Leg Warmers and Purse from Plaid Sweater

When it's time to retire a sweater the best way is to recycle or repurpose it. The best part when repurposing is that you take something old and make it new. You become a designer!

The sweater usually dictates what type of purse I can make. I generally take the sleeves and make them into leg warmers. I wanted to make smaller leg warmers so I used a pair of socks for a young girl as my pattern be sure to add 1/2" seam allowance. Make them as long as you want. I added a knit ribbing cuff to both ends, finished 1". The purse shape and design depends on the sweater. This particular sweater was a button cardigan and I wanted to utilize the buttons for the purse closure. I buttoned the sweater and folded it so that the button flap was at about 2" from the top fold. I cut a semi-circle. Finish off the raw edge with a 1" or thicker grosgrain ribbon. This ribbon has a white pasley print on it and I thought it would work. Measure around your curved portion and add to that measurement of how long you want your shoulder strap to be. This purse is for a young girl so I didn't make it very long. Sew the ribbon on like bias tape. It's a nice simple way to finish the purse.