In this post I’m sharing one of my favourite projects — transforming a thrifted knit into a floral upcycled cardigan using hand embroidery. Upcycling clothing is a simple way to extend the life of garments that might otherwise be forgotten in a wardrobe or donated.
When I first started my embroidery shop I began by embroidering over my old clothes for practice. The main reason I started my shop was because a blog post on an upcycled crop top went viral.
Over the years I have practiced and learnt A LOT, and I have improved just as much. Since my shop exploded during the pandemic, my sales have dropped significantly, and over time the space I had to store everything narrowed.
In December I went through my storage space to look for some of my Winter stock. I stumbled across a cardigan I had embroidered a couple of years ago. It’s safe to say I was shocked at how much I had improved since then. The cardigan was embroidered with a gingerbread man and snowflakes, a cute idea but a now outdated execution.
For the first time ever in my embroidery journey I decided to unstitch the entire design in order to attempt something new. It took a fair hour to unstitch whilst making sure I didn’t create any holes or tears. But the effort payed off and the cardigan looked as good as new… and as plain as ever.
The Finished Upcycled Cardigan
So I looked for some inspiration on Pinterest and Instagram before designing something completely new. I chose a variety of flowers in shades of the sunset; pale yellow blanket flowers, fiery orange cosmos, and delicate gypsophila. After many hours of stitching the Sunset Blooms cardigan was born.
I am still surprised that I managed to completely upcycle this cardigan – from a wintery gingerbread man, to a delicate floral ensemble. Upcycling clothing with embroidery is one of the best ways to give old pieces new life! This floral cardigan was not on my shop for very long. It sold as soon as this blog post went up!
This has definitely inspired me to try upcycling more of my past designs! Projects like this upcycled cardigan are a great reminder that second-hand clothing can easily be transformed into something completely unique.
If you enjoyed this post, you may enjoy reading this article on embroidering clothing that has already been made.
