Sweater Art

sweater art

What do you do with a handmade sweater you haven't worn for twenty years? 

You make it into a piece of art you can appreciate every day of course!

The hours of love put into making a handmade garment just for you, make them too valuable to throw away.

When a friend offered me two beautiful, pure wool jumpers which had been made for him by his sister back in Ireland, I suggested repurposing one of them into a piece of art for their home.

First thing to do was to carefully unpick the section the seams where possible. Two finished edges were usable but the other two sides of the knitted square I wanted to work with, needed to be stabilised before they could be stretched gently over the frame. 

I used a zigzag stitch to sew down both sides of a wide cotton tape I had placed where the jumper needed to be cut. I then cut along the centre of the tape.

Being careful not to stretch the knitted piece too much, I (patiently) laced the knitting across the back of the frame, making sure the lacing stitches were placed into the cotton tape as well as the knitting. Starting in the middle and working outwards is the best way to approach it.

Lastly a piece of pretty fabric hand stitched over the lacing stitches to make the back look neat, a piece of narrow cotton tape sewn on as a hanger, and the sweater art is ready to hang on the wall!

It's turned out just grand to be sure. 😉

Enough of my terrible Irish accent, I hope your week is a peaceful one. Thank you for reading along,

Kellie

xo