Projects finished, or...

How to make a grown Mama cry...

My neighbor and I were talking this winter, and she mentioned a couple of sentimental sweaters she had. One was her mother's and another her daughter's. She gave them to me a couple days ago, and wondered if I could do anything with them. Rather than put them in a box, she wanted them to be a somewhat functional item - like maybe a pillow.

And I looked. Sometimes it takes me a day or two (or more) to get a feel for it. I decided to start with the daughter's sweater. She said that this was her favorite sweater on her daughter, but she'd given up hope as there was banana on it and she didn't quite know what to do.

First step, get the banana off. I accomplished this by using OxyClean carpet spot remover. Strange but true. It took two washings, but it came off.

Second, I cut the sweater into manageable pieces: the sleeves, the two front sections, and the back. Then I ironed on craft weight fusible webbing to stabilize the fabric.

I lined up the part with the buttons (after taking the buttons off), and the button holes, and decided they should overlap. Four seams later, I resewed the buttons back on and stuffed it.

After sewing the final seam, I was rather pleased with the finished product:


My neighbor loved it and even teared up a little.

Also on the docket - three dance costumes and a dress for both of my girls. All Done. Whoot!