Fashioning a Cardigan out of an Old Blanket


Cardigan

Since blankets are meant to keep you warm, old blankets provide the best material to make cardigans to serve the same purpose. Here is how you can make a new cardigan that you can wear around the house, out of an old blanket.

Steps

  1. First, draw out the sweater you intend to make. This will help you to determine the measurements you will need. Alternatively, you can search the internet for free patterns and modify them according to your own measurements.
  2. Once you have your pattern ready, take down the necessary measurements. The most important measurements would include the length from your shoulder to your wrist (some people may prefer for the sweater to have longer sleeves so that they can hide their hands inside them), length of your cardigan (usually measured from the nape of your neck to your desired length), circumference of your arm, circumference around your bust, circumference of your waist, circumference of your hips, neckline, and circumference around your shoulder joint.
  3. Once you have all your measurements, draw the template for the front and back onto a blank sheet of paper together according to the correct measurements. This will provide you with a rough guide of what the end product will look like. Also, remember to add in an extra two to three inches as you would want your cardigan to be able to wrap around you.
  4. Cut out the template, and place it on to your old blanket. Pin it down, and cut around the template, about an inch away.
  5. Always cut the back piece first as it requires the most cloth. After which, you can cut out the two front pieces.
  6. When you have all three pieces cut out, lay the back piece on your work surface with the insides facing down. Next, place the two from pieces with the insides facing you.
  7. Pin them into place before you start sewing to make work easier later on.
  8. You can now sew the three pieces together. Remember not to sew the sleeves shut. Also remember to sew all the cut edges to keep them from fraying.
  9. Turn the cardigan right side out. You may now decorate your cardigan. For convenience sake, add in two pockets on either sides of your cardigan right below the waist. You can have conventionally shaped pockets, or you could add a twist and make, for example, heart-shaped pockets.

Image Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ullkika/2103254486/