Recycle a turtleneck and make a skirt

Turtleneck Rehab

I don’t know about you, but it’s very hard for me to toss clothing. Even though I donate my clothes to a thrift shop or give them to a friend, it just feels like losing a friend.

Have I mentioned what a fan I am of Pinterest? I got hooked years ago when my friend Carol told me about it. She had seen a neck warmer that she thought I might want to make. It didn’t take me long to become an addict, spending hours of time searching for inspiration and directions on how to do a myriad of crafts and projects.

I ran across a Pin that showed how to convert a turtleneck into a skirt. Yes! Something I could do with the turtlenecks I had that were stretched out, too tight or just no longer wore. The instructions looked simple so I thought I’d give it a go. I’ve since made 2 for my daughter in law, 3 for a coworker and 6 or 7 for myself – I’ve lost count.

Upcycled Skirt, leg warmers, headband
Upcycled Striped skirt

Above is my coworker, friend Kris. How cute is she?! 🙂 In the picture on the left, she’s wearing items I made from one of the turtleneck sweaters she gave me to convert. In addition to the skirt was able to make leg warmers, which work great with boots as you can see, and a head band. To ruffle the tops of the leg warmers, I just ran a line of zig zag while stretching the sweater fabric as I sewed. The flower was cut from two pieces of the sweater and then zig zagged along the edges. (See full instructions below) The picture on the left shows how she coordinated the beige & cream skirt with her sweater and ankle boots – super cute!

Here is the before and after for a cream turtleneck I had that felt too big

Below is a compilation of 4 of the skirts I’ve made for myself . You can get an idea of how versatile these skirts are. Bonus – they are SOOOO comfy! The middle two pics show the scarves I made from the sleeves of the turtlenecks. *Please excuse the blurry pictures*

**Four recycled turtlenecks – now skirts, scarves, leg warmers**

Supplies Needed

Sewing machine or needle and thread
Thread, sewing pins, scissors
Cutting mat
1 turtleneck sweater
2″ wide elastic – enough for waistline + 2″

Instructions for Skirt

The first step is to turn the turtleneck inside out
Cut off each sleeve at the seam & set aside
Next, you’ll cut right below the seam where the turtleneck meets the body of the sweater – just cut straight across from the top of one arm hole to the top of the other. Set aside the turtleneck
What you have left is what will be your skirt
Pin the front to the back along the armhole edges
Stitch each side beginning at the top of the arm hole and easing into the part of the skirt that is already seamed
To make the waistband: turn over the top edge, pin, and stitch to the body of the skirt, stretching the fabric a bit as you zig zag. I like to use wide elastic an 1 or 1 1/2 for comfort but you can make it any size you want. Leave an opening to thread the elastic and once it has been installed, sew ends of elastic together and sew the opening closed
The hem will be done as it is the hem of the turtleneck
Turn the skirt right side out and enjoy!
You can make leg warmers from the sleeves by cutting off the curve at the top and running a zig zag stitch to prevent raveling and to give them a fancy, curly edge

The first step is to turn the turtleneck inside out
Cut off each sleeve at the seam & set aside
Cut right below the seam where the turtleneck meets the body of the sweater
Pin the front to the back along the armhole edges
Stitch each side beginning at the top of the arm hole and easing into the part of the skirt that is already seamed
Cut off the extra material
Hem is from original, no need to hem skirt

Turn over the top edge and pin then stitch with zig zag, stretching as you go. Leave opening for elastic
Thread elastic through waistband. A large safety pin works well
Pin ends together. Put skirt on to make sure the elastic is tight enough and pin
Sew ends of elastic together…doesn’t have to be pretty
Sew the opening closed
I do a quick zig zag at the seam to keep the elastic from twisting
Finished skirt – 20 minutes

With the left over sweater, you can make a couple other things…..

Instructions for Leg Warmers

Cut off the top of the sleeves
Turn over raw edge and stitch – you can use a straight or zig-zag.
The one on the left is a straight stitch and the right is zig-zag. See how the right is curlier – your choice which stitch to use
I chose to leave the sleeves the same length so I had room to make a cuff. If you do not want a cuff, cut from the top to shorten because the bottom of the leg warmer is pre-hemmed from the sleeve edge

Cut off the top of the sleeves
Turn over raw edge and stitch
The one on the left is a straight stitch – the right is zig zag

Instructions for Headband

Cut off turtleneck
With wrong sides together, zig-zag stitch raw edges
Flatten headband with seam centered and pin
With a damp lint-free cloth and hot iron, press headband flat
At the seam and opposite of the seam, do a quick zig zag to hold the headband flat
To make a flower, cut a strip from one of the sleeve tops (I cut 3″ wide, then trimmed it to 2″)
Zig-zag one edge while stretching to get it to ruffle
Stitch ends together
Hand baste raw edges and gather
Cut to leaf shapes from the other sleeve top
Zig-zag along long edges
Hand stitch leaves to the headband, then the flower between them
Attach decorative button in the center of the flower

Cut off turtleneck
Zig zag stitch raw edges
Flatten headband with seam centered and pin
Press headband flat
Quick zig zag to hold the headband flat
Close up of zig zag

Cut a strip from one of the sleeve tops
Zig zag one edge while stretching to get it to ruffle. Stitch ends together. Gather raw edge
Cut to leaf shapes from other sleeve top. Zig Zag long edges
Hand stitch leaves to headband, then the flower between them
Attach decorative button in the center of the flower
Finished headband