Do you remember that lovely sweater that used to make you look great, but you wore so many times that it widened so much that finally turned into a monk robe? Give it a new life by turning them into a set of cozy pillow covers.

You have probably seen this kind of project before, but you can’t imagine how adding some yarn would improve the result.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, I’ll receive a commission.

Where to Start From

First, I had to decide what to use from the bunch of old sweaters I gathered for upcycling. I have a bunch of pillows in different sizes to choose from for dressing in new covers, so I picked up those sweaters whose colors seemed to fit together and look great in my living too.

Along with the old sweaters, I saved some green pompom yarn. The picture does no good: look for Pantone’s Greenery, color of the year 2017, with a touch of white, and you’ll have the right shade of my green yarn. It goes great with red, especially before Christmas. My yarn was recycled from an old scarf.

I also saved some already made red pompoms from another old hat, and you will see them soon on another knitted pillow cover. Those green are brand new, and are waiting to become part of another DIY project.

Dress, Measure and Cut

But let’s get to work! First, measure the pillows, so you could pair the sweater with the right sized pillow. Or you could choose the easiest way and put the sweater on the pillow, and see how it fits. Either way, be aware that the size of the knit might change from one method to another, since the sweater will go wider when dressed up.

For me, measuring twice before cutting is common science, so I wouldn’t rely only on dressing up. When measuring, lay the sweater on a plane surface and don’t let the knit widen too much before cutting. Also, when cutting, choose a knitting line and cut on it so you would have a straight and neat side that wouldn’t unwind easily.

I put the two striped sleeves aside for later use, and used them for another project published on my blog.

READ HERE WHAT I DID WITH THE SLEEVES!

Sewing

The texture of the knit is much different than one that fabric has, so it widens easily when using the sewing machine. You need to harden the sides, to prevent the lines from unwinding, so I made zigzag stitch on the outside, before sewing a straight line a few millimeters inside the cover-to-be.

Once you did it, you need a way to keep the cover closed, and my choice was to sew a hidden zipper for each one of them.

Let’s Make A Difference!

As I told you before, the red one is the favorite one, so I choose it for a special design. I used that green yarn to make a funny border and also a star.

We all need stars around us on Christmas, right? And I also love green and red. Just check this example of how to DIY designer wrapping paper, and you will see how lovely green, red and gold look together in every design.

I used two thread of green yarn to design the star, then I sewed it here and there, to fix it. I also made this lovely border using one single thread of yarn. For fixing it, I sew it like you see in the picture below, then made a new sew all around with the sewing machine and caught the thin part of the yarn in between.

The red pillow is my favorite one, and also my kid’s. We actually fight over it every evening, when sharing the couch and watch a movie.

OK, I admit, I’m in love with this one, but I love the others, too: the blue one and also the striped pillow case.

Few days later, another one has joined the group: a green knit along with a few red pompons turned into a lovely pillow cover too.

Have fun upcycling your own old knits and yarns! Dream, dare, create, then come back here to share your lovely projects  with your peers!