how to make a pillow using a sweater

One of the best ways to make a BIG change in decor is swapping out decorative pillows on the couch. BUT, have you been pillow shopping recently? Yikes! Those prices can be ridiculous! I was looking for a bold color with a unique print to match some fun Christmas decor, so I went searching at….the thrift store! Now, I didn’t go to the thrift store looking for a pillow. I was on the hunt for a beautiful SWEATER! Have you ever seen a sweater and thought, ‘That would make a gorgeous pillow!’? Well, today I’m going to show you how to take a sweater and turn it into an accent pillow.

To create this pillow, I used the following items:

• Sweater – I used a size small sweater, but the bigger the better, because it’s easier to work with.
• Pillow form or existing accent pillow
• Scissors
• Hot glue gun and several glue sticks

The sweater I chose was a cape sleeve style with buttons down the front, but a non-cardigan style would probably work best, because it will save you the step of closing the front.

The first thing I did was cut around the perimeter of the sweater, removing the outside edge.

I knew I wanted to use the buttons, but not in their current location, so I removed those as well. Be careful when removing buttons to not snip the sweater on accident!

Next, I cut off the top collar piece. Just the bare bones of the sweater were remaining.

Then, to cover the button holes and close the front of the sweater, I overlapped the front sides of the sweater and hot glued them together. 

This was the front after I used hot glue to seal it closed.

Next, I turned the sweater inside out.

I inserted the pillow through the bottom opening of the sweater.

I added a line of hot glue at the bottom center of the sweater and pressed the top down to close it. Working just a few inches at a time, I completely glued the bottom closed. You will want to try to glue in a very straight, thick line. (You will see why later.)

After closing the bottom with glue, I started on the sides. I started at the corner and glued together the top and bottom as close to the pillow as possible. You do not want to glue the pillow, so make sure you glue near it, but NOT on the pillow.

As I worked my way up the side of the pillow, I removed the cape like sleeves with scissors and continued to glue the sides closed.

Before moving to the next side (not the top of the pillow, but the side), I picked up the pillow by holding the sweater and shook it slightly, so the pillow would settle in the corner. This gave me a better measure of where to glue, because I wanted a snug fitting cover, not too loose.

Then, I started in the corner again and glued the side together. I would glue near the pillow, then trim the excess fabric away.

When I got to the top, I glued both corners and a couple of inches on each side.

The photo below is what the top looked like after gluing the top corners and a couple of inches on each side. I left plenty of room in the middle to removed the pillow.

Next, I removed the pillow and turned the sweater with the correct side facing out.

My gluing job was not perfect by all means, but it was pretty good for my first attempt! Next time, I will make sure I apply the glue in a straight, clean line.

I reinserted the pillow into the cover and trimmed the top, leaving a bit of excess for sealing it closed.

To close the top, I folded in the top fabric on one side and laid the fabric down flat on the other side.

I applied glue to the flat piece laying down and folded the other piece on top of the glue.

Finally, I glued all of the buttons to the front of the pillow! 

Like I said, it’s not perfect, but for $4 you can’t beat it!!! I am truly SO excited to search for more sweaters for Christmas and fall! I love how soft it is, and it’s just the perfect pop of color! I can’t wait to add it to my holiday decor!

What do you think? Have you ever used a sweater to make a pillow?

PIN FOR LATER!

Last Updated on July 21, 2023