Giving New Life to Old Wool: 5 Projects for Sweater Scraps

There’s something beautiful about holding an old wool sweater in your hands — soft, time-worn, carrying the quiet memory of cozy winters past. When it finally unravels, pills, or stretches beyond repair, it can feel wrong to simply let it go. Wool has this wonderful ability to be reborn. Even in scraps and sleeves and frayed cuffs, there’s still so much life left to give.

Here are a few beautiful ways to transform those leftover pieces into something fresh, useful, and heartwarming.

1. Felted Wool Pillow Covers

Wool felts so beautifully — especially the thick, natural kind. With a little heat and agitation, it tightens into a sturdy, textured fabric that’s perfect for home projects. I love turning old sweater panels into pillow covers.

Simply cut squares or rectangles from the body of the sweater, sew them together (right sides facing), and leave an opening to insert a pillow form. Once you flip it right side out, you’ll see how naturally the stitches disappear into the cozy surface. With this simple project, you have a piece that feels both rustic and elegant.

2. Mittens or Fingerless Gloves

The sleeves of a sweater hold the perfect shape for new life. You can trace a simple mitten shape right onto the fabric, cut, and sew them up, using the original cuff for the wrist edge.

Fingerless gloves are even easier — just cut the sleeve to your desired length and make a small slit for the thumb. 

3. Wool Dryer Balls or Felted Soap Savers

This one is a shop favorite.  When you gather bits and ends into a ball and felt them together, they become lovely, useful tools — wool dryer balls that help soften clothes naturally, or felted soap covers that make washing feel like a little handmade ritual.

For dryer balls, wrap scraps tightly into spheres and secure them inside an old sock or pantyhose before felting them in a hot wash. For soap, simply wrap a bar with wool and hand-felt it in warm water. Both projects feel simple and meditative — a gentle reminder that sustainability can also be beautiful.

4. Coasters, Pouches, and Ornaments

Tiny wool pieces are perfect for little touches of beauty around the home. I’ve made cozy coasters by cutting circles or squares and stitching the edges (hand sewen blanket stitch is a favorite!), and zippered pouches from small felted panels for tucking away threads, buttons, or notions.

At Christmastime, you can cut ornaments from scraps — hearts, trees, stars — and hand-stitch them together with a bit of embroidery thread. It’s such a sweet way to use every last bit of fiber, and it fills your space with warmth that no store-bought décor can replicate. As an added bonus, you can tuck the really small scraps inbetween the layers as fill for a 3D effect.

5. Patchwork Rugs and Blankets

For the truly inspired maker, gather all your sweater panels and create something grand — a patchwork rug or blanket. It’s a slow project, but an incredibly rewarding one.

Cut consistent squares, arrange them by tone or texture, and stitch them together. You can line the back with cotton, add a binding, or felt the whole piece once more to unify the seams. The result is something that feels both modern and timeless.

If you’re feeling inspired to begin your own wool-scrap project but don’t have any on hand, I offer beautiful bundles of wool remnants in my shop — rescued from the cutting room and ready for new life. Each bundle is thoughtfully curated with colors and textures that complement one another, perfect for felting, patchwork, or any of the projects mentioned above.

✨ Browse my collection of sustainable wool scraps here and let your next handmade piece carry a story of renewal and mindful making.

Each piece of wool you save has a story — it has kept someone warm, held a memory, lived a season. In repurposing it, you’re not just making something new. You’re honoring what already was.