easy DIY sweater pillows, upcycled sweaters, Shelbee on the Rags, Shelbee on the Edge

Easy DIY Sweater Pillows & #SpreadTheKindness Link Up On the Edge #746

March 7, 2025 / 36 Comments

I have been getting really bored with the snow and the winter chores so I decided to clean out my sweaters and find creative ways to upcycle them into new and useful things. I have a lot of sweaters and I tried on every single one of them before deciding whether to keep or repurpose. I ended up keeping about half and removing the other half from my wardrobe.

I recently watched the Netflix documentary Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy which highlighted the staggering amount of waste we create from the overconsumption of goods. While it was kind of corny in its format, the documentary definitely was enlightening about each person’s and each corporation’s roles in the amount of waste contributed to landfills.

It turns out that the only real solution to the landfill problem is for us to stop adding trash to landfills. In order to reduce what is sent to landfills, we must make less garbage. To make less garbage, we have to consume less. I have been making a point of consuming less in recent years but I still have a lot of stuff that has already been “consumed”. So I have been trying really hard to repurpose every single thing that I no longer want or need before I pass it on to either a donation center or the trash bin. I actually go through a whole detailed thought process before I toss things in the garbage these days. If it can be repurposed or disposed of in a more environmentally helpful way, it does not go into my trash bin.

So now I have dozens of sweaters at my disposal to repurpose into fun new things. I am currently cutting the sweaters into square pieces so I can attempt to make a patchwork sweater blanket. I have a feeling the end product might look like a toddler made it, but we’ll see!

Before cutting up any sweaters, I pulled these two short boxy sweaters out of the pile to cover some old throw pillows that were looking ready for the landfill. But the goal is to avoid the landfill, so I decided to resuscitate the dingy flattened pillows with a super easy DIY sweater makeover.

Both of these sweaters came to me in 2020 when short boxy sweaters were trending. I loved the idea of this style of sweater but I never really liked the way they fit me. In fact, after trying on all of my sweaters, I realized that I don’t really like short or pullover sweaters on me so I ditched most of those sweaters in favor of long cardigans.

But I still really like both of these sweaters in concept. The teal leopard print just makes me smile and the gray cable knit makes my heart feel warm and nostalgic for the simpler days of yore. Since the teal coordinates with my living room, I decided it would be perfect on a throw pillow. I did not take photos of the old pillows because they are embarrassingly stained and icky despite being washed.

This DIY is so simple that I didn’t even cut the sweaters. I stuck the pillow inside the sweater and stitched the bottom closed with embroidery thread. Then I stuffed the turtleneck with some Poly-fil and stitched the neck closed. Finally, I wrapped the sleeves around the front like a hug and stitched them down.

easy DIY sweater pillows, upcycled sweaters, Shelbee on the Rags, Shelbee on the Edge
easy DIY sweater pillows, upcycled sweaters, Shelbee on the Rags, Shelbee on the Edge
easy DIY sweater pillows, upcycled sweaters, Shelbee on the Rags, Shelbee on the Edge

I absolutely love the way this turned out. But I think that Dave loves it more.

easy DIY sweater pillows, upcycled sweaters, Shelbee on the Rags, Shelbee on the Edge
easy DIY sweater pillows, upcycled sweaters, Shelbee on the Rags, Shelbee on the Edge

And then Frank got in on the action and Dave was not happy about sharing his pillow.

easy DIY sweater pillows, upcycled sweaters, Shelbee on the Rags, Shelbee on the Edge
easy DIY sweater pillows, upcycled sweaters, Shelbee on the Rags, Shelbee on the Edge

So I made another sweater pillow for Frank. The pillow was smaller but the sweater was not so this one came out a little wonky.

easy DIY sweater pillows, upcycled sweaters, Shelbee on the Rags, Shelbee on the Edge
easy DIY sweater pillows, upcycled sweaters, Shelbee on the Rags, Shelbee on the Edge
easy DIY sweater pillows, upcycled sweaters, Shelbee on the Rags, Shelbee on the Edge

But I don’t think that Frank minds the wonkiness. He seems to love his new sweater pillow!

easy DIY sweater pillows, upcycled sweaters, Shelbee on the Rags, Shelbee on the Edge

This simple project not only saved two icky pillows and two unwanted sweaters from death by landfill but my fur babies got two new cozy cuddle pillow beds at no cost to me except my time (which was approximately 20 minutes for each pillow).

Edited: After I posted this, the cats got into a full blown brawl over the teal pillow. Dave, the black cat, is our alpha male. He is friendly, outgoing, playful, and loves new people. He is also very healthy and very rotund. Frank, the black and white cat, is our scaredy cat. He is very afraid of all new people and is startled by the slightest movement in his direction. He is also very friendly but so timid that not many get to know him well. He is healthy but quite skinny and scrawny underneath his long fur. When it comes to cat battles, one would expect that Dave always wins. But never underestimate the underdog, or cat in this case, because when skinny and scrawny wants the teal pillow, he might have what it takes to win. And Frank did. He won. Look how dejected alpha Dave looks on the small gray sweater pillow while Frank is all sprawled out and content on the big teal pillow. Cats are such funny creatures, aren’t they?

Side note: Ralph made the watermelon blanket a few years ago when he wanted to learn how to sew. But then he didn’t like the fleece material so that was passed onto the cats as well. These cats are spoiled!

I also made this simple planter cover from an old sock. The planter is white plastic and just plain old ugly. I cut off the top of a sock and slid it over the pot. I tucked the edges underneath without sewing or gluing. The weight of the pot holds it in place. Then I tied a little ribbon around it.

In addition to all the crafting, I have been experimenting with my sourdough starter. I have transitioned from making whole sourdough loaves to making sourdough rolls. I make at least one batch, which yields a dozen rolls, each week and none ever go to waste. I also made some mini pizza crusts to store in the freezer. They make the best individual pizzas. Just load them up with your favorite toppings and bake for 10 minutes. This week I decided to try some sweet swirly sourdough rolls. It is a work in progress to get them to look as delicious as they taste. But the taste is incomparable regardless of what they look like!

Now I am hungry. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I’ll be over here eating sourdough!

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I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.

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