Last weekend, Aaron and I sifted through our closets and got rid of some stuff we knew we wouldn't wear anymore. As we were stacking the give-away clothes in piles, it dawned on me that a lot of them could be recycled and used as scrap fabric for other crafts I've been wanting to make! For one, Aaron has been on a mission to find a comfy - saggy light gray beanie, so when I saw that he was getting rid of his light gray sweater, I snatched it from the pile, because I knew I could make a beanie out of it that he would love! Luckily, he did!
I forgot to take a picture of the sweater before I cut it up... but here's what it looked like... just your average Target Merona wool sweater!
I laid Aaron's dark gray beanie, that he LOVES and wears 24-7, on top of the band at the bottom of the light gray sweater. (It's important to use the bottom of the sweater for the bottom of the beanie, to give it a more finished look). Then, I cut a square out of the sweater material, about an inch larger than the beanie.
Then, I grabbed a sharpie marker and drew an outline a little bit bigger (maybe 1/4 inch bigger) than the beanie I was using as my example.
Then, I threw it onto the sewing machine and sewed along the marked line. Then, I cut the excess fabric off.
In order to not have the beanie poke out on the top, you need to make a cross stich at the top. (basically make a + at the top). In order to do this, fold the beanie in half, pinch the top and draw a line with a marker, making a + shape, then sew on that line.
Once you're done with that + stitch, turn it right side out and it's ready to go! Aaron is a huge critic when it comes to beanies and how they fit him. I'm happy to say, he was VERY pleased!
He actually wore it ALL day!
I grabbed the leftover scraps from the bottom of the sweater and quickly stitched up some baby mittens! They're not perfect, but that's the point with any handmade thing, right?! It's all about the character!
Hope this inspires you to re-think your clothing giveaways next time
and to create something new and handmade out of them!
