When my favourite pullover got a big hole in it, I decided to use the fair isle design as the front panel for a scatter cushion to dress up my sofa for the festive period, using a pillowcase (that I’d accidentally burnt with an iron!) as the backing.
That was my first attempt at upcycling a Christmas jumper into a cosy cushion and I loved making it. I’ve since had a few other festive knits that have shrunk in the wash or have holes in them, so those are also ideal for turning into seasonal cushion covers.
You can use these cushions to add a festive touch to any room in your home, simply choose jumpers that coordinate with your bedding or dining chairs.
Here’s a handy tip – If you are using an old pillowcase for the back of your cushion, you can use the already hemmed edge as the top piece of the envelope flap to save time on sewing a new hem.
Let’s get stuck into this festive sewing project:
You will need:
- Old/felted/ripped festive jumpers
- Old pillowcases or leftover fabric
- Cushion pad
- Zip to fit the width of your cushion pad
- Sewing machine
- Needle and matching thread
Step 1
Using an old, felted or damaged festive jumper, cut along the side seams and remove the sleeves to create a panel of woven fabric to use as the front of your cushion.
Measure out the size of your cushion pad on the fabric – or use the existing cushion cover as a template – and add 1.5cm larger on all sides before cutting out a square of jumper fabric.
Step 2
Use an old pillowcase or a leftover piece of fabric to create an ‘envelope’ back for the cushion. Measure a piece of fabric that fits halfway across the square of jumper and hem one edge.
Step 3
Cut a second piece of fabric the 2/3 of the size of the cushion front to form the inner part of the envelope back. You can hem one edge if you like to keep things neat, but it’ll be inside the cushion so feel free to skip the hemming process if you prefer!
Step 4
Layer up the cushion with the largest pillow back facing right side up, then the half-size piece facing right side up, then the jumper fabric with the right side facing down.
Pin around all edges of the layers and then straight stitch around all four sides, 1.5 cm in from the edges.
Step 5
Neaten up the edges by running a zig-zag stitch over them to prevent fraying. But feel free to skip this step if you’re short on time, as the edges won’t be seen inside the cushion.
Cushion option 2
If you have a jumper with a pretty pattern on both sides, you could simply turn the jumper inside-out and run a straight stitch across the chest of the jumper, just below the arm holes.
Trim off the arms and neck, then turn back the bottom edge of the jumper and insert a zip that runs along the width of the jumper.
Turn the cushion covers right-side out and insert a cushion pad through the ‘envelope’ flaps or the zipped opening. Plump up your cushions and dress up your sofa for the festive season.
You can embellish the festive design on the jumper to add a little extra sparkle to your cushions. Either hand-stitch with metallic embroidery thread, add little beads or use the decorative stitch settings on your sewing machine to enhance the pattern with gold thread.
Let me know if you have a go at making upcycling your old Christmas jumpers yourself in the comments below and I’d love to see what you make so feel free to tag me in your photos on Instagram @Cassiefairy.
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