How to Make Handbags from Recycled Wool Sweaters

Old wool sweaters can have new life as handbags.

Recycling high-quality wool sweaters is a trend that is as smart as it is aesthetically appealing. When sweaters are treated and then repurposed into handbags, an old item is put to good use as a new piece of usable art. Wool sweaters, if you don't already have a few that you want to convert to a handbag, can be purchased inexpensively at thrift stores and it doesn't matter if they're a little ragged around the edges. As long as the main areas of the front and back are intact and free of stains, you have all you need to get started.

Things You'll Need

• Washing machine
• Laundry detergent
• Automatic clothes dryer
• Sewing machine or needle and thread
• Scissors
• Cellophane tape

Instructions

1. Wash the sweaters in the washing machine in hot water, and dry them in the dryer on medium to high heat. This process is called felting. If you have sweaters of various colors, put them in separate pillowcases and tie them shut so that the lint doesn't spread from one sweater to another. Press the sweaters with a warm iron.

2. Place your pattern on the felted sweaters so that one edge is the same a the bottom edge of the sweater. Pin the pattern and cut. Use cellophane tape to secure the edges and prevent them from unraveling before you sew them. If you don't have a pattern, cut a piece of newspaper or cardboard into a rectangle that is slightly larger (about a half inch all the way around) than the purse size you want, and use it as a pattern.

3. Place the two cut pieces of wool together with good sides facing each other. Sew around three edges. You may use the sleeve of the sweater as a strap or you can cut a long piece of felted wool, sew it into a long tube and stitch it along the seams on the inside of the purse. Turn the purse right side out.

Tips & Warnings

• The elaborateness of your purse design is up to you. You might want to mix and match different sweater pieces or consider tying a yarn loop that can be wrapped around a button closure. Add fringe, embroidery or patches. Get as creative as you want to be.

References

• Frugal Living: Use Old Sweaters
• Try Our Designs: Felting Recycled Sweaters