Go Green! And Turn Your Old Sweaters Into Floor Cushions!

<img style="WIDTH:300px;HEIGHT:175px;" height="175" alt="" src="http://www.craftstylish.com/assets/uploads/posts/39080/IMG_2990_lg.jpg" width="300" align="right">Erika Kern has once again come up with a wonderful project to reduce, reuse and recycle. In this project she uses items that any seamstress has around their house to create fashionable and functional floor cushions. <br><br> <p><strong>Here&#39;s what you&#39;ll need:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Sweaters (two to three if you want to do a patchwork cushion or one very big one, XXL or larger) <li>Scissors <li>Rotary cutter and cutting mat <li>Straight pins <li>Sewing machine or serger <li>Walking foot <li>Thread <li>Cushion (I used <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10058793" target="_blank">this</a> 28-inch by 28-inch cushion from Ikea) </li> </ul> <p>First, find your sweaters! Look for large sizes and even larger patterns to make your cushions really pop!<br><br></p> <p>Wash the sweaters as soon as you get home. Who knows how long they&#39;ve been at the thrift store! As much as I love those places, they sure do smell sometimes, but with a quick tumble in the wash that stink comes right off. Once washed, take your sweaters apart at the seams and remove the collar.<br><br></p> <p>Use your rotary cutter to square off the sweater back for the front of your cushion. Do the same with the front of the sweater, cutting about 2 inches down from the dip of the neck hole, squaring off the sides, and leaving the ribbed bottom alone, which makes the perfect finished edge.<br><br></p> <p>Sew the cover together using a zigzag stitch and a 1/2-inch seam allowance. I highly recommend using a <a rel="nofollow" href="http://quilting.about.com/od/quiltingglossarywxyz/g/walking_foot.htm" target="_blank">walking foot</a> when sewing your cover together to aid the fabric feed. It&#39;s almost necessary when sewing through the heavy layers of sweater material. Once you&#39;ve sewn the cover together, run another zigzag along the edge of your fabric to lock the knit down and prevent fraying. If you have a serger, you can sew it up and lock it all at the same time. Sergers are the best!</p> <p>Once your cushion cover is sewn together, turn it right side out and stuff it with your cushion.<br><br>For a step-by-step picture tutorial for this project follow <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.craftstylish.com/item/39080/how-to-turn-80s-sweaters-into-fashionable-floor-cushions">this link</a> to the CraftStylish.com website. </p>