How to Refashion a Sweater Into a Cardigan

If you have an old sweater that is suffering from stains on the front, or is simply something you never reach for anymore, give it new life by refashioning it into a clever cardigan.

Instructions

1. Make a vertical cut down the center front of your sweater. Start at the neckline and cut all the way down to the hem. If your sweater has a cable pattern, use the vertical cables as a cutting guide and cut between the raised cables. Otherwise, mark off a line with a chalk pencil or disappearing ink marking pen so that you don't make a wavy cut.

2. Sew a piece of bias tape or folded grosgrain ribbon down each open end of the sweater front. Different looks are achieved depending on whether you use contrasting or coordinating ribbon or bias tape. You can either top stitch the binding to the sweater or open out the tape, seam it to the back and slip stitch it to the front. Top stitching is easier to accomplish, but slip stitching the front would be preferable for a more dressy sweater.

3. Affix a decorative button to the top of one side of the neckline. This holds the sweater closed at the top. You can either make a traditional buttonhole in the ribbon or bias tape opposite your button, or create a loop from a small piece of ribbon, braided embroidery floss or tiny elastic.

4. Embellish the cardigan as you wish. If your old sweater is suffering from stains, place flower motifs, embroidery or clusters of attractive and interesting buttons over the offending spots.