Sweater--->Pants

So, remember how this is really a craft blog? Despite the fact that I haven't blogged about anything especially crafty since the iDye Trials, in early June, I have, indeed been continuing to have crafty thoughts. Finally, early last week, everything lined up just right in terms of thoughts, motivation and free time, and I set to work on my first kid-free crafty project since Leo's birth. Leo was, not surprisingly, my inspiration.

Ever since Leo outgrew all of those cute, tiny bamboo cloth diapers that I dyed back in June, we have been nearly exclusively using prefolds. We've really used all of the possible types of cloth diapers over the years, but often find ourselves coming back to prefolds for their simplicity, softness, and affordability (which means we can easily buy a full 3 dozen, which is what I would recommend for anyone who's already doing at least a load of laundry a day like we are my wife is). I especially love to combine a high-quality prefold diaper with a wool cover, for un-paralleled breathability and squishiness. And during the cooler months, my ultimate cloth diapering system is to use prefolds underneath wool pants, eliminating the need for a separate cover!

We have a pair of wool long underwear that have managed to last through all three of our older babies (and, I believe, Eli and Aryeh as well), and are still in great shape. We also inherited the wool pants that I knit for my nephew, Ezra, as a birth gift. But I've really been wishing for a few more pairs of wool pants to help keep Leo warm and dry this winter. Not having the patience to knit them at this moment, I figured that it would be a relatively quick process to sew some out of a felted sweater. And it was!

I felted an old sweater of mine (covered with stains, and a bit moth-eaten in the sleeves) in the washing machine (basically I just washed it on hot), and then made a pants pattern out of a pair of Leo's pants. I used a pair in the 12-18 month size--that we just bought last weekend, during the diaper-bag/diaper mishap in town--because I just can't bring myself to buy or make anything that fits my children exactly. They seriously grow, like, all the time. Anyway, I just traced around the folded pants on cardboard, making sure to leave at least 1/2 an inch of seam allowance. I altered the shape of the patter slightly because I wanted the pants to be a bit roomier in the bum, and slightly belled at the bottoms.

the pattern pants

Next, I cut the pattern out of cardboard,
and used it to cut out pieces of sweater.

At this point, I moved to the sewing machine, which is when I realized that somehow, in the move, I'd managed to lose the foot of my sewing machine. I searched everywhere for it, but no luck. It was such a bummer to finally have a moment to work on this project only to have to stop due to technical difficulties.

I took the kids with me to get a new foot for the machine the very next day, but it took five additional days for me to once again get a chance to work on the pants. Lena took everyone out for a walk/rollerblade/scooter ride today, and I sewed the pants together in no time. I was so anxious to finish before they got home that I forgot to photograph the process. But it was quite simple. I just sewed the outer sides together first, then the front and back of the rise, and lastly, the inseam. I folded over the waist and added some elastic, and hemmed the bottoms to make them look a little more tidy.


Leo tested out his new pants all afternoon, and they worked great, and are pretty cute (although certainly a little on the big side)! No dampness was able to seep through the pants, even though I hadn't yet lanolized them. I will definitely be making another pair with another of my old sweaters soon, though I think I am going to tweek the design a bit--partially just for fun--to see if I can eliminate the front seam.

If anyone else is looking to make a pair of pants out of an old sweater or even just an old shirt, there is a great tutorial here. Have fun!