my "new" cardigan...and the view

"Repurpose" I just LOVE that word. It is so inspiring to me to take something old, yet good, and then do something new with it. Inspired by Amanda Soule's Twirly skirts, made for little girls from mommas old skirts (Olivia and Mary have a couple of these in the making) and her shower-curtain turned shopping bag, (I have an old table cloth waiting in line for this transformation) I did a little repurposing of my own last weekend.

I am currently in love with cardigans...and since the knitting of my slouchy cardigan is make a very slow progress...I decided to repurpose an old jjill pullover I had into my own unique cardigan.

I had some coordinating fabric strips in my sewing room stash, and a jar full of buttons, a much appreciated gift from a Christmas past, so nothing new went into my creation.

The first step and second step is a bit unnerving, as I had to sew too lines of stitches down the front of the sweater, where I wanted the opening to be, to hold the knitting fast and then....gulp, cut the knitted stitching... but after overcoming that anxiety, it was quite easy. And I enjoyed wearing the result to work this past Monday.

Here are a few pictures of my step by step:

Step 1: Sew two lines of stitches, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch between them, down the front of the sweater. This will be your opening.


















Step 2: Cut up the length of the sweater between the two rows of stitches.
















Step 3: Find some coordinating or contrasting fabric, cut in strips...if not done already.



















Step 4: I did not take a picture of step 4, but what I did was sew one edge of the fabric strip down the left front of the sweater, right sides facing. then sew the second strip down the right side.

Fold both strips, and fold under a small hem. Then I sewed each again, on the inside to secure the strips, like seam binding.

Step 5: Rather than making button wholes, I decided to sew on a row of buttons for embellishment
Voila! A new cardigan!

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I want to welcome you to a pictorial view in and around my home this week...just the little things that bring me pleasure:

First, inside-

the yummy beignets Olivia and I made this past weekend....from her Princess Tiana cookbook. They are not as pretty as the picture in the book, but we thought they looked lovely and they tasted yummy.

Sweet little invitations to Nanny and Papa to visit on Grandparents day at the kids school. I don't know yet how they will visit three different classrooms (Taddy and Olivia are in the same room, or it would be four) but I know all the kids are looking foward to their visit. It will be a tough lesson in sharing their grandparents.