Sweater quilt ???
 

A friend asked if it would be possible to make a quilt from her late husband's sweaters. Have any of you done this? I have seen pillows made from sweaters, but not quilts. I think that if a fusible interfacing was ironed on the back of the sweaters before cutting, that it might work? Or if the sweater was sewn onto a backing, like maybe muslin?

Any thoughts that you have will be appreciated.

First, take a look at the sweaters to see what she wants you to work with.

My mom sewed together chunks of knits with a zigzag stitch so it ended up being more like a knitted afghan than a quilt made of woven fabric.

if the stretchiness of the knits are approximately the same, i would draw squares or rectangles on the fabric, then stay stitch on or inside the lines to prevent " un - knitting" - and then cut the pieces out. I would then overlap the pieces by 3/8 to 1/2 inch and use a multistage zigzag or serpentine stitch on the edges. Sew two seams.

I have not made a full size 'quilt' with sweaters but have made a lap blanket for a memory afghan. I used a stabilizer to the back then used my serger to sew the pieces together. I made squares. I did not put a backing on the coverlet. It worked well, but I would not call it a quilt.

I have made a couple of scarves out of blocks cut from old cashmere sweaters. They were machine washed and dried before I cut the 6" squares. I then simply sewed them together without stablizer, making a long tube. The resulting scarves are really warm and cozy, and I think they would make a nice quilt with some batting in the middle. Not sure about other knits, though.

Due to the sentimental value of the sweaters I would decline. She may have something in mind that may not be possible and look like what she envisions. I'd offer to take a few and make pillow covers, use the sleeves as a bow tied in front. I've seen shirts done that way and the pillows were really cute.

You can make Denim Stars or Brick Work or Windows Denim Quilts with sweaters. The sweater piece gets wrapped inside the denim, so holds it from stretching or un-ravelling. If you wanted a softer quilt, you could use flannel instead of denim.

I've made some sweater quilts. Hope my picture uploads, we"ll see. Cashmere and wool will felt up when you wash them in hot water and dry them in a hot dryer. Then you can cut and sew then like fabric. I've only done 1 out of acrylic. I just used a wide enough seam and a short stitch. I think it's stayed together so far. It was made out of my dad's sweaters and 1 of them had my dad's name embroidered on it. I gave it to my brother and I think he's stored it away so nothing can desecrate it. lol

Oops! Just previewed my post and my pictures did not load.......now I have to read the directions.......((heavy sigh)))

I believed I have figured out the picture thing. The pink and blue one is cashmere and the yellow and green one is acrylic.

I too want to make a quilt from cashmere sweaters. Someday ..