Many of us have, at some point, ended up with a jumper that is no longer useful. Either it will have worn out or been ruined through washing etc.
There are numerous ideas and projects that can be done to repurpose, upcycle or adapt the jumper into something unique, useful, new and even stylish!
Old jumpers are also easily accessible via donations from friends and family or by raiding the rails at the local charity shop (unless I am looking for something specific I rarely spend more than £1 on a jumper!)
I find that the jumpers acquired often dictate the project as different fibres lend themselves to different ways of working with them.
For example if I want to work with felted fabric I will need to select 100% wool fabrics and boil wash them in order to create the suitable material (of course this washing procedure may be what prompts the need to re-purpose the jumper in the first place!) Felting woollen jumpers can be a bit hit-and-miss as some woollen jumpers have been specifically treated to prevent them being unintentionally shrunken in the wash. However many will shrink.
The beauty of working with felted jumpers is that they require little or no hemming etc. as the fibres will not unravel due to the felting procedure. The fabric can often be used in the same projects that regular felt would be used and as such many decorative projects can result from these. The material may still retain some of its flexibility, however, and can be made into extra warm clothing: outerwear, hats and shoes etc.
Cotton knit jumpers tend to be the most likely to unravel when cut due to the smoothness of the fibres. As such it is important that the cutting stage is done as closely to the sewing stage as possible. Cotton knit is great for repurposing into clothing as it has a good structure and is less likely to misshape. It is also good at retaining body heat in the colder months as well as keeping cool in the summer.
Acrylic knits are, by far, the easiest fabric types to get hold of. They are often the jumpers relegated to the special offer rails in the charity shops. They should not be discredited however as they are likely to be the best source of colour and pattern into any project. Any seams and hems will need to be carefully sealed in the creation process to prevent unraveling of the fabric.
When cutting and sewing old jumpers there are a number of ways to seal the seams and hems.
The most common way involves using an overlocker or serger which will sew and bind the edges of the fabric at the same time. These are becoming more econimic to buy and can cost little more than a sewing machine. Another way to seal in any raw edges is to sew all the seams as “french seams” as explained in the following diagram:
Another seam type which would seal in the raw edges is a felled seam, however this may be trickier to do as the knit fabrics are harder to press flat:
Raw edges can also be sewn in by hand which although takes time may actually be easier!
When upcycling and repurposing old jumpers it is important to experiment and have fun and remember every item you make is unique!
Pixie Creations 