Fair Isle Repurposed

What a beautiful sweater, the color work is lovely.

But I can't really wear it, it's seen a lot of wear and tear.

So I decided to re-purpose it into a purse. I felted it in the washing machine to tighten the knitted fabric.

Then iron-on interfacing was added to stabilize it.

I used the measurements of the bag to create a lining. Every purse needs pockets too so I added those at this stage.

The handle from this thrifted beach bag will work very nicely.

 

I attached the handles before inserting the lining.

Then I added magnetic purse snaps to the lining before I seamed it in place.

I stitched the lining to the purse by hand for a soft finished edge,

and added a classic silver button.

Now I can enjoy this Fair Isle pattern more often than just on sweater days!