-tiny wool scraps can be upcycled into beads.

4. Bike seat cover. Doesn’t a seat cover made from a sweater sound comfier than vinyl?

5. Blanket. I can’t imagine much that would be warmer than this patchwork blanket made from felted wool sweaters.

6. Boot cuffs. Don’t let your legs get cold! These felted wool boot cuffs are warm and washable.

7. Bracelet. Even kids can make and embellish these felted wool bracelets.

8. Cardigan. Turn a crewneck into a cardigan!

9. Christmas ornaments. Got a green wool sweater? Felt it and make little Christmas trees to hang on your Christmas tree.

10. Christmas tree. These no-sew felted wool Christmas trees use up even smaller sweater scraps.

11. Coffee sleeve. Don’t accept that disposable paper sleeve for your take-out coffee, because you’ve got a better coffee sleeve made from felted wool!

12. Diaper cover. For cloth diapered babes, a wool diaper cover is soft and waterproof and natural. Here’s how to sew a diaper cover from a felted wool sweater.

13. Felted wool. If you’re new to wool sweater crafts, start with this tutorial to felt wool sweaters in the washing machine, or this tutorial to felt wool fabric. And no matter what color your wool, you can overdye it to create a custom look.

14. Fingerless gloves. You can’t really sew gloves from a sweater (we’ve got to leave the knitters *something* to do!), but you CAN sew fingerless gloves.

15. Flowers. Flowers made from felted wool can be used to embellish any project.

16. Gift wrap. Wrap your present in a comfy sweater instead of store-bought paper.

17. Gloves. Fine–if you want to try your hand at sewing gloves, I’m not going to stop you!

18. Gnomes. Felted wool can make all kinds of great kids’ toys, including these toy gnomes.

19. Hat. Wearing a sweater hat is like wearing a warm sweater on your head.

20. Long johns. Wool sweater long johns are a real treat, and a HUGE money saver over store-bought wool long johns.

21. Mason jar cozy. Your Mason jar won’t sweat and get slippery when it’s wrapped in its own wool sweater cozy.

22. Mittens. If you cut your mittens against the bottom hem of the sweater, you can make use of any decorative detailing of the sweater there.

23. Monogram. This felted wool monogram tutorial uses the monogram as a Christmas ornament, but it would also work well framed, or in a scrapbook, or as a refrigerator magnet, etc.

24. Neck warmer. A neck warmer won’t come unwrapped and fall off while you’re skiing!

25. Pet bed. A patchwork sweater pet bed is a great place for a short-haired pet to hang out.

26. Pincushions. These pincushions look like sushi!

27. Pot handle cover. This pot handle cover tutorial from Wise Craft is a great project for your thickest, most insulating scraps.

28. Pot holders. Wool is flame and fire-resistant, so works well when layered to make pot holders.

29. Slippers. You’ll also need a piece from an old leather jacket to make these felted wool slippers.

30. Sweater skirt. As an extra layer over leggings, this sweater skirt is warm and comfy on a kid.

31. Sweater sleeve pants. Got a kid to keep warm? Sew them pants from sweater sleeves! You won’t felt the wool, so this project works well with any kind of sweater.

32. Vest. Sometimes you want to wear your sweater, but its style doesn’t quite work for you. Here’s how to turn a regular sweater into a sweater vest.

33. Wreath. If you’ve got a ton of tiny scraps left over, don’t trash them! Start making this beautiful wool sweater and wire hanger wreath.

34. Wristwarmers. You can make a lot of warm clothing from an upcycled sweater!

35. Yarn. Don’t need that sweater? Unravel it for the yarn.

[felt hearts image via Shutterstock]

2 thoughts on “35 Wool Sweater Crafts”

  1. I love the felted hearts. Emma really enjoys making them :0)

    I recently bought a new water bottle (one that was made in the US or recycled metals- Liberty Bottleworks) and I love it. Except it sweats and doesn’t stay cold all that long. So, I took a sweater sleeve and turned it into a cozy. Works well!

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