charsuewilson

You might try getting a similar sweater from a thrift shop, and making a small dog or cat bed from it or even a lap quilt, and mixing in some woven fabric. When you see how that works, it will give you confidence to proceed with your dad's sweaters and shirts.

meyert

I second the thought of doing a "practice quilt" and that is a great idea about finding a sweater similar in a thrift store to experiment with. Please post pictures as you work on it.. I am very interested in a quilt made from sweaters.. it sounds like it would be comfy

susie-susie-susie

I have no experience quilting with sweaters, but I think your idea is wonderful. Everyones advice has been good especially the ones who advised you to get a couple of quilts under your belt first. The experience would be very helpful. The only thing I wanted to add is that knitted sweaters can't be cut since they will unravel. Are you planning to use the entire sweater in one piece? You can unsew the parts of the sweater, but cutting the threads would not be a good idea. I am anxious to see what you make, but take your time, and enjoy the process.
Sue

sewmary

Susie is right once you cut a sweater the yarn will unravel like mad. Also sweaters can be very stretchy to sew with. You need to investigate a way to add stay stitching around the edges you want to cut and also investigate a stabilizer that will work on the back of your sweater patches, if there is such a thing.

quiltsfordad

Thank you everyone for all of the replies! Peggy - I came across that tutorial in my research, that's definitely the approach I will be taking with these, but I plan to make smaller ones, maybe slightly larger than a crib size? Something to cover up with on the couch. I'd love to make bigger ones but I'd have to use a lot of purchased fabric then (I don't think I want to add thrifted sweaters to my Dad's, I feel like it should be only his stuff and purchased stuff)

I will have to check through all of my Dad's sweaters, but when discussing with my mom, she believes that most, if not all of his sweaters have a decent wool percentage. I do plan on felting them before cutting them, which would solve the fraying/unraveling problem, and then it could also be washed at home right?

As far as climate, I live in Alberta, Canada, so I am not worried about it being too warm or thick!! I really, really want to try use both shirts and sweaters for the squares, so I will have to do some more research on that!

I have found some nice wool fabric on etsy that might work for additional squares also.

Thanks again everyone!

ETA: I think making a "practice" quilt from thrift store finds will be happening very soon!

bearisgray

Making a 'practice quilt' from similar materials is a very good idea. That way you will find out what works - and doesn't work - which may be a more important thing than learning what does work. I would also suggest that you wash the finished quilt just to see how it behaves.

Have you done any other sewing?

charlottequilts

Lori, have you considered making pillows instead? I would think that would be easier and you could leave a frayed edge outside of the stitching, like a rag quilt. That way, you could stitch the edges first and cut second. I haven't made pillows, myself, but if you use a form, that sounds a lot easier than dealing with a quilt. The sweater should adhere to the form nicely while you're making it. Plus, it would be huggable. You might try that while you're experimenting.

hugs,
Charlotte

lclang

As you are probably aware you cannot cut into a sweater without the stitches coming undone. If you are determined to use sweater material, and I can see why you would want to, please use an iron on interfacing and iron it to the back of the part of the sweater you want to use ( big blocks) before you cut anything. Make sure the iron on goes beyond the edges where you want to cut so that all edges are stabilized. Then you can use them the same as t-shirt blocks and make a quilt. I hope you can find an experienced quilter who can help you through the project. You might also want to stitch close to the edge of every block before you assemble it into a quilt so that it is impossible for nay stitches to get away. Good luck! If you use sweaters, I don't think you will want batting in your quilt.

maviskw

I think the stitches in a cut up sweater will fall apart a lot less than you think. Have you ever tried to undo a knit item to reuse the yarn. Very difficult. The stitches do not just fall apart at all.

I knit a sweater/jacket many years ago and found it was too big. So I sewed a line in the seam allowance right near where I intended to sew the new seam, then cut the extra knit stuff off and sewed the seam where I wanted it. I took the set (jacket and skirt) to the fair (open class) and got a second place ribbon.

I also know of many people who make mittens out of old sweaters by cutting out the shape of the hand and sewing two sides together. Beautiful mittens and very warm. Fair Isle sweaters are the most beautiful for this.

So, don't be afraid to cut up a sweater, especially after it has been washed in hot water. There is no way you are going to get that yarn to unravel even if you wanted to.

pasovasz

Welcome and PLEASE practice before you cut into your irreplaceable fabrics. Peckish has a great idea with the simple quilt link. I would use MUCH larger squares than the 3 inch size they used. I would go for 6-8 inches. These will be very thick and heavy, so larger pieces will be easier to handle. Notice that the squares are felted (as ktbb suggested). Scraplady recommended using more than an 1/4 inch seam. You will see why this is a good idea when you star to sew the felted squares together! Use the shirts as the back for the felted squares. No lining (or batting) will be needed since the felted wool is very warm. Keep us posted on your progress!