A New Era: Felted Wool Sweater Plushies

After making my banana slug and worm plushies, I caught sight of several artists who were making cute stuffed plushy critters from upcycled felted wool sweaters. I caught a kind of fever for using this type of material, as it was and is a great fit with my values and interests.

I like the idea of recycling something that can no longer be used by someone else. It saves the material from going to a landfill. Using recycled sweaters (and other fibers and craft supplies, for that matter), reduces the raw material and energy needed to create brand new materials. Double-win for the environment! Plus, I LOVE thrift store shopping! I win too! :-)

Here are some fun pictures of my first felted wool sweater plushy. It's a sweet little woods mouse: 

First, I thoroughly washed and felted the sweaters I used. Then I made her completely by hand from soft recycled lambswool sweaters, cotton embroidery floss (including some vintage floss), and bamboo fiberfill, which is a soft and renewable fiber. I adore this critter, and designing the sets and taking the photographs was so much fun. Hope you enjoy them too! OK, that's it for now! More cute plushies next time.... xoxo Jennifer