Craft Project: Sweater Pillow Covers

This is a really easy project, and you don't need a lot of skill to complete it. I'll start with the why because I like to tell stories, and then will get into the how.

Our current living room contains a good mix of masculine and feminine, style and comfort. When we bought our sectional almost 2 years ago it came with 5 accent pillows - good quality, and the fabrics chosen matched the sofa nicely. But I hated them - isn't that always the case?

I was on a quest last summer to find replacements and finally settled on a bright floral pattern with reds, yellows, greens,and blues. Great for spring, summer, and even fall - but not so great for winter. So, it was time to find an alternate!

I love the look of cable knit pillow covers; they are cozy, soft, add texture and interest - but they are usually really expensive. I also subscribe to the adage of using what you have, and hated the idea of having a bunch of extra throw pillows that I would have to find storage for somewhere in the house when springtime finally rolled back.

So, I had an idea: I will make my own!

No, not actually knitting 4 different covers - I crochet sometimes, but hate having deadlines when I do it - so that was out. I decided to be economical and earth-friendly and repurpose men's sweaters from the thrift store. It would be helpful to bring a pillow with you to ensure it fits in the sweater properly, but if you have a good idea of the size and how the sweater will fit & stretch that should work too. I picked out 5 sweaters of varying colors and knit patterns (I don't like matchy-matchy and wanted it to look like a collection versus cookie-cutter): red, cream, brown, and green. Let's get to work!

Supplies:
- Sweaters large enough to fit your pillows (qty for however many you are covering)
- Buttons (toggle buttons work great, but just buttons large enough to hold the fabric without leaving big gaps)
- Sewing machine (way easier than sewing by hand; I tried, and failed)

How:
- Lay the sweater out flat, and place your pillow on top of it
- Trim off the arms
- Trim off the neckline
- Sew the top (former neck opening area) closed
- Sew button holes and buttons to the hemline of the sweater
- Place pillow form inside new sweater pillow cover
- DONE!

If you're making multiple for the same area you might want to vary the types of buttons you use. For example, on my brown pillow cover I used wooden toggle buttons; on the cream pillow cover I used clear glass buttons. It's nice to have a variety to individualize each cover for added interest and texture as well.

Here is a diagram detailing how I made them, and a few photos of my completed projects! Total cost of materials: $35 for 4 pillow covers

 

 

I mixed in one store bought accent pillow embroidered with flat gold sequins for a little touch of holiday glam -- I think the third size and embellishments rounded out the set nicely.

 

(Accent "Noel" pillow: Target; Threshold Holiday 2013 collection. $19.99)