It is still sweater weather here in Ohio. While I am ready to swap my sweaters for sandals, Mother Nature has other plans. In an effort to embrace the rest of the winter, I am showing you how to make sweater balls. They are adorable and fit in so well with our vintage winter decor!
There is something so cozy about sweaters. Just looking at them gives me that comfy cozy feeling. What better thing to add to our winter decor than a little extra coziness? I knew I had to figure out how to make sweater balls the moment I saw them. They are perfect for putting in our dough bowls once we take out our Christmas decor. I hope you all love them as much as I do!
How to Make Sweater Balls
I love finding new crafting ideas for winter decor. The time of year between Christmas and Spring seems to need a little extra TLC in order to bring the same joy that other seasonal decor brings. Being able to rotate new things into my winter decor definitely helps with that.
If you are like me and like to change out your decor pretty often, these sweater balls are such a great project. When you do end up ready to put them up and go with something new, you can give them a second life as a snowman!
I got that idea from one of the gals in my group and I just love it. All you’d need to do is run skewers between the balls to keep them together. And then hot glue them in place. Dress up your snowman with buttons and a cute hat and you have a new piece of Christmas decor!
A Love Note to Spray Adhesive
If you have been with me for awhile, you know that I love spray adhesive. I use it in my work, in my crafts, and it is one of my favorite tools! Don’t get me wrong, my glue gun is just as important to me. But it doesn’t have to be one or the other. They often work great together!
This sweater ball craft is a perfect example of it. If I would have only used hot glue to adhere the sweater to the ball, it would have bunched in some places and been loose in others. By using the spray adhesive, I get a really smooth and consistent bond between the fabric and the ball.
Then, as I trim and place the ends of the sweater, I use hot glue to secure any edges that may come loose from handling. Spray adhesive and hot glue team up for the win!
Where to Find your Sweaters
I my dream world, we could all afford to go out and buy a couple of new sweaters that we could use for this project. But that just isn’t the case for most of us. And, now that I think about it. Even if I had that kind of money, I don’t know if I could bring myself to cut up a brand new sweater, lol.
Either way, second hand sweaters are the way to go here. I was able to find a cable knit and a crochet type of sweater that were the perfect shade of cream for me. Depending on your area, you may have several options for finding sweaters for crafting.
Goodwill is probably the most available and I usually find great things for crafting there. But there are lots of other kinds of thrift stores to check out too. And don’t forget about consignment and resale shops. You can find good deals there too.
Garage sales aren’t happening where I live during the winter months. But those of us in the northern parts of the country can score great stuff during the garage sale season.
Wherever you find your sweaters, I suggest grabbing at least two. Whether you choose the same color for both or not is up to you. But using two different textures (like cable knit and crochet) will give your sweater ball display more texture and interest.
How to Make Sweater Balls Supply List
- Old sweaters (I used cream because that fits my decor. But you can use any color you have or want! I suggest using two different sweaters to add variety and texture to your sweater ball display.)
- Scissors
- Spray adhesive (My favorite is Super 77 but you can use any kind.)
- Hot glue gun
- Styrofoam balls in assorted sizes
How to Make Sweater Balls Instructions
- Start by cutting your sweater into ovals/circles that are big enough to cover your whole ball.
- Then spray one side with the spray adhesive. Let it sit for just a minute because it goes on pretty we and we want it to tack up a bit. Then set the ball in the center.
- Fold the sweater onto the ball, pulling and stretching the sweater taught as you press it onto the ball. Tug and place until the whole ball is covered. Make cuts in your sweater as you need to to make it lay down. This part of the process will look terribly messy. But I promise we will fix it!
- As your covering the ball and once you have it wrapped, don’t be afraid to use your scissors to cut away the fabric that you don’t need that gathers at either end of you ball. We want the sweater to lay as nicely as possible. Removing the excess bulk will help with this. I cut away lots of mine. I was nervous at first to take away too much but it worked out great. If you are nervous like I was, just cut away a little at a time.
- As you work, use your glue gun to secure any parts of your edges that need a little more adhesive. Trim down any excess sweater that may be sticking out so you have a nice smooth ball.
The Wrap Up
And that’s how you make sweater orbs for your home decor! Once you get the process down, it goes really quickly. I liked the way my balls looked with just the sweater covering. But you could always add old buttons or other small vintage treasures to dress them up.
I would love to see how you use these adorable sweater balls in your own home. So if you post any pictures of them on social media, tag me so I can check them out! As always, I hope you love this project as much as I do. Happy crafting, friends!
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Love it hope to make some