The Simple Things

Taking time to live well
  • Home
  • Subscribe
  • SHOP
  • Newsletter
  • About
  • Work with us
  • Home
  • Subscribe
  • SHOP
  • Newsletter
  • About
  • Work with us

Blog

Taking Time to Live Well

  • All
  • Chalkboard
  • Christmas
  • Competition
  • could do
  • Eating
  • Escape
  • Escaping
  • Fresh
  • Fun
  • gardening
  • Gathered
  • Gathering
  • Growing
  • Haikus
  • Interview
  • Living
  • Looking back
  • Magazine
  • magical creatures
  • Making
  • Miscellany
  • My Neighbourhood
  • Nature
  • Nest
  • Nesting
  • outing
  • playlist
  • Reader event
  • Reader offer
  • Shop
  • Sponsored post
  • Sunday Best
  • Think
  • Uncategorized
  • Wellbeing
  • Wisdom

Make | An Upcycled Jumper Blanket

David Parker October 4, 2025

Illustration by Christina Carpenter

A good use for any moth-eaten jumpers – sew them into a patchwork blanket for cosy reading sessions by the fire.

You will need
Old jumpers, throws and blankets; good scissors; paper; an old bed sheet; wool; large needle.

To make
1 Decide how big you want your squares and make somepaper templates – a 20cm square is a good size to work with. Cut a few paper squares, then pin them to the jumpers or blankets and cut out. Keep cutting squares until you have enough. The size of the blanket is up to you but 10 x 15 squares is good.

2 Zig-zag stitch around the edges of your squares to stop unravelling, lay them out on the floor and arrange them in an order you like. Sew together the squares in each long row first, giving you several ‘strips’ of squares. Then sew the strips together. You can do this by hand or use a sewing machine.

3 Place the blanket right side down on an old bed sheet and sew the two together leaving a gap to turn the blanket right side out, then close it up by hand. Using wool and a large needle, blanket stitch all around the blanket’s edge.

4 Curl up on the sofa under it.

You can find more seasonal things to note and notice, plan and do on our Almanac pages every month.

Buy this month's The Simple Things -buy, download or subscribe

More cosy things for autumn…

Featured
Jumper blanket.jpg
Oct 4, 2025
Make | An Upcycled Jumper Blanket
Oct 4, 2025
Oct 4, 2025
Getty Simple Thing.jpg
Oct 12, 2021
A simple thing | darker days
Oct 12, 2021
Oct 12, 2021
Rosehips Kirstie Young.jpg
Oct 26, 2019
Make your own | rosehip tea
Oct 26, 2019
Oct 26, 2019

More from our blog…

Featured
Cowboy Boots Unsplash.jpeg
Apr 25, 2026
Language | Talk Like a Cowboy
Apr 25, 2026
Apr 25, 2026
SIM167playlist.jpg
Apr 24, 2026
Playlist | We are the Mods
Apr 24, 2026
Apr 24, 2026
Naked Paper 1.jpeg
Apr 24, 2026
Sponsored Post | Q&A with Naked Paper's Founder, Leila Francis Coleman
Apr 24, 2026
Apr 24, 2026
InMaking Tagsissue 160, blanket, makes, cosy, upcycling
  • Blog
  • Older
  • Newer
Featured
 APRIL ISSUE   Buy  ,   download  or  subscribe   Order a copy of:  Our new Homebird bookazine    Flourish Volume 4 , our wellbeing bookazine  A Year of Celebrations  – our latest  anthology  See the sample of our latest issue  here   Listen to  our
Feb 27, 2026
Feb 27, 2026

APRIL ISSUE

Buy, download or subscribe

Order a copy of:
Our new Homebird bookazine

Flourish Volume 4, our wellbeing bookazine
A Year of Celebrations – our latest anthology

See the sample of our latest issue here

Listen to our podcast – Small Ways to Live Well

Feb 27, 2026
Join our Newsletter
Name
Email *

We respect your privacy and won't share your data.

email marketing by activecampaign
facebook-unauth pinterest spotify instagram
  • Subscriber Login
  • Stockists
  • Advertise
  • Contact

The Simple Things is published by Iceberg Press

The Simple Things

Taking time to live well

We celebrate slowing down, enjoying what you have, making the most of where you live, enjoying the company of of friends and family, and feeding them well. We like to grow some of our own vegetables, visit local markets, rummage for vintage finds, and decorate our home with the plunder. We love being outdoors and enjoy the satisfaction that comes with a job well done.

facebook-unauth pinterest spotify instagram