10 Ways to Use Sewing to Beat the Winter Blues

Christmas is over, but it is definitely still winter and spring seems a long way off. It’s dark and cold, the weather is mostly horrible and it might seem like there’s not much to look forward to. It’s easy for a bad case of the winter gloomies to set in, when all you want to do is wear your pyjamas and eat chocolate.

Sewing and other crafts are believed to help if you are feeling fed up, to such an extent that it is even being used as part of ongoing treatment for depression and PTSD. I wrote a post about this which you can read here.

So one of the best things you can do to beat the winter blues is to get making stuff!

I actually quite like winter. One of my favourite things is being tucked up at home and feeling cosy while it’s cold and nasty outside. The Danish have a word, hygge, which as far as I can make out means cosy times at home with friends and family. If you’re interested in finding out more about this, this is an excellent book which I read and thoroughly enjoyed. Plus the guy’s name is Mike Viking! This is an affiliate link.

To beat the winter blues, I like to combine my favourite being cosy at home things with sewing!

So if winter is getting to you a little bit, here are some (mostly) sewing related tips to help you beat the winter blues.

Please note that if you are suffering from actual depression, you should probably visit your doctor as I am not qualified to give medical advice 🙂

1. Make something that will make going outside more bearable. Fresh air and exercise can make you feel better but you will not feel better if you are not wrapped up properly against the weather.

If you knit or crochet, you could make socks, a scarf or a hat. If you prefer sewing, you could sew a scarf or hat from snuggly fabric, or even a coat!

When we were in Norway in October it was cold. I didn’t see a single person in silly shoes, thin tights and a skimpy jacket more for decoration than for actual warmth. People dressed for the weather. Duvet coats, hats, scarves and warm boots. Cold weather is not so bad if you are dressed for it!

2. Make something to make being at home cosier. You could make some cushions. I just make covers and pop them over the existing cushions, then change them when I get bored or I want something summery instead. I made these reindeer cushions for Christmas but they’re fine for the rest of winter.

Another option is to make a cosy throw or blanket. Try fleece or another warm, woolly fabric if you are not a knitter.

One of my favourite things about winter is coming home, putting the lamps on, lighting the fire and snuggling up on the sofa with a blanket and a cup of tea. You can’t do that in the summer!

3. Make something for the kitchen. Another nice thing about winter is coming home to a casserole bubbling away in the slow cooker. A nice new pair of oven gloves, some pot holders or some embroidered tea towels could be just the thing to make spending time in the kitchen even better.

4. Make something for yourself to wear around the house. I’m not talking onsies here (although you could try if you wanted to!). Having cold feet is not fun, so you could make yourself some slippers. Or you could sew a jacket or cardigan to wear if you feel chilly at home.

5. Have a project to work on in the evenings or when you have a minute. Knitting and crochet are great for this. A patchwork quilt would be another option. Or if a quilt is too much, you could try some scrap projects. Preparing your scraps and planning how you are going to use them is a nice, calm thing that you can do in the evening.

6. Plan a big project. Having something to work towards can help to take your mind off things if you’re feeling a bit gloomy. You could make a fancy outfit or a jacket, or a big scrap or patchwork project. If you don’t feel up to making anything that’s going to take a long time, you could make something smaller, like a bag or a cushion. Make a big thing of it. Plan the colours (Design Seeds is great for colour schemes), choose the fabric and plan it all out. Long dark evenings and horrible weather provides the perfect excuse for staying at home and working on your project!

7. Dig out any unfinished projects from last year and resolve to finish them. Making decisions often makes us feel better. If you really don’t want to finish something, or know that you won’t, unpick it and put the pieces in your fabric collection.

8. Learn a new craft. Crochet is fun and easy. Wet felting is good too (there are kits here. This is an affiliate link) or you could try needle felting (also an affiliate link. I haven’t tried it but it’s on my list!). If you’ve tried knitting but didn’t got on with it, Norwegian knitting is much easier, especially when you’re knitting with 2 colours. There’s a video on YouTube here. The actual knitting starts at around 11-12 minutes. I have discovered that I am actually a knitter, I just had to find a way of doing it that worked for me 🙂 .

9. Have a sort out. There’s nothing like having a good rummage and finding things that you’d forgotten you had. And there’s nothing like the sense of satisfaction you gain when what was once an out of control mountain of mess that was spawning mini mountains of mess everywhere, is all neat and tidy and packed into boxes.

10. By a daffodil or another spring plant in a pot and make it a cosy. Early spring flowers are a great way to beat the winter blues! This crocheted cosy and this quilted one are actually for mugs, but they could be adapted to fit a plant pot.

With lots to keep you busy, the longer days and warmer weather will be back before you know it!

Linking up here.