Readers, I need your help! I got this email from Heidi – have any suggestions for her?
I read your blog often and love the ideas you share. I have a problem I thought you might be able to help me with. A few years ago, my grandma passed away and I inherited a couple of her beautiful cashmere sweaters. They have very intricate bead work all over them (see pictures). They are too big (and outdated) for me to wear, but I would love to do something with them. Any thoughts?
My first inclination would be to felt it, but I haven’t heard of anyone felting a beaded sweater before! (I wonder if Betz White has done it?)
Other ideas:
- Make them into throw pillow covers
- Stretch over a canvas for a wall hanging
- Cut up and sew into hats and mittens
- Alter them to fit you
Now it’s your turn readers!
23 Comments
Nora
I love these old sweaters, and usually the problem is that they are too small (since women in the previous generations were generally smaller). That said, if you really can’t see yourself wearing them you could refashion it into a purse or pillow, the only problem is that cashmere (especially beaded) can be really hard to clean.
If you changed your mind and decided you wanted to wear them you could always take them to a tailor to have it updated for you.
Heather H
I think they would make lovely Christmas ornaments. You could make quite a few out of each one, and maybe on one side, embroider your grandmother’s name or initials on it. They could be given to family to remember her by.
Nora
You could also make a cuff bracelet outr of the beaded part. :)
heather
There are some suggestions on our Facebook page, too…
Cover an old photo album and make a scrapbook in her honor!
Christmas stockings!!! (Martha Stewart stockings project)
heather
Also, a tweet from @girlsavage I accidently felted a beaded sweater like that in the wash. Holiday stockings from them, once felted or not, would be beautiful!
betz
In my experience a 100% cashmere sweater will shrink but not necessarily felt. Yes, I have shrunk a beaded sweater before and as you can imagine, the fabric part shrinks and the beaded part doesn’t, leaving you with a scrunchie kind of mess.
I don’t find them to look outdated altho they might not be your reader’s style. I would be inclined to get them tailored. If your reader doesn’t want to wear them, I like the pillow and ornament ideas!
LizAnderson
Oh! If you decide to use the main body of the sweater, use the sleeves to make luxurious mittens. I know there are tutorials all over for that. Pretty, precious mittens. Or mitten liners. No waste!
Gail
I like the previous poster’s suggestion of making Christmas decorations. That way, you’ll have your memories for years and years to come and even share the ornaments with others.
I saw the perfect decoration if Heidi crafty at all. There are no instructions, but have a look at lthe picture in this link. Use it as inspiration to fussy cut doves.
http://denimdoll63.blogspot.com/2008/12/doves.html
click on the picture for great detail. You could put additional embellishment. I’d love to see what happens to this sweater. Please let us know.
Heidi
Thank you for all the fantastic ideas! I love the thought of making stockings and ornaments from them, and I think I could probably do both. The butterfly sweater would make a perfect stocking for my 5 year old daughter, especially since she was named after the grandma they belonged to.
Making mittens from the sleeves sounds so cozy!
The hard part is going to be choosing which project(s) to do…that and getting up the nerve to actually cut the sweaters!
Thanks Heather for posting this question. Great ideas!
Becks
Send them to me!! I’ll wear them! I collect sweaters!!
You could also make them into pillow covers. That’d be cute.
Elizabeth
I would find big dolls and dress them up with them for a Christmas display. It would be a shame to destroy them, in my opinion.
Emily
I saw a beautiful clutch, made from a beaded sweater once… I can’t find the link, but if I remember right, they just recovered an old clutch using the cashmere. It was beautiful.
Jessica
I am agreeing with the Christmas stockings and pillows. Maybe even put some of the sweaters in embroidery hoops to hang on the wall?
Lindsey
Scarves!
Kathryn
Because they were the Grandmother’s, I would want to make a keepsake and with the sweaters being white with beads, they would make great Angels to set out for Christmas, although you could display there throughout the year and feel like Grandma is watching over you. I don’t have link to tutorial, but the area around the collar could be the skirt (might need to gather it a bit)and the head and body made for the rest of the sweater and sleeves and even each sleeve bottom where it is beaded would be made into a skirt for a smaller angel.
The throw pillow idea already mentioned above is a good one also. Over a “My Mama Made It” there is a tutorial on how to turn a cardigan into a throw pillow cover.
http://mymamamadeit.blogspot.com/2009/06/sweater-pillow-tutorial.html
For a modern day wearable, there is a tutorial for a cute Anthropologie inspired hat over at “Thirty Hand Made Days”.
http://thirtyhandmadedays.blogspot.com/2009/11/hi-everyone-i-am-so-honored-to-be-here.html
You could use the leftover sleeves to make a scarf and/or mittens.
Jeri
You might want to decide to hold on to them for a while, say 5 years. You may change you mind about destroying them and be happy that you kept such lovely sweaters in tact. Just a suggestion. You daughter would probably love having a sweater from her name sake when she is older.
Lauren
I would efinetey make a hat or two and maybe some mittens. any scraps would be turned into ornaments or snow for a village.
Janet
I would seriously have the altered to fit. Open the necklines a little and fit them down the side. Maybe create a ribbon belt to go with them?
Check out the beautiful sweaters and other beaded pieces at http://www.anthropologie.com/ and get inspired to make something that looks like a million bucks but from something that is priceless. You will love looking hip AND wearing your Grandmother’s clothes.
Tabitha
I would turn those sweaters into stockings. Martha’s “Living” this month featured some gorgeous white stockings and I’ve been searching for something like your sweater to make them with. I don’t know that you’d even have to felt the sweater since you’d be sewing up and seams–I’d worry that the felting process would warp the beading.
Whatever you do…GORGEOUS SWEATERS!!!!
Dot
You could turn them into beautiful vests by cutting off the sleeves, facing them with blanket binding or hem tape, and seaming the sides to fit. The sleeves could then be used for the other projects mentioned above.
vicki
I didn’t think cashmere ever went out of style! If you truly can’t evnision altering one to wear for yourself (even de-beading it or making it a short sleeve sweater) then I’d suggest saving one sweater for your daughter. take any others and make as many keepsakes as you can from each one. Christmas stocking fronts, mittens, angels, ornaments, squares for a lapblanket quilt… Try to make at least one thing that can be seen or used yead round.
sister sheri
I am so loving these inspirational questions! Wishing I had some old sweaters to cut up!
Carrie
I would make a purse or handbag first, then with the scraps you could make the bracelet and mittens….