Winter of Care and Repair: carrying the process forward

From the quiet stillness of the winter solstice in December 2025 to the first breath of the spring equinox this past Friday, March 20, I participated once again in the Winter of Care and Repair Challenge. It's a simple but meaningful practice to care for what we already have. 

Winter of Care and Repair: mending blue jeans with an inside patch and running stitches.

Mending: a stitch in time…

Over these past three months, I worked my way through a variety of mends (my favorite form of C&R). Each mend may be small on its own but is powerful in accumulation. These are my successes:

• I strengthened a pair of my soft-with-wear jeans through slow stitching (shown above),
• patched holes in several socks, 
• extended the life of a favorite purse by repairing its handle, 
• gave new structure to bath towels with fresh hems,

Mending socks with Scanfil mending thread.

• hemmed a pair of jeans for a BIL (who has a very short inseam),

Shortening a pair of jeans.

• and mended a silk drawstring travel bag that hold my slippers in my suitcase.

Repair of my drawstring travel bag for my slippers.

Some repairs felt especially satisfying. The most meaningful project was repairing a quilt that I made for a BIL (Brother #2) by adding new appliqué patches to worn blocks and attaching a new binding over frayed edges where needed.

Worn fabrics and holes in a much-loved quilt.

Each new patch was carefully needle-turned and appliquéd to match the seam lines of the patchwork below. After the new fabrics were applied, I re-quilted the areas, trying to blend the new quilting with the previous quilting motifs and join the new quilting lines with the existing.

“Checks and Balances” with new appliqué patches attached.

An additional (new) label documents the repair, so this quilt now carries both its history and its renewal.

Original label (right) and new label to document the quilt’s story.

Home maintenance

The Winter of Care and Repair extended beyond fabric. We turned our attention to home, specifically the kitchen. We repaired a door hinge on the refrigerator and I tightened the screws on a wiggly door handle. It was practical work that ultimately saved a significant expense by avoiding the need for replacement. These moments of maintenance reinforced just how much value lives in a little attention. 

Paper recycling

This season also included recycling and creative paper reuse. 

Two junk journals made with discontinued sales boards and recycled brown packing papers.

I made several junk journals from recycled paper and old sales materials, transforming what might have been waste into something both functional and expressive. 

• One journal was used for Junk Journal January, 
• two pocket-size journals hold space for drawing and sketching (shown above), and 
• the most current journal is for my “Scrap a Day”100 Day Project. 

Handmade journal using recycled papers.

These handmade books have already become my go-to books for journaling and drawing. And making them helps me practice various hand bookbinding techniques.

A second life for fabric scraps

Another meaningful project in the Winter of Care and Repair entailed the making and giving from materials I have on hand. Using scraps and discontinued fabric samples, I created several charity quilts—

• three to provide warmth for the outside cats, 
• two for a work associate who cares for her own cats and several outside cats,
• and I have three quilt tops awaiting my quilt guild’s charity Cuddle Quilt workshop where I can get them basted. 

Two quilts made from recycled fabric samples and fabric scraps from my stash.

Two small scrappy kitty quilts for the outside cats.

These quilts, made from remnants, became acts of care that extended beyond my own home, reminding me that even the smallest scraps can be gathered and made into something purposeful and kind. 

Changing a mindset changes relationships

What I’ve learned through this season is that repair is not just about objects. It’s about relationships—to our belongings, our resources, our family and friends, our habitat, and our habits. It’s about resisting the ease of disposal and rediscovering the satisfaction of stewardship… choosing restoration over replacement.

As spring 2026 begins, I’m carrying this practice of Care and Repair forward. It’s a mindset and part of how I want to move through the world: attentively, mindfully, resourcefully, and with respect for what I already have. Because small acts, over time, can make a big difference.

Winter solstice begins the Winter of Care and Repair

Today, on the winter solstice—the longest night and shortest day of the year—I’m taking the Winter of Care and Repair Challenge again. It feels right to start this Challenge at this time of the year—the quiet hinge between the seasons—when the night has stretched as far as it can and the slow return of longer days begins. 

Winter of Care and Repair 2025.

From December 21, 2025 to March 20, 2026, the Winter of Care and Repair Challenge carries us through winter’s dormancy to arrive at the spring equinox, when balance returns and the days and nights meet again. The Challenge was created by Jeanna Wigger, @thepeoplesmending, and co-author of the book, “Stitch it Don’t Ditch it.” It’s an invitation to slow down during the three months of winter to focus on tending to what we already have—belongings, relationships, self, or community. 

Winter of Care and Repair, IG post @thepeoplesmending.

This is the third time I’m participating in the annual Challenge. I like that it doesn’t have a strict set of rules. Participants choose their own pace and projects—mending clothes and linens, repairing household items, finishing neglected works-in-progress, prepping a garden for Spring planting, or simply caring for the tools and materials that support us in our everyday lives. 

Basically, the heart of the challenge is “care instead of consumption, and mindfulness instead of haste and waste.” Some people document their work on social media [#winterofcareandrepair2025], others keep it private. If you’d like a WoCaR [Winter of Care and Repair] tracker, visit Check Your Thread @checkyourthread, for a downloadable tracker. 

Mending a frayed binding on a quilt.

My hands are already busy with this challenge as my current mend is repairing a frayed binding on this well-loved quilt. 

Repairing worn areas with new 4-patches.

I’ve repaired the center section with appliquéd patches over worn areas, darning a few holes, and lastly, working on the binding. It’s been slow, mindful work, honoring the warmth through the years it has already given. Each stitch is a small promise to keep this special quilt useful and in good condition.

New pillowcases.

Alongside mending, there’s making. New pillowcases came together today as a Christmas gift for a special friend—a simple, practical gift made with love and care. The fabric was chosen with her in mind: chickadees and dogwood blossoms. This is a reminder that repair isn’t only about fixing what’s worn, but also about creating comfort and maintaining connections with special people. It’s perfect that this Challenge coincides with the Christmas season. 

As we settle in for winter, I’m inviting the rhythm of “care and repair” to be a guide. Mend what’s frayed, make what’s needed, and move gently through the season until Spring returns.

 

My third Make Nine finish: mending a vintage quilt

In 2023, I put a new binding on this vintage quilt. During the recent Winter of Care and Repair Challenge, it received a few more patches and mends. I’m certain it won’t be the last time this vintage quilt gets an appliqué over a worn area.

Vintage quilt.

Collaborating with Anonymous

I have a fondness for this quilt! It’s been on the bed for several years. I like its scrappy, make-do, improvisational nature—and that of its maker. While I don’t know who made the quilt, I’m happy to care for it, mend it, keep it in good condition, and preserve the original maker’s work. A happy collaboration with an anonymous quilter!

The quiltmaker had an interesting stash of fabrics to work with for this scrappy quilt.

The original quiltmaker evidently had an eclectic stash of scraps and apparently some yardage (the red and blue prints used for the alternate blocks) for this project. I’m guessing the prints are probably from the 1940s and 1950s. Some fabrics (especially the stripes) appear to be from shirts. The feed sack backing could possibly be from an earlier time. 

Feed sack backing of a vintage quilt.

I came to find out through making a few of the repairs, that the middle layer is not a batting. It is some sort of woven textile or a blanket. Another make-do attribute of this quilt! So even though this quilt is thin, it’s heavier than one with a cotton batting.

Mixing in new fabrics

On a sales call earlier this year, I saw a quilt displayed in a quilt shop. Several of the fabrics had a retro vibe to them… which reminded me of my vintage quilt. Walking the aisles of the shop, I perused all the bolts of fabrics and purchased several prints that I thought had similar colors and patterns reflective of the fabrics in my vintage quilt.

Purchased new fabrics (left). The tiny floral (far right) is from my stash.

Several of the fabrics I chose are from fabric collections that I rep. It was interesting to focus on individual prints and pull them away from the other coordinating fabrics. Taken out of their original context, they took on a new meaning for me.

The mends

Here are photos of the worn and torn places of my vintage quilt, along with the mends that were made.

Holes and worn areas.

I actually had to unpick part of the binding to make the repair to this area.

Preparing the appliqué patches and the unpicked portion of the  binding.

Patched and mended.

Worn area.

Appliquéd patch with new hand quilting.

After appliquéing the patches, I followed the existing lines of hand quilting to quilt, secure, and blend in the new patches.

A Make Nine 2025 finish

2025 Make Nine tracker with the Mend/Upcycle prompt. March 30, 2025.

One of my Make Nine 2025 prompts is a Mend/Upcycle prompt. I’m counting the mends on this quilt, as well as my participation in the Winter of Care and Repair, to fulfill this prompt. 

Now that I have a curated bundle of vintage-inspired fabrics, however, I’m itching to follow Anonymous’ block pattern and make a few blocks of my own. Maybe coordinating pillowcases with a scrappy cuff are in my future. That would be a fun, easy, and purposeful project.

The 2024-25 Winter of Care and Repair concludes

Participating in the Winter of Care and Repair Challenge, held from the Winter Solstice to the Spring Equinox, makes me mindful of taking time to extend the life of textiles, home goods, garments, and other useful items. It also makes me keenly aware of upcycling and recycling efforts, keeping things out of landfills, and minimizing unnecessary waste.

The toe of one sock mended with a wool mending thread.

How I fared with the Challenge 

This Challenge started last December and ended this month on March 20, the Spring Equinox. My pledge for the 2024 - 2025 included textile mends and repairs, upcycling and repurposing, organizing my fabric stash, using scraps (rather than tossing them), and office tidying.

The zipper seam in a pillowcase

Mended zipper seam.

Textile mending

This winter, I did manage to mend a few garments and household textiles:

• mending a hole in a pair of socks,
• repairing the zipper seam of a pillowcase,
• reinforcing seams in pants and shorts,
• mending several worn or torn patches in a vintage quilt.

Holes and shredded areas of a vintage quilt.

Appliquéd patches over the worn areas.

Upcycling/recycling

I upcycled/recycled old paper sales materials and paper catalogs into two Junk Journals. I gifted one to my cousin and used the other in this year’s Junk Journal January Challenge. I continue to use my junk journal for slow drawing, watercolor play, and hand lettering.

Junk Journal made with recycled papers.

Here is a flip-through of one of the junk journals.

Fabric scraps

I didn’t get much fabric stash organizing done, but did complete 4 scrappy kitty quilts in December and donated an additional 16 kitty quilts to two local animal hospitals at the end of February. The quilts were made of orphan quilt blocks [a repurposing effort], discontinued fabric samples, fabric scraps, and the bindings were pieced and scrappy as well.

Scrappy quilt tops for charity quilts.

Two additional kitty quilts went to our gang of outside tuxedo kitties—to care for the fuzzy ones at our house.

Scrappy quilt bindings.

I’m also using fabric bits and scraps from various improv quilting projects in this year’s 100 Day Project, the 2025 Stitch Book with Ann Wood. Here is one of the pages.

A page from my 2025 Stitch Book using fabric scraps.

Office tidying

The response to this goal wasn’t as prolific as I had hoped for the home office, but I did do a a clean-up of my “mobile office” (my car). The vacuuming efforts in the back where my sample suitcases go, and the carpets in the front seats were welcome sights!

Care and Repair take-aways

Jeanna, from The People’s Mending [@thepeoplesmending], is the creator of the Winter of Care and Repair challenge. She wrote a synopsis of her 5-year experience and posted a list of take-aways. The ones I resonate most with are:

• It’s going to take less time than you think.
• It’s going to take more time than you think.
• If it’s worth repairing, it’s worth repairing right… even if you have to redo it.
• Repairing is caring.
• To speed up, slow down. Or, “the hurried-er I go, the behind-er I get.”
• Practice makes better: the more you do, the more you learn, the better you get.
• You can do anything, but not everything, and that’s OK.

I try to remember to give myself the grace to do what I can. Because all the small acts do add up.

Happy Christmas and a mend-ful New Year

Out of the gate for a Winter of Care and Repair is this pillow that had literally busted at the seams. It’s been mended and in use again... in time for the holidays.

Mended tree pillow back in service.

This pillow is a long-time, scrappy favorite of mine. It was a project I made as a beginner quilter. The original fabrics for the sashing, border, and the pillow back were solids—and likely from a source that was used before I knew about, and understood the value of, “quilt shop quality” cottons. As you can see, the fabrics didn’t hold up as long as the rest of the pillow.

Unstitching and removing the patchwork from the pillow top.

Disassembly and the mending process

I decided to save just the center patchwork and put it into a new setting. It didn’t seem prudent to unpick the other seams and try to salvage the lesser-quality solid fabrics. (They will find their way into another scrappy project.) 

For the new borders, a cotton blender—a “holiday red” (merlot is the color name) from the Canvas collection [Northcott Fabrics]— was my choice for the replacement fabric. 

Unstitching the center patchwork from the old pillow.

After unpicking the patchwork from the borders, doing a little “quilty math” to fit the size of the pillow form correctly, the new strips were cut and sewn to the patchwork.

New borders added.

I sew rounded corners on pillows so they won’t be so pointy once the pillow form is inserted.

Sewing rounded corners.

A new pillow backing (I use the overlap style) was added using the same Canvas blender fabric. The old pillow form was inserted, and the tree pillow is like-new again.

Mended pillow.

The Winter of Care and Repair is off to a productive start. Happy patchwork for a happy Christmas!

The winter solstice and a season of textile Care and Repair

Today is the shortest day of the year—the winter solstice. Tomorrow, there will be a wee bit more daylight… and a wee bit more the following day… until the spring equinox. The winter solstice also marks the beginning of Winter of Care and Repair.

Winter of Care and Repair Challenge for 2024 - 2025.

A Winter of Care and Repair pledge

My pledge for this year’s three-month Winter of Care and Repair Challenge is much like last year’s. The main focus is on textiles with the addition of household care.

• textile mending and repairs
• upcycling and repurposing
• organizing my fabric stash
• minimizing scraps
• and this year, an effort to find time to tidy up my home office.

To start off the Care and Repair season, I’m donating four scrappy quilts to our local veterinarian and animal hospital.

Scrappy quilts for cats and dogs.

I use improv patchwork and fabric scraps to make these little quilts for the animals at the vet. The quilts are fun to make, stress-free, and go to both my Care and Repair pledge to repurpose and upcycle as well as providing care for the four-legged fuzzy ones.

Scrappy quilt backs.

Two of these quilts have flannel backings.

Free-motion quilting.

The quilts are free-motion quilted and the bindings are attached by machine with a narrow zigzag stitch.

Machine bindings using a narrow zigzag stitch.

The mending pile

I have begun gathering items in need of mending or repair. The Care and Repair Challenge is a perfect motivation to keep household items, clothes, and other textiles in good working order. 

 

Getting ready for “A Winter of Care and Repair”

A Winter of Care and Repair. I love this Challenge! I participated last year and it was very gratifying. The online Challenge is hosted by Jeanna @thepeoplesmending and takes place from the Winter Solstice (December 21, 2024) to the Spring Equinox (March 20, 2025).

Winter of Care and Repair 2024-2025

Make a plan, set some goals

During this season-long project, participants are encouraged to design their own parameters/plan/outcome/pledge that suits their lifestyle while focusing on mending, repairing, and caring for their belongings or themselves. I generally focus on textiles—mending, up-cycling, recycling, prolonging their life, and keeping them out of landfills. In general, being more sustainable by caring for existing items rather than buying new.

One of the mending projects slated for this year’s Winter of Care and Repair Challenge.

How the WOCAR Challenge began… and what’s new

Jeanna started the Winter of Care and Repair Challenge in 2020 during the Covid 19 lockdown as a way to provide some semblance of structure and control during an uncertain time. This year, she’s added another element to the concept. She says, “The winter of 2024/25 feels like the beginning another period of frightening uncertainty… with the future of human rights and environmental action looking bleak, I’m expanding the very lose parameters of WOCAR to include ‘something within the participants’ circle of control’ rather than just belongings.”

In the past, the Challenge focused on the care and repair of garments and belongings. This year, she’s including other aspects to her personal plan that are “in her circle of control.” 

Need ideas?

Visit @thepeoplesmending for ideas for creating a plan or your personal plan or pledge. In the past, some participants have designed their Challenge project to focus on things such as:

• tending a garden and prepping the ground for the next season’s planting,
• repurposing or repairing household items (rather than disposing of them),
• de-cluttering a room/garage/house,
• creating habits to improve personal health and well-being.

Whatever works for your schedule, lifestyle, and goals… A Winter of Care and Repair is the perfect opportunity in which to apply them!

 

I’ve notified members of my household to begin setting aside things for the mending basket.

Winter of Care and Repair Challenge results, a Make Nine finish

The Winter of Care and Repair Challenge is coming to a close on March 19, the Spring Equinox. In recapping my mends and recycling efforts, I was very pleased with the number of accomplishments.

Winter of Care and Repair Challenge. December 21, 2023 - March 19, 2024.

Care and Repair Pledge

My Winter of Care and Repair pledge was focused on textiles. It included these categories:

• mending and repairs, 
• upcycling/repurposing, 
• organizing my fabric stash, and 
• finding ways to minimize scraps.

Mending and Repair

When you sign up to participate in a Challenge, and decide upon your pledge, there’s an on-going awareness of your goals. This definitely made me more involved. One of my successful categories from the pledge was Mending and Repair.

Replacing missing buttons on two shirts.

Finishes include:

• abundant button replacements—shirt fronts, shirt cuffs, a jacket—on 5 different garments. (When you ask family members if they have anything that needs mending, the items come out of the woodwork!) One garment was mine and the rest were my husband’s. 
• mending a collar on a jacket,
• mending a burn hole in a dish towel, 
• mending the patch pocket on a pair of pants, and
• mending a seam in the armscye of a me-made Collins Top.

Mending the inside collar of a jacket.

Upcycling and Repurposing

This was another successful category. I've recycled orphan and worn out socks into 7 Loopy Loom woven hot pads.  

Upcycling old socks using the Loopy Loom.

Upon discovering several old knitting swatches, I decided to frog (un-knit) a few of them and repurposed the yarn in another knitting project. I've completed 3 knitted dish cloths and am working on a pair of placemats with the frogged yarn and leftovers.

Recycling the yarn from knitted gauge swatches.

Minimizing Fabric and Yarn Scraps

I continuously work through leftover yarns and fabric scraps in my stash. Completed projects during Winter Care and Repair include four quilt tops for kitty (charity) quilts—made with fabric scraps.

Scrappy kitty quilt top.

A pile of discontinued fabric samples was donated to the Friends Life Community, an organization at which my buddy, Jim Sherraden, volunteers as an art teacher.

Discontinued fabric scrap donation to Friends Life Community.

Yarn scraps are being knit into a pair of placemats. One placemat is complete and the other nearly finished.

Scrap yarn knitted placemat.

Organizing the stash

Even though I was unable to attack a big organization project, small dents were made in the yarn and fabric stashes through this online Challenge. I found and repurposed the knit gauge swatches and used up scraps for the charity quilts. 

On a positive note, I will say that various articles of clothing got mended much quicker and thus back into circulation because of the Challenge. The Challenge created more focus on the idea of valuing what we already own instead of discarding and buying new. I'm happy about that.

The second Make Nine finish for 2024

This online Challenge is fulfilling my Make Nine 2024 Online Challenge prompt. I continue the search for creative scrap projects for fabrics and yarn. And I've also set aside other items for mending and repairing.

Make Nine 2024 tracker.

Winter of Care and Repair was a worthwhile Challenge! Thank you to Jeanna Wigger at @thepeoplesmending for hosting this Challenge.