9 Ways to Sew a Bag from Upcycled Sweaters

An old unloved sweater can be a great starting point for a pretty new bag for yourself! The texture of the sweater fabric is perfect for a winter bag. And if you don’t have an old holey sweater lurking in the back of your closet, thrift stores are full of old sweaters that you can buy for not much money. We’ve rounded up 9 ways you can upcycle an old sweater into bags, totes, even zipper pouches. Check them out then run to your closet to find inspiration for your next bag sewing project.

Look at all the ways you can sew a bag from an old sweater!

DIY | Sweater Bag by Lana Red Studio

Leather accents make a cool contrast with the sweater fabric!

[photo credit: Lana Red Studio]

Upcycled Sweater Valentine Zipper Pouch Sewing Tutorial by Orange Bettie for Bombshell Bling

Sweater fabric makes the cutest zipper pouches! This is a great use of scraps left over from other upcycled sweater sewing projects!

[photo credit: Bombshell Bling]

Re-Purposing: Sweater Into Sling Purse by Make It & Love It

Cross body bag from an old sweater!

[photo credit: Make It & Love It]

How to Turn a Sweater into a Handbag – Easy Sew by A Crafty Mix

This upcycled bag makes great use of features of the sweater. Love the ribbed edging for the pockets!

[photo credit: A Crafty Mix]

Felted Wool Bag Tutorial by Diary of a Quilter

Felt a wool sweater to create an adorable wool bag!

[photo credit: Diary of a Quilter]

DIY Sweater Laptop Tote {Easy Sewing Tutorial} by It’s Always Autumn

Carry your laptop in style with this sweater laptop tote.

[photo credit: It’s Always Autumn]

Felted Wool Clutch Purse by The Renegade Seamstress

Sew a cozy little wool clutch from a felted wool sweater.

[photo credit: The Renegade Seamstress]

Box Bag Tutorial by Truly Myrtle

How cute is this boxy zipper pouch made from an old sweater!

[photo credit: Truly Myrtle]

DIY Handmade Drop Cloth and Recycled Sweater Tote, by What Meegan Makes

Lovely bag made from drop cloth and an old sweater!

[photo credit: What Meegan Makes]

Next Pattern:

I am just smitten with this felt gingerbread house bag. This would make such a sweet special Christmas accessory for a kid. It’s a free pattern at Benzie Design, designed by Gracie from Hello Gracie Makes. It’s packed with adorable gingerbread house details, like swirls and stripes and scallops adoring the doors and windows.

And while all those details might seem like this would be a complicated pattern, it’s actually not. The bag itself is made from felt, which makes finishes edges unnecessary. (All of those scalloped edges are just cut from felt, no edge finishing required.) The strap is super simple, made from rope with knotted ends. And all those details are made with some basic hand embroidery stitches. Sparkle felt makes it extra cute.

The striped scallop roof is actually the top flap of the bag. A magnetic snap makes it a secure closure. The rope straps are attached through felt loops at the side of the bag.

They rate this project as an intermediate level, and it should take about 6 hours to make start to finish. That’s doable for a Saturday project or a couple of evenings. Full color photos step you through the entire process.

The project includes a shopping list for all of your supplies. They’ve got a shop so you can order all of them from Benzie if you like and get exactly the supplies used in the project. I noticed it includes a pair of scallop shears, which makes cutting all the scalloped edges for the roof and around the door a breeze.

Finished dimensions of the little felt gingerbread bag are approximately 6 ½” wide x 7 ½” tall. That’s the perfect size to hold a small book, a small toy, or a notepad and some cute pens.

Go to Benzie Design to get the tutorial and free pattern for the felt gingerbread house bag.

Next Pattern:

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