By Shari Hiller and Matt Fox
McClatchy-Tribune
Recently I rediscovered an inspirational picture of a sweater pillow cover that I plucked from a magazine I thought it was pretty cute. Here’s how I whipped up a pillow I’ll always cherish!
Materials list:
Sweater of your choice
Pillow form sized to cover
Measuring tape
Scissors
Sewing machine
Instructions:
Sweater measuring
1. So, I took my little sweater, in this case a cardigan, measured it from side to side, and found a pillow form a little smaller than the sweater to slip inside it.
2. First, I removed the arms (to restyle into their own new lives). I then cut the two sides to straighten them out (removing the arms created uneven sides), and adjusted the length to the size I needed, leaving {-inch on both sides and bottom, for seam allowances. My cardigan had buttons, of course, and an adorable little collar which added so much personality I had to leave that!
3. Once cut, having left the buttons buttoned, I turned the sweater inside out, and with ‘right’ sides together, lined up any obvious patterns in the knitted design, and pinned the 3 cut sides.
4. Then, using just a basic straight stitch and leaving a 1-inch seam allowance, I stitched away. Before turning the sweater right side out, I snipped the excess fabric from the corners, so that once turned, those corners would be much “sharper.”
(Tip: For a more finished look, you might, out of an old T-shirt, make a pillowslip to put on the pillow first, before this sweater cover, to hide the unfinished edge of the pillow form that will be visible at the neck opening.)
5. I then unbuttoned my little cutie, turned it right side out, slipped the pillow inside, and buttoned it back up. If your sweater doesn’t have a cute collar, just cut and stitch that side like you would the other sides. Similarly, you can follow these instructions for any adult sized cardigan.
Sometimes I turn the pillow around for a no-button look, or so that I don’t get button prints on my face after my nap!
But I couldn’t stop there; another practical yet stylish place for this cozy cover is your heating pad!
