how to turn a favorite cardigan into a pillow

favorite cardi restyle

see this cardigan?  it was my favorite.  so well loved that one too many holes were worn into the neckline and hems.  even some unsightly discoloration on the sleeves and underarms.  it needed to be retired from my wardrobe.  so sad.

except maybe not.  instead of wasting this beautiful embroidery, i decided to upcycle it into a new pillow.  it only took a half hour from start to finish.  one of those projects that made me feel so productive, yet didn't leave me with a huge mess to clean up.  that makes me happy.

here is how i did it.

favorite cardi restyle

i began by measuring between seams on the back and cut a square using this width.  i keep a small stash of unused pillow forms (mostly grabbed from family when they are offloading stuff) and amazingly i had one that would fit.  it was a bit of a squeeze, but the knit stretched nicely. the embroidery was a little larger than this width, so i cut around it to avoid any unraveling.

i took this square and pinned it to the front (right sides together) and cut a second square.  because of the buttons, i just kept these two squares pinned and sewed up all four sides.  then i unbuttoned it and turned it right side out.  voila!  instant, removable (meaning washable!) pillow cover.

favorite cardi restyle

turning something unusable and making it something useful.  and beautiful!  love that.

favorite cardi restyle

turning it around to the other side looks just as pretty.  the hint of embroidery in the corner is sweetly understated.

favorite cardi restyle

this is the chair it has claimed as home for now.  and i think it looks just lovely there. 

now when a favorite cardigan is ready to retire from your wardrobe, you know what to do with it.  happy upcycling!

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