From a shrunken jumper :)

[Toddy]

We've all got at least one. The nice woolly jumper that someone (HWMBLT ! ) put into the washing machine and shrunk so that it would maybe fit a ten year old

This one is, well it was, a nice slate blue marled wool Antartex jumper. It shrunk by about 20cms in length and the sleeves now sit just below the elbows.

So, I decided to make use of the fabric, especially since it's now felted and won't unravel

I apologise in advance for the photos, himself says our daylight bulbs don't suit the camera, and white paper and my hands come out shocking pink, and in some photos the jumper has turned green
I'll know better next time, but I've picked out the clearest shots.

One shrunken jumper =
A pair of long mitts,
A hat,
Boot liners
A set of slippers.
A pair of children's mittens,
2 Christmas ornaments and a cat toy

Let's start with the mitts.
My drawings haven't shown up on my photos at all, so I'll just write out the instructions.

Draw round your hand and far enough up your wrist to cover the fine skin where the artery and veins run.
Add a smooth curved line about 1.5 cm all round that shape.
Now measure around the fullness of your hand, divide that measurement in half, and see how it looks against the pattern.
Do the same for your wrist and your thumb.
The aim is for 5mm seam allowances in the pattern.

Your pattern is 2D but it has to fit comfortably around your 3D self

If the measurement looks too neat add in a little fullness. This is particularly important at the wrist and the thumb. The thumb has a seam all round so it will narrow more than the main mitt when it's sewn. It's easier to narrow things down to fit than it is to add bits in.

You should end up with a pattern like this.

Turn the jumper inside out, this lets you work around the seams more easily.
Not wanting to waste the perfectly sound cuff I slid my pattern up the sleeve a bit, keep the thumb nearest the sleeve seam where the knitting increases.

Draw around your pattern. If you don't have tailor's chalk or wax, don't fret, a sliver of dried out soap works fine, in fact it's easier to use on wool than either of those two and it just rubs off when your done

Repeat this on the other sleeve too.
These patterns are the simplest I could devise that would create useable garments. The mitts could be tailored, with seperate thumb gussets and the like, but to be honest, I've done this before and it's not needed. The jumper has enough give in the fabric that it doesn't gird the thumb movement at all.

I didn't cut the rib seam away, I just shaped my pattern so that it ran in to it.

I sewed the mitts using wool, and I used a back stitch. If you prefer to use a sewing machine that will work fine too. Use a narrow but long zigzag stitch. Any thread will actually do to sew the wool, it was just that I had woollen thread handy.
Two mitts cut out and ready to sew.

Finished mitts, and the hat (coming next )
If you're pretty sure that the fabric will felt further, it can be worth while making the mitts oversized and then washing them in the machine with the normal dark wash.
This will shrink them some more and felt them into the equivalent of those horrendously expensive windproof boiled wool mitts that folks wear in Arctic conditions.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[BorderReiver]

Mary you're a genius.

What a great idea.

 

[Toddy]

Thank you kindly :blush:

The hat is a basic watchcap style.
The crucial measurement is around your head just above your brow going over your ears. Pull the tape/ string quite snug, you won't want the hat blowing off
Now measure the waistband of the jumper.

My head measurement worked out at 44cms, and the waistband just came to 45
If your's doesn't work out quite so neatly use the side seam as one of the seams that will run up into the crown. This is tidier than having it in the middle of one of the sections.

To get the depth of the crown of your head, take an average of the two measurements from your brow to your crown, and from just above your earlobe to your crown.

Divide your original head measurement in four, in my case 11cms, and the crown measurement 16cms. Cut out a rectangle of paper that size and fold it in half lengthways. One end is your band the other will be the shape for the crown.
Mine looked like this when I cut the curves that shape the crown,

Again, not wanting to waste that neat ribbing of the waistband I moved my pattern up from it.
Keep in mind that you need seam allowances so the extra cm I had at the edges I left on the outside of my pattern.
Draw around the pattern four times along the bottom of the jumper.

Sorry about the pink, and the angle of the shot, if I do it again I'll do it in daylight, I think the idea's clear enough though.
Mark the top cente of each curve.

Fold the fabric in half and sew up the side seam. Try to keep the rib seam really tidy since that will be seen when it's turned over for the band. It could be reverse seamed there if you choose.

When you get to the crown stop and bring the next curve's centre mark to the piece you've just sewn.

Think about what you're doing. You are trying to create a four piece top to a hat.

Continue joining up the curves using the centre marks you made as guides to where to stop and attach the next piece.

If the curves you've made don't quite sit how you want, they can be trimmed back and re-sewn. It's not rocket science, it's comfort

Finished hat with the band folded up

Again, if made oversized the hat can be felted and wind and showerproofed
Whole generations of walkers and climbers survived using this type of hat without the benefit of modern fabrics and high tech designs, it's basic but it works.

Next, boot liners.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Noddy]

That is a top bit of thinking Toddy. at the moment, we put all and any shrunken wool onto the kids - but that is definitely an idea I will be pursuing - can't work out how to stop myself 'accidentally' slinging a jumper in teh tumble drier though

 

[Toddy]

I used to do likewise, but as they grow up it becomes the reverse This jumper originally fitted my six foot tall son
When it got too wee to fit my five foot two inch self, I decided it was time
to either bin it or use the material

cheers,
M

 

[Toddy]

Boot liners, especially pure wool ones, are hard to find and they can be really expensive.
There are several ways to make them. This pattern is the basic one piece one that generally has the seams outwards.

Seaming in wool is pretty straight forward, but if a seam is going to lie where it might rub it's worth while making it a deeper seam and then laying it flat. Either slip stitch over it to keep the edges down, or herringbone stitch them as I do. This gives a kind of ease to the seam, it doesn't create a ridge, and it will stop a very loose edge from unravelling any further too.

It's worth while having a pull at the fabric and working out if there's one direction that it will stretch more than the other.
Cut your pattern accordingly.

Draw round your foot, leaving a gentle ease to the pattern. Remember seam allowances.

Take a sock that you know fits you, without being stretched, and lay it out on the sole pattern so that the centre of the sock's folded sole lies at the centre of your pattern.

Draw around your sock, straightening out the back seam line.

Remember my 2D pattern to fit a 3D yourself ?
Do it again
The boot liner has to go over your foot without being tight.
The ankle has to be wide enough to allow your foot to get into the liner.

I prefer to leave the front of my liners open above the ankle so that I can use them as tent socks when it's cold.
I generally add on extra to the pattern at the front so that they can be folded over to cover the ankle. I pull my thermal leggings down over these and then everything slides snuggly into my boots. I have small feet, narrow heels and ankles so I shape the back of the leg to fit a bit neater too.
You could just sew the legs on your liners straight up.

Fabric folded in half and the boot liners cut out.

When you sew these, have a look at the way the toe and heel sit. They don't fit close.
To make them fit properly, cut the fabric at the centre back seam into where the sole pattern was drawn.
(Sorry, my world looks pink , next time I do this from a felted jumper I'll post better photos )
If you look again at the photo above, where I cut out the piece on the fold of the fabric, you can see two notches drawn on the fabric. I know how much material I need to remove, and if you're happy trying it this way first, you can cut the toe and heel fit when you cut out the basic shape.

Now follow the curve of the heel around for a couple of cms each side. This is an individual measurement fitting folks, I'm small, for my sons I need to make the curve about 6cms in total.

Now the back seam at the heel needs trimmed to fit the new curve.
lay the sole flat and see where the fabric lies, trim away what's not needed and sew the seam around the heel.

It sounds complicated, but by the time you've gotten there and the piece is actually in your hand, it's obvious what's needed to make the heel fit smoothly.
I do have photos but they're worse than the last ones

For the toes, the basic pattern works out too narrowly pointed. Lay the sewn piece out with the sole flat. Cut off the toe just a seam allowance beyond the original sole pattern. Do this in a gentle curve and stitch.
Think 3D

Finished basic one piece boot liners.

Next up, three piece liners or slippers.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Melonfish]

OOh love those boot liners Toddy, gives me a nice idea for a last minute prezzie for the wife!
charity shop wooly jumper here i come!

 

[Toddy]

If those are the main thing you want from the jumper then you could turn the pattern upside down and use the waistband ribbing for the top of the leg

Old Fair Isle jumpers look great felted down for these

cheers,
M

 

[timboggle]

Excellant work Mary, brilliant idea.
:You_Rock_

 

[warthog1981]

Excellent you have been a busy lass

Cheers Russ

 

[Toddy]

Mind thon merino thermal that your Mum shrunk ?........
I reckon that would make inner mitts, inner boot liners and a balaclava if she shrinks it any smaller.

atb,
Mary

 

[warthog1981]

That would be a great idea but she shrunk it to fit herself

cheers Russ

 

[Toddy]

Ah !

She's no' daft, is she ?

atb,
M

 

[BorderReiver]

Can we have this thread "stickied" please?

 

[Everything Mac]

really great work Mary - that lot looks great!

andy

 

[Shewie]

Great stuff Toddy

Thanks for the psychedelic journey into the world of recycling. Kind of makes you look at things a little differently when you can see the potential in another persons throw outs.

 

[Toddy]

Sorry about the dayglo pink, it is a touch savage.

I'll do it again, later. I'll do it in daylight though

I've sketched out plans for a Peruvian hat, a cowl, a balaclava, a different boot liner, and a medieval type snood that would work from a jumper too
Not all from the same jumper though

Come on then, who's got a good idea for using old stuff like this ?

atb,
Toddy

 

[fred gordon]

Great recycling! Do you take orders?

 

[w00dsmoke]

Fantastic Toddy! I have a lambswool grey jumper that was accidentally put in the wash and since I'm not gonna lose 10 stone overnight you've given me a great idea for the use of the jumper!! Cheers

WS

 

[deenewcastle]

I never seem to look at things in quite the same way since joining this site I watched 'Far North' last night, and loved the outfits. As I've been wandering around the charity shops recently, I ended up trying to work out how to remodel a few old 'faux fur' coats into an adult sized 'papoose' type bag for winter camping Now I also know to use off cuts for mitts and boot inlays