How to Upcycle an Old Sweater into a Cozy Knit Pillow

Now that the weather is getting cooler in most places, you may be pulling your sweaters from last year out of the back of your closet. And maybe there are a few that you decide won’t be making it into your wardrobe rotation. Before you get rid of an unwanted sweater, consider whether it could have a new life as a sweater pillow. Here’s how to add a bit of knit texture to your decor by sewing your own sweater pillow.    

There are lots of reasons why you might not want to wear an old sweater any more. Maybe the fit, color, or style is off, or perhaps there are stains or holes that developed while it was sitting around unworn (thanks, moths!). Especially if the stains or holes are on the sleeves, you may be able to salvage the rest of the sweater by turning it into a pillow. And if you don’t already have a suitable sweater, you should be able to find one at a thrift store. 

I loved the stitch pattern on this dusty pink sweater, but the color and fit just didn’t suit me. When I realized that it would look much better in my living room than on me, I started figuring out how to turn it into a sweater pillow. Here’s how I did it:

Materials

 

• Knit sweater – You want one with a fairly dense knit stitch. 
• Pillow form
• Sewing machine
• Machine sewing needle
• Hand sewing needle
• Thread
• Fabric scissors
• Pins

Step

Turn the sweater inside-out, and place the pillow form inside it. Pin around the form so that the sweater fits it snugly, but don’t stretch it out.

 

Step

Cut the sweater outside the lines you pinned, leaving about a 1/2-inch seam allowance. 

 

Step

Sew around the perimeter of the sweater on the lines you pinned. Be careful not to stretch the sweater as you sew, or you’ll end up with wavy seams. I like to round off the corners and trim them, so that my finished pillow won’t have pointy, empty corners. Be sure to leave an opening for inserting the pillow form! The exact size of the opening depends on your pillow size, but the one here would have been easier to deal with if it had been an inch or two larger. 

 

Step

 Hand sew the opening closed using an invisible stitch/ladder stitch/blind stitch/slip stitch.

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Sewing a sweater pillow is much faster than knitting a pillow cover from scratch! Do you  have any old sweaters that would make good throw pillows?