a green post: upcycled legwarmers with ashley!

Hey everybody! My name is Ashley and I share little tidbits of my life, crafts, photography and my story of navigating the inevitable Quarter Life Crisis over at A Bird Out of Water. I love Cristie's blog and was so excited when she asked me if I would be interested in sharing a 'green' diy! Today I am going to show you how to upcycle an old, well-loved sweater into a cute pair of leg warmers!

Perfect for Fall, these look super cute on their own, but my favorite look is peeking out from your favorite pair of boots. The best part is, in addition to using items we all probably have on hand, this project seriously will take you under an hour and maybe even less if you are using a sewing machine!

Supplies:

• Old Sweater
• Trim 
• Scissors
• Pins
• Thread
• Sewing Machine (or needle if sewing by hand)

Above are a few examples of some cute trim I considered. I opted for the lace for a girly and slightly folksy feel, but the possibilities are endless!

1. Start by cutting off the sleeves of your sweater. I would recommend giving yourself as much fabric as possible to work with. Once I cut both my sleeves off I layered one on top of the other and cut across the top making sure they were even.

2. Once you have your sleeves cut to your desired length, turn them inside out and fold over about a half inch seam. Pin your trim to the outside along this folded edge (which will be inside the leg warmer once finished, giving you a nice clean look). You should wind up with two pieces that look like this below...

3. Now you are ready to sew! I chose to use my sewing machine which really sped things up but you could totally sew these by hand. Sew along the edge of the lace, staying fairly close to the outer edge. You'll also want to start and finish with several back stitches to secure your seam if you are using a machine.

4. The last step is to simply turn right side out, slide 'em on and look super cute!

Don't mind my funny looking toes! ;)

This fun and super easy diy is a great green craft to add a little pizazz to your Fall wardrobe or even as a homemade Christmas gift! Plus you are saving a piece of clothing from winding up in the landfill which is always a great thing. Hope you guys have fun, and please stop over to say hi and share your leg warmers over at A Bird Out of Water! Thanks again Cristie!


thanks soooo much ashley for sharing this really awesome and super cute green diy! these are gonna be so much fun to make!
xo,
cb