The aroma of cedar oil is highly irritating for insects and is what keeps moths out of our fine woolen and cashmere clothes, and fabrics, but over time the scent fades and can make your fabrics susceptible to holes. We all know those holes. We take out our favorite sweater or jacket and there they are. But how did it happen?

Well, there are a few factors at play that can increase the likelihood that your clothes will end up as the buffet for larvae (it’s the larvae that eat your fabrics, not adult moths), but there are ways to prevent it.

  1. Wash or dry clean wool and cashmere clothing after every use.
  2. Store wool and cashmere clothing in airtight bins. For an extra layer of protection you can seal the edges with packaging tape.
  3. IF you use cedar blocks, be sure to clean and sand them every six months. Wood dries out over time and will not offer any protection to your clothing.
  4. Do not allow clothing or fabrics to touch cedar. The oils in the cedar can damage fibers. If you store fabrics in a cedar bin, be sure to use an archival paper or box or a plastic container to prevent contact.
  5. If you do pull out a favorite garment and find holes, mend the garment or repurpose it.

Founder Patty Murphy made this tablet cover in 2015 after pulling out her favorite sweater and finding a large hole in it. Determined not to send the sweater to Goodwill or the garbage, she cut it up and made a tablet cover.

To start, she gathered lining fabric, interfacing, floss, a matching zipper, and some wool she had on hand.

Patty cut off the arms of the sweater then cut the remaining shell into two large front/back pieces along the sides and at the neck. She fused a larger than required piece of interfacing and ironed it to the back side of each of the sweater pieces. Once the sweater pieces were stabilized, she measured the tablet and cut the sweater/interfacing pieces and lining 1’’ larger on all side. For example, if the tablet measured 9’’ x 7’’ she cut the sweater and lining 10’’ x 8’’.

Patty cut a few heart shaped pieces from some wool she had on hand and used a blanket stitch to secure it to the front of the cover.  After the hole was covered, she sewed the case together to make this zippered pouch.

Sewing a zippered pouch is simple, and if you don’t know how to sew one, a quick Google search will produce several good tutorials for you to use.

Have you made something with a repurposed sweater? Send us an email and photo at contactus@createandsustain.org or tag us on social media so we can share!