The Sweater Purse

Please forgive me, but I have forgotten where I first found this idea. I thought it was so awesome and couldn't wait to try it out with all the old sweaters I had waiting to be given away. I'm really into re-purposing items I already have (if I can) and this is one of the most perfect ways I have come across.

Two sweaters to become purses!

I give you: The Sweater Purse.

First, cut the sweater at the armpits all the way across so you end up with a nice square like this:

Since the bottom of the sweater is already "pretty" in one way or another, 

turn it inside out and sew up the side you cut.

Then, return to the top part of your sweater and cut some strips. Make one cut as close to the neckline as possible and another cut as close to the start of the arm as possible. These will be come the straps.

You want these to be wide so that they are easier to sew and turn inside out. 

Once you have your strips, make sure the "wrong" side is facing out and begin sewing them together lengthwise, to form a long tube.

Yes, I took this picture on my stove.

Once you sew up the long sides, turn them inside out so you will have two lovely straps that look like this.

Then, you'll need to attach them to the body of the purse. I did not do any measuring or anything, just eyeballed where I wanted to put them. As long as they are in line with one another, it's OK, right?

Obviously, you want to attach them to the open end of the purse :). They will serve a much better purpose there. But once you do that...

Voila!!

There are infinite possibilities with this idea, as I'm sure you can imagine. Try it out! It makes a great gift!