Yet another great felted sweater sweater project for the holiday season helps you use up even the smallest bits of your felted pieces. The Long Thread offers up a great tutorial to make these recyled Christmas Trees, a great project to work on with kids!
There is something wonderfully satisfying about finding a craft project that uses the very sweater most people would leave hanging sadly at the back of the thrift-store rack.
You know the ones I mean—the slightly shrunken wool jumpers, the sweaters with a moth hole near the hem, or the knitted cardigan in a colour that can only be described as “1970s lounge-room brown.” They may no longer be wearable, but they are absolutely packed with Christmas crafting potential.
These thrifted wool sweater Christmas trees from The Long Thread are made by cutting felted sweaters into graduated circles and stacking them to create soft, plump tabletop trees. The different knitted textures and slightly uneven edges give them a cosy handmade look that you simply do not get from mass-produced Christmas decorations.
A Clever Way To Recycle Old Wool Sweaters
The original trees measure approximately seven inches tall and use 32 circles cut from felted wool sweaters. The circles gradually decrease in size as they move towards the top, creating that sweet, rounded Christmas tree shape.
It is a beautifully simple idea, but the finished trees look far more detailed because each piece of wool brings its own colour, weave and texture.
Cable-knit sweaters create chunky ridges, Fair Isle jumpers add little flashes of pattern, and ribbed cuffs can create wonderfully textured layers. Even sweaters that have shrunk unevenly can work because this project does not rely on perfectly flat fabric.
This is the sort of recycled Christmas craft where a bit of wonkiness is not only acceptable—it is practically part of the design.
What Type Of Sweater Works Best?
Look for sweaters made from wool, lambswool, merino, cashmere or alpaca. Natural animal fibres will felt when washed with heat and agitation, creating a denser fabric that can be cut without immediately unravelling.
Check the fibre label before buying. A sweater with a high acrylic content may shrink slightly, but it generally will not felt in the same way as wool.
Damaged sweaters are perfect for this project. Small stains, worn cuffs and moth holes do not matter because you will be cutting around them. You may even be able to ask your local charity shop whether they have damaged wool garments that cannot be sold.
And yes, accidentally shrinking your favourite sweater in the wash is upsetting, but at least now it can have a second life as a Christmas tree. That does not completely remove the sting, but it helps.
Mix Colours And Textures For A Handmade Look
One of the nicest things about these recycled sweater Christmas trees is that you can completely change their style simply by changing the colours.
For a traditional Christmas look, mix forest green, burgundy, cream and deep red wool.
For Scandinavian-style Christmas décor, use cream, grey and red with an unfinished wooden bead or star on top.
A vintage-inspired tree would be lovely made from faded mustard, dusty rose, sage green and soft blue sweaters.
You could also make a neutral farmhouse version using oatmeal, ivory, camel and grey. Neutral trees look especially pretty grouped with natural wood decorations and simple greenery.
Personally, I would be tempted to make one using every colour in the scrap basket. Christmas is one of the few times of the year when mixing red, pink, green, gold and a questionable purple sweater somehow looks completely intentional.
Make A Whole Forest Of Recycled Christmas Trees
One tree would look lovely on a bookshelf or bedside table, but a group of three or five would make a beautiful handmade Christmas display.
Try making several trees in different heights and grouping them across a mantel, dining table, windowsill or sideboard. A collection of mismatched trees has that lovely gathered-over-time appearance, even when you secretly made all of them during one enthusiastic afternoon.
These would sit beautifully alongside a stacked basket Christmas tree or some of these tiny Christmas trees made from recycled materials.
You could also pair them with recycled book-page decorations from our roundup of beautiful things to make with old book pages for a Christmas display built almost entirely from rescued materials.
A Lovely Handmade Christmas Gift
These felted sweater trees would make thoughtful handmade gifts for neighbours, teachers, friends or anyone who loves cosy Christmas décor.
You could make the project even more personal by using part of an old family sweater that is too damaged to wear but still holds sentimental value. A tree made from a grandparent’s cardigan or a child’s outgrown wool jumper could become a lovely keepsake decoration brought out each Christmas.
For gifting, add a simple kraft-paper tag with a message such as:
Made from rescued wool and a little Christmas magic.
A small wooden star or bead makes a simple topper, but you could also use a vintage button, tiny bell or jewellery charm.
An Easy Project For Christmas Craft Stalls
These upcycled wool trees could also work well as Christmas market or school-fair decorations.
Because the shapes are simple, the circles can be cut in batches and then arranged into coordinating colour sets. You could offer individual trees or bundles of three in small, medium and large sizes.
Neutral versions would suit farmhouse-style homes, while bright mixed-colour trees would appeal to shoppers who love retro Christmas decorations.
A small card explaining that the trees are handmade from rescued wool would add to their appeal. People love a handmade decoration, but they often love it even more when they know the materials have been saved from landfill.
Just remember to price in the time spent cutting all those circles. We crafters have a terrible habit of counting the materials and forgetting that our hands were involved too.
More Upcycled Christmas Craft Ideas
Once you start crafting with old sweaters, it becomes surprisingly difficult to walk past the knitwear section of an op shop without inspecting every fibre label.
For more ideas that turn discarded materials into festive decorations, browse these 33 recycled Christmas crafts or take a look at this eco-friendly Christmas craft book review.
You may also like the felt and button Christmas tree ornament on our sister site, CraftBits, if you have smaller felt scraps left over after cutting your sweater circles.
The original Thrifted Holiday Trees project includes the complete supply list, printable circle templates and assembly instructions.
Head over to The Long Thread to see the full thrifted sweater Christmas tree tutorial.
The tree is adroable 🙂 Felting humm 🙂
I love these, they have a unique charm. It’s so nice to see so many ideas for recycled Christmas gifts and decorations on your blog 🙂