sweater bag tutorial
In the January issue of Country Living Magazine, I spotted a thrifty way to reuse those old sweaters that just don’t seem to fit into my wardrobe anymore. I’ve posted the steps that I took to transform an old blue sweater into a handy tote bag. Along with a sewing machine, here are the materials I used…
an old sweater, scissors, and thread
Step #1: Create the handles of the bag by cutting the sleeves and neckline off of the sweater.
Step #2: Lay the material so that the side seams of the sweater meet in the front.
Step #3: Pin the bottom of the sweater together and sew a straight line to join the two sides.
Step #4: Turn the bag inside-out and fill it full of all your favorite goodies.
**An additional step that is optional is to fold and sew each bag handle to create a clean handle line. This also aids in making your bag more sturdy**
January 9th, 2009 at 2:37 pm
Oh my gosh! That is ridiculously clever – I LOVE IT!!
January 9th, 2009 at 3:34 pm
SOOO cute!
January 10th, 2009 at 3:38 pm
As the recipient of this tote, I just can’t say it enough: I love it! So soft and perfect in size. I’m off to stock this bag full of goodies…
January 10th, 2009 at 10:11 pm
You are too much….where do you come up with this stuff!? Can’t wait to see what you do next.
January 12th, 2009 at 7:21 pm
I LOVE this!! I am going to try it out!
January 13th, 2009 at 4:59 am
I love this! I want to make this soon
It looks so pretty! Very creative and great choice in the sweater =)
January 13th, 2009 at 10:23 am
That so so darn clever! I think I have at least 3 sweaters I can do something like this with! I bet it would be cute felted too! Thanks for sharing!
January 13th, 2009 at 11:26 am
This is just the cutest!!! Thanks for sharing how you did it, along with the photos! I think I’m going to hunt down some thrift store sweaters to try this with.
January 13th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
I’m heading downstairs to make this…but I wonder, were we supposed to turn it inside out BEFORE sewing that bottom seam, so the bag is “right side out” in the end?
LOVE the idea! I made a pair of gauntlets out of the cuffs of this sweater (for my sister), and have been looking for something snazzy to do with the rest of it
January 13th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
Thanks Myrnie! Yes, you can certainly turn the sweater inside out before sewing the bottom. It can be done either way…just depends on the look you are going for. Good luck and I would love to see your final product!!!
January 13th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
That’s so simple! You didn’t mention felting it… if you didn’t felt it, how did you keep the handles from unraveling where you took of the neck and the sleeves?
January 13th, 2009 at 2:19 pm
Very cool idea!
January 16th, 2009 at 11:41 am
Heidi, I blogged about my new bag this morning at http://iwonderwoman.blogspot.com
I love it! Thanks for the fantastic idea 
March 17th, 2009 at 11:09 am
[...] felting it, and preferably with a liner. I found several options, from the tote bag created by Perched on a Whim [...]
March 24th, 2009 at 8:02 am
HI!!
Congratulation for your works. I’m Barbara an italian student of the academy of fine art, I apreciate very much your creations and me too make bags, jewelery and somethig more with all the old materials. Sorry for my english, bye bye, Barbara
March 30th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
I made this after looking at your post….it was so cute and easy and a great way to re-use my daughter’s old sweaters! I even lined the whole thing with one of her old shirt with a little pocket inside–added the “wow” factor inside!
August 8th, 2009 at 9:40 pm
I linked to your blog.
October 4th, 2009 at 10:53 am
Great models.thanks…
November 21st, 2009 at 6:39 am
Did you him the handles?
February 20th, 2010 at 4:25 pm
wow Great models !!
February 20th, 2010 at 4:44 pm
Great models.thanks…!! admin
December 21st, 2010 at 11:13 am
Great idea! I featured this today on my blog!
Amanda
todaystoptwenty.blogspot.com
January 25th, 2011 at 2:37 pm
Love this! It’s so simple too. We will be featuring you on our blog. ziggycrafts.blogspot.com Thanks for sharing!!
February 5th, 2011 at 9:08 pm
Wow I love it. THANKS
October 4th, 2011 at 2:01 pm
If you get a 100% wool sweater you can “felt” it by washing it in hot water and drying it on high. The sweater will shrink and you will get a very thick heavy material that is really sturdy. Great tutorial and super simple…I love it
October 9th, 2011 at 3:22 pm
[...] Pinterest. I follow several crafty ladies, and someone had pinned this lovely sweater bag. Immediately, I knew what I’d be doing – this was the perfect use for one of those [...]
November 4th, 2011 at 5:12 am
If you take the cut out neckline, it looks like you could easily add it as a pocket inside the sweater bag. Who doesn’t need an extra pocket?