How to Turn a Pullover Sweater into a Zippered Cardigan

One night when I was supposed to be lulling myself into slumber, I laid there thinking about sweaters. I have a bit of a sweater obsession and I have a great collection of them. Last year I received an amazing letterman style sweater and it only fueled my love of sweaters. As I was laying in bed thinking of sweaters, I thought: “I should turn a sweater into a zippered cardigan. Oh, I should add some elbow patches shaped like hearts with the antique quilt scraps I have…” and then I fell asleep. Most of the time when I wake up after having a brilliant idea, I completely forget about it or I don’t remember how it was going to be epic.

In addition to loving sweaters, I am also fascinated with quilts that have been turned into dusters…which I also really like a good duster. As I am writing this, I am laughing at myself and the progression of the realization that I like to be cocooned in cozy clothes or as it’s more appropriately coined: “grandma aesthetic”. The vintage quilt dusters are rather expensive and I am only willing to buy a vintage one, so I thought a good alternative would be to add the heart patches. 

This craft tutorial can be customized to your comfort level and style. If you don’t have a sewing machine, you can skip the zipper and just sew on the quilted elbow patches. One really helpful tip when you’re pinning the zipper on, is to put the pins in on the diagonal. Pinning on the diagonal, allows the pin to better grasp the sweater material since sweater knitted stitches are all in a row. Also note: the zipper I used is a separating zipper. Note: I chose a zipper that was 4” shorter than the sweater. Since the sweater is a crew neck I didn’t want the zipper coming up that high on my neck / chest. If you choose a zipper that is the same length as your sweater, you can skip the part where we finish the neckline.

I included photos of how to make this project, but I made a 2 part Reel that I shared on Instagram to help break it down a bit more. You can find part 1 here and part 2 here. I wanted this crafting project to have a boho / Anthropologie vibe, so I left the edges of the sweater where the zipper is attached, raw. If you want a cleaner look, you can fold the edges over as you’re pinning the zipper to the sweater.

You can get antique quilt squares online for $10 to $20 unless you have an old quilt or quilt scraps. You can get zippers on sale for 99 cents. I bought an oversized sweater at the thrift store for 99 cents. This sewing project could potentially be made for $2 depending on what you already have. This craft took about an hour from start to finish.