Saturday, November 3, 2012

My Basket Dressed in a Sweater.


Don't you love a good sweater?
I have a hard time parting with a sweater if it feels like good quality,
but I know they must be moved along sometime.

If they are the type that never look pilly, worn, or mis-shaped,
they could always be transformed into something else.

I have seen some clever uses for recycled sweaters,
so I decided to use a sweater I had to try to save a basket.


After cutting off the arms
(oh, that sounds so horrific),
I stitched the holes closed with some green yarn
as well as the head opening.


 (Aye, I should 'ave posted this 'ere tale on St. Patrick's Day!)


I stitched up the top and bottoms of the sleeves for some fancy-shmancy leg-warmers...
 that could be worn two different ways.



 For the basket,
I decided first to replace the dwindling handles...


with some fun green yarn...

all corchetted together.


I stitched the new handle right through the basket...


 and then tied it off.




 The sleeveless, holeless sweater was set into the basket...

and a hole cut for the new handles.

I promptly stitched around the edge of the hole with yarn
to keep the sweater from unraveling.

I then crocheted a stitched border around the outside of the lining,
also making some button hole loops in it.

I found a variety of large buttons which were then sewed
at equally spaced locations
around the edge of the basket.

This way, the lining can be removed and washed
if one of my kids decides to hide a questionable treasure in my basket.


(This could have been much simpler if I had just skipped making the handles
and just inserted the sweater-liner into the basket,
but we were watching a movie series last winter when I did this project,
and I sometimes get carried away when engrossed in a movie.)





Two uses for an old sweater.

Do I win some kind of award for being extra green on this project?
Maybe I'll go make some leg warmers out of that hot pink and yellow striped sweater I have...
for my sisters' Christmas presents.
Oooooo.....

Tip Junkie

9 comments:

  1. Uhm... Lovely!
    What a super great idea. Both the basket and the leg warmers.

    Pat

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  2. What a clever idea! enJOYing the brainstorm you gave me. Figuring out how to put elastic in top edge so I can change it out for the season. Pinning to my Repurpose board. Thanks for posting. (Found you on Funky Junk)

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  3. I love the way you don't waste a thing! And that basket looks terrific, as do your leg warmers.

    =)

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  4. This is really cool. I love the buttons on the basket and I will never buy another pair of leg warmers with this great idea of yours by using a old sweater.
    Love this!
    Anne

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  5. Wow, how clever. It looks really cute! Looks like you have a comfy reading spot!

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  6. That's a clever idea for a liner! Your leg warmers are nifty too :) Thank you so much for linking this up to Rustic Restorations Weekend!

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  7. Tonya, the basket looks so great! I love it!

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