10 Crafty Green Things to Do With Old Sweaters

Do you have a pile of old sweaters that no longer fit but you just can’t bear to throw them out? How about reusing and upcycling them into something else?

Here are ten crafty ways to reuse old sweaters.



One thing you can do is make a sweater pillow. Pillows are pretty easy to make – just grab a pillow form and turn the sweater into a cover for it.

Here’s one DIY tutorial from The Budget Fashionista.

Another fun project to make from old sweaters is a patchwork quilt pet bed made from an assortment of colorful old sweaters. Here’s a great tutorial found at Apartment Therapy that gives you step by step instructions for making this cute pet bed.

Got kids? Then you can make several kids clothing items out of old adult size sweaters.

How about a pair of leggings? There’s a great tutorial on Crafting a Green World that will teach you how to turn a sweater into a pair of child size leggings.

Another sweater tutorial on CAGW shows you how to transform a sweater into a child size skirt.

Old sweaters also make wonderful stuffed animals. Crafter Caitlin Wicker makes stuffed toys out of old sweaters and sells them on Etsy- and the stuffies are super cute.

Martha Stewart has a few great templates and tutorials for making sweater stuffed animal chickens, lambs and pigs. I really love the pig.

No kids or just want to make something for yourself?

How about turning a couple of man size sweaters into a woman’s dress?

Check out the video tutorial on CAGW.

I also found a tutorial for transforming a sweater into a child size dress at Make It Love It.

Got pets? In addition to the cute pet bed you could make a couple of pet sweaters out of your old sweaters. Here’s a great tutorial on Craft Stylish.

You can craft new mittens from old sweaters – make a whole bunch of them and give them out as holiday gifts this year. Get started now and you’ll have a stack ready by December.

Here’s a how to from Martha Stewart.

One Pearl Button offers a tutorial for making both mittens and a matching hat from a sweater.

Slippers are another cozy option for old sweaters. Sweaters can easily be transformed into a pair of slippers to keep cold tootsies warm all winter long. There’s a post at CAGW with links to great slipper how tos and here’s a slipper sock pattern and tutorial at Instructables.