I really don’t like to throw anything away. Part of it is just that I hate waste and part of it is being kind to our planet. I have some clothes that are too good for the rag bag but too stained or something to donate.
Today I am going to tackle one of the things in that bag and repurpose a sweatshirt.
I’ve always seen articles about taking a dress and making it into something completely new but I’m afraid that’s a little bit more of a challenge than I’m up for. I believe in starting small and working my way up.
I have this cute fleece pullover, I actually have several in different colors because they were inexpensive and are so warm! I love fleece in the winter.
This cream colored one got stained, right down the front because I can’t seem to eat without sharing my food with the front of my shirt.. You can’t really donate stained clothing to a thrift store so I decided to make it into something new. If it didn’t work I hadn’t really lost anything.
First I cut out it open up the center, then because it had a zipper I had to cut another inch off each side to make it a straight line after taking out the zipper.
Then, because it’s fleece, I just turned the edges under and hemmed. If it were another fabric you would need to turn the edges under twice or serge them before hemming. You could also use bias tape to bind the edges and give it a little contrast.
Now this isn’t going to close like a jacket or sweater, it’s just a little something to throw over a lighter shirt when it gets chilly.
Here is the finished product. Not bad for a few minutes of my time.
Now that it’s finished I could dye it a different color or add some buttons to dress it up a little.
You will be surprised once you make this, how easy it is and how many of the sweatshirts and even sweaters in your home can be repurposed this way.
If they don’t have a zipper you won’t have to cut out the middle piece and can add buttons and button holes or Velcro for the kids.