Have a pile of shrunken sweaters? Turn one into an adorable cardigan for a little girl with this quick refashion you can complete during nap time. Start by laundering the sweater to further tighten the fibers if needed. If you want to learn more about felting wool or working with natural fibers, look for basic felting guides. For sizing, use a well-fitting child’s sweater as your template. The plan: shorten the body to child size, open the front to create a cardigan, attach appropriately sized sleeves, and finish the hem with a ruffle. I used a 1/4″ seam allowance throughout, but adjust to whatever you prefer.
Turn both sweaters inside out and fold them in half. Tuck the arms of the child-sized guide sweater inside and place it on top of the larger sweater you’re refashioning. Cut around the guide sweater—do not cut along the folded edge. This creates the reduced body size for the cardigan.
Spread the sweater back out and cut a straight line down the center front to open the cardigan. With right sides together, sew the side front to the back and trim seam allowances. Turn the sweater right side out and fold each center-front edge under about 5/8″ and pin. I waited to finish stitching these folded edges after attaching the ruffle on the bottom, but you can secure them earlier if you prefer.
Next, refashion the sleeves. Lay the child-sized guide sweater over the sweater you’re working on and cut new sleeves to match, allowing for seam allowance. You can cut from the center of the sleeve or from another spot depending on how you want the sleeve end to look and whether you’ll reuse the original cuff. Turn the sleeve right side out and pin it to the armhole with right sides together, matching the sleeve seam and the top center. Stitch the sleeve in place.
Finish the sleeve hem. You can fold the edge under and stitch, or reattach the original cuff from the old sleeve, which is what I did. Before reattaching, I reduced the cuff circumference slightly so the sleeve would taper in at the wrist for a neater fit.
To create the ruffle hem, cut the bottom off the old sweater remnant and slice it up the center. Sew a long gathering stitch along the raw edge and pull the bobbin thread to gather the strip until it matches the length of the cardigan bottom. Pin the gathered ruffle to the sweater with right sides together, aligning raw edges and matching side seams. Distribute the gathers evenly and stitch the ruffle in place. Trim seam allowances. Then topstitch along each side of the center front to finish the opening—about 1/2″ in on each side works well.
Finally, add closures. I originally planned buttons, but for ease I switched to a small snap-and-felt placket. Little children often resist having sweaters buttoned, so a simple snap keeps the front looking tidy while staying easy to manage. Cut a small felt tab, attach two male snaps, and hot-glue decorative flowers to the felt if you like a floral closure.
Secure two female snaps to the top corners of the cardigan and snap the felt flower closure in place. That’s it—your refashioned cardigan is ready.
Did you finish in time for a quick cup of coffee before the kids wake from their nap? This simple refashion saves sweaters from the discard pile and creates a sweet, wearable piece in under an hour.
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