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.

 

Make Nine 2025 photo recap

Although I completed Make Nine 2025 in October, I like to do a recap blog post of the year’s projects—to see photos of them all in one place and “compare and contrast,” the projects, so to speak.

Make Nine 2025 projects, fulfilling these prompts:
Top row: UFO, Mend/Upcycle, UFO
Middle: Make it Again, Simple and Stress-free, Online Challenge
Bottom: Wild Card, Yarn, Wild Card

Above is a photo grid of my completed projects. The grid corresponds to my Make Nine tracker (below). 

Make Nine 2025 tracker at the beginning of the year.

Make Nine 2025 summary

The prompts I chose for Make Nine 2025 were similar to past years. Interestingly, 2025 generated a lot of “books”—five in total—constructed with paper, fabric, or both. The remaining four finishes consisted of two wearables, a mended vintage quilt, and charity quilts—with a glorious batch of kitty quilts that get donated to local veterinarians. Below is how each prompt was fulfilled (left to right, from top left), with links to their stories.

• UFO 1: was a fabric book. I compiled the stitched compositions from my 2023 100 Day Project into a fabric book using a binding technique I learned this year. (finish #6, book #3)

• Mend/Upcycle: This prompt addresses sustainability, minimizing waste, and taking care of and using what we have. I again participated in the Winter Care and Repair Challenge and one of my mending projects was a vintage quilt. (finish #3)

• UFO 2: was the completion of an artist’s book with a kantha stitched cover that I started in a workshop in 2017. The book’s signatures were paper and the cover was fabric with kantha hand stitching. (finish #7, book #5)

• Make it Again: I used a favorite Siena Shirt pattern and a fabric collection called, Perfect Points for this shirt. Blog posts about other versions of the Siena Shirt and various garment makes can be found here. (finish #4)

• Simple and Stress-free: I continue to make scrappy, improv, charity quilts for the cats and dogs at the local vets. I donated 16 in March, and completed 3 additional during the remainder of the year. I also finished 3 cuddle quilts for charity in December. Total charity quilts = 23. (finish #2)

• Online Challenge: This project and finish came early in the year with a book/journal from the Junk Journal January Challenge. (finish #1, book #1)

• Wild Card 1: was another fabric book made through participation in an online Challenge, the 100 Day Stitch Book 2025. This stitch sampler book was the impetus for the UFO 1 project, which used the same bookbinding technique. (finish #5, book #2)

• Yarn: I made a vow to myself that this year’s yarn project was going to be a stash-buster. I succeeded in using only yarn from a stop-and-swap, an impulse yarn purchase from several years ago, and yarns from my stash. The Taos wrap (crochet) was a brilliant success and I love the finished piece. (finish #9)

• Wild Card 2: was another junk journal from participation in the Junk Journal July Challenge, an online challenge. This was my 5th junk journal. I enjoy making and working in handmade junk journals and I know I’ll be making more. (finish #8, book #4)

Make Nine 2025 tracker, December 20, 2025.

I’m pondering prompts for 2026—my 8th year! I may have to include a “bookmaking” prompt next time…

Coptic bound art journals for winter sketching

Winter, with its cold temps and shorter days, seems like a season for slowing down and making something with my hands—vegetable prep for a rustic soup, baking cookies, or making hand-bound books.

Coptic bound art journals. 5.5” x 7” size.

Recently, I came across a few winter Art Challenges that focused on spending time on mindfulness, creativity, and self care. Inspired by these Art Challenges, I made two junk journals in order to practice the hand sewn Coptic binding method I learned this summer. It was a good opportunity to focus on making something by hand, practice hand bookbinding, as well as getting the bonus of two new journals for future use.  

Making Coptic bound journals, Junk Journal style

Rummaging through the recycled paper bin, I gathered various papers and old sales boards to make these small junk journals/sketchbooks. Coptic bound books require no glue and have a flexible spine that allows the books to open and lie flat. It’s a good binding method for art journals, junk journals, or sketchbooks that are used for drawing, painting, writing, and collaging in. 

Hand sewn Coptic binding.

The Coptic bound book lies flat when opened.

Recycling brown packing paper

One of my new journals was made with discarded brown packing paper. (You know, the brown paper that is stuffed in a box to keep items from shifting or rattling during shipping.) Before cutting the paper to size for the journal signatures, I ironed it with a warm iron to diminish the folds and wrinkles. Not all wrinkles were able to be removed, but the neutral brown paper and residual fold lines make it an interesting, imperfect surface to draw on, particularly with a white gel pen or white Posca marker. 

Drawing with white gel pens, colored pencils, or Posca markers on the brown pages.

There’s something satisfying about binding a book by hand while transforming everyday materials into something useful like a sketchbook or journal. These journals are 5.5” x 7”— a slightly smaller in size than what I usually make for my junk journals, but I like the portable, pocket size. 

Back covers of coptic bound journals. 5.5” x 7”.

With gentle encouragement, the quiet winter season beckons the hands to fill the pages with meditative marks and slow drawing. 

Inked line drawings with white colored pencil marks.

White and black marks on a neutral background. Reflecting the sparseness of the winter landscape.

One fabric panel yields 5 scrappy quilts

It’s like the story of “the loaves and the fishes”—where one fabric panel turns into five quilts!

Scrappy kitty quilts with a panel block.

I found this cat panel on the sale shelf at a quilt shop in Louisville, KY. Instead of using the panel in its entirety, I’m cutting out the individual vignettes and mixing them with various scraps to make a few improv kitty quilts.

Second quilt top from a panel image.

The first three quilt tops are complete.

Third quilt top from a block cut from the panel.

The two remaining vignettes from the panel will become quilt tops as well… for a total of five.

Cutting up the panel into smaller blocks.

This is one way to use a panel in your quiltmaking to make your fabric go further. This panel afforded a focal point for five projects. Using improvisational patchwork, the scrap basket becomes another resource and puts leftover fabric bits to good use.

Don’t you love these fast and fun, scrappy little quilts?? I do!