Waistcoat And Gloves From A Jumper

Turn an old or too small/big jumper into a cute waistcoat and pair of long gloves!

Posted by Bobben

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How to make a waistcoat AND a pair of long fingerless gloves from just one jumper. This works really well with old jumpers and specifically for ones that no longer (or never!) fit. I made this because I found this amazing knit but it was for a child and wouldn't fit, so rather than not get to wear it, I made it into a waistcoat! If your jumper is too small it will make a fitted one that doesn't meet across the front (see picture of me wearing it) and if you have one that is too big it will be a baggy kind of waistcoat - both are great.

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You Will Need (5 things)

  • Jumper
  • Scissors
  • Needle And Thread
  • Sewing Machine
  • two strips of any Fabric (a little longer than length of the jumper vertically)

Steps (13 steps, 60 minutes)

  1. 1

    First thing to do is lay the jumper out and then cut off the sleeves just AFTER* the join between the sleeve and main bit of the jumper.

    *This is necessary especially if it is a knit as otherwise it will unravel. If you really want it to be before the join you can do this but will have to sew around the sleeve carefully to bind all the pieces together and avoid it unraveling.

  2. 2

    Now take the jumper and carefully cut vertically up the middle of the front of the jumper from the bottom to the middle of the neckline at the top.

  3. 3

    Now prepare two strips of fabric that are a little longer than the length of the front of the jumper you just cut. An easy way to do this is lay it flat, fold in each side a little (longways) and then fold this in half again, holding it tight, and sew up the side so it looks neat.

    Now take the strip and place it over the FRONT of the edge of the piece you just cut on one side (2). Sew this down. Then take this and fold it to the underside of the jumper so that on the front all you can see is a clean line and the back all you see is the neat strip covering the bit you cut(3). Sew this down on either side of the strip.

    At the ends you want the strip to end just a little before the bottom/top so you cant see it when wearing (4)

  4. 4

    repeat this for the other side too

  5. 5

    Now you have your waistcoat!

  6. 6

    Now it is time for the gloves, take each one at a time and follow the rest of the steps for both.

  7. 7

    After trying the sleeves on to see how much extra there is in the arm, turn the sleeve inside out and sew a line to make it a little more of a tube in shape. Do a little at a time and try it on so you don't sew it too tight. Make it as loose or tight as you prefer.

  8. 8

    Now, while it is still inside out fold the upper end over itself and either using the sewing machine or hand stiching, sew this together so that when it is turned back the right way there will be a clean line and no loose threads.

    Make sure to sew all threads down to reduce risk it unravelling. Also be careful not to sew the other side as you do around.

  9. 9

    Your sleeve upper end will now look like this

  10. 10

    Try on the glove so the cuff sits a little down your fingers and mark where with a pin the position where your thumb joins your hand underneath on the glove. Now take the glove off, get scissors and cut a small hole here. Make it small at first, try it and resize if necessary. Do try it on inbetween as by putting your thumb in the hole you will stretch it a little more.

  11. 11

    Sew up around the hole by hand now very carefully, tucking the line you have cut underneath to the inside so it is neat. Spend a decent amount of time doing this well as it will have most wear and tear and needs to be secure.

  12. 12

    Voila! gloves!

  13. 13

    Now you have got a waistcoat and a pair of gloves from just one old unfitting jumper!