You Need:

*2 sweaters in coordinating colors (I think one of mine is men’s – it honestly doesn’t matter as long as you can fit into both)
*thread matching sweaters

And…
*seam ripper
*pins
*sewing machine ( if you do not have a sewing machine, this can also be sewn by hand, though it will take a little longer)
*machine needle (for knits or wovens; it doesn’t matter)

How-To:

1. Separate the sleeves from each sweater.  You need to find the thread that binds the sleeve to the armscye, and cut it with the seam ripper, opening up the seam a little.

Then, working from the center of the seam, try to pull the thread from in-between the sleeve and the armscye.  If you get it just at the right area where the thread end is in-between the two (it’s a little tricky), you can pull the thread and the whole seam will come apart – zzzzzpth!! (*that’s my sleeve-coming-apart sound effect*).  It’s a lot easier than going all the way around the seam on the outside, picking and ripping each stitch as you go.

2. Pin the sleeves from one sweater to the armscyes of the other sweater, matching the side seams, and easing any fullness (sweaters are stretchy, so easing is…well, easy!).  Pin from the inside, with sleeve inside the body of the sweater, right sides together.

3. Stitch on your machine around the armscyes, using a shorter stitch.  If you like, going over the edges again with a zigzag stitch or overcast stitch will add extra strength.

If you’ve sewn close to the edges, the new seam will be virtually indistinguishable from the outside.

4. Wear and enjoy!  Don’t forget to dry flat whenever you wash your piece – you don’t want undue stress on the arm seams ripping your new arms off!  (although that visual makes me a little squeamish…;-)

Happy DIY’ing!

xoxox
Carly