5 Tips to Upgrade Your Sewing for Cold Weather

Show Notes

• Patterns mentioned in this episode: Edie, Frankie, Easton, Alice, Tino
  


• 
  How to Sew a Rain Jacket: Tips for picking out waterproof and water-resistant fabrics, sealing seams, and sewing your own rain gear.


• 
  How to Sew an Underlining: Your solution for transparent fabric and creating a professional garment--a guide to underlining, by Brooks Ann Camper.


• 
  Save money on fabric! Seamwork members get special deals.


• 
  Podcast listeners get half off an unlimited Seamwork membership when you use this link, plus you get to keep that price as long as you’re a member!


• Tell us your idea for the next icebreakers for makers!

Podcast Transcript

Sarai
I'm Sarai.

Haley
And I'm Haley.

Sarai
And this is Seamwork Radio. Welcome back to Seamwork radio, where we share practical ideas for building a creative process so you can sew with intention and joy.

Today we're talking about five ways you can upgrade your sewing for cold weather. So we're going to cover how to make your winter sewing extra warm and cozy and share practical tips and fabric ideas for a toasty, wearable winter wardrobe.

All right, our icebreaker for today. What project on your winter sewing queue are you most excited for, Haley?

Haley
I think that what I'm most excited for is the thing that’s—maybe it's just because it's next on my queue, but I'm going to be making an Edie bonus dress.

So Edie is a Seamwork pattern. It's sleeveless, it has a little funnel neck, and the bonus version of it is, like a midi-length dress. I'm going to be making that for our holiday party. We're recording this, and it is November. You'll be listening to this in January, but that's what's next on my list. And I'm just like, sounds like such a fun afternoon. It's a really quick and easy project, and I'm kind of craving something like that right now.

Sarai
Yeah.

Haley
So I'm just excited for that. And I like making dresses, and I don't allow myself to make them very often because I don't wear them as much as I did when I lived in California. So when I get a chance to make one, I'm excited.

Sarai
Yeah, that's a fun one. I'm also making a dress for the holiday party, and that's what I'm really excited about, too. I'm making the Frankie dress, which is the new Seamwork pattern that came out in December. If you're listening to this in January, and it's so pretty, and I really splurged on the fabric, and I bought this red silk with tan flowers on it that is just so pretty, and I haven't gotten it in the mail yet, but I'm really, really excited to make that dress once I get the fabric. I used to sew more with silk, but I found that silk dresses are kind of special occasion most of the time, so I find silk tops a little bit more wearable.

I haven't made a silk dress in quite a long time, so I'm really, really excited about this one. And I think it's actually something I might be able to wear for non-fancy occasions, too, layered with a sweater. So really excited about that. I can't wait to get the fabric.

All right, so both kind of fancy holiday dresses, but if you're losing this in January, maybe you're ready for something a little bit new.

But we're going to have some great ideas for you today for sewing for the rest of winter, and even into spring, I think, today.

But in the meantime, if you have an icebreaker for a future episode for us, a question that you'd like us to use on a future episode, and you're a Seamwork member, just go to seamwork.com/go/icebreakers. And that will take you to a thread on our community where you can leave your question for us, and we'll likely use it on a future episode.

All right, so let's talk about winter sewing. I feel like winter sewing doesn't really get as much love as it deserves. I think a lot of us love sewing pretty blouses and sundresses when the weather's warm. But then when it comes to sewing for the winter, sometimes I think your sewjo can fall a little bit flat at that time of year.

So I just want to encourage us all to take a different look at winter sewing, because there are just so many creative possibilities to sewing for cold weather. And I think it can be a really fun puzzle to figure out if you just shift your mindset a little bit.

What's your favorite winter project to sew overall?

Haley
I was thinking about this question, and I was going to say outerwear. But the thing is, I love sewing outerwear, but I don't sew it super often. It's like a special project. I think the thing that I really, actually like sewing the most is base layers. What about you? What's your fave?

Sarai
I really like sewing accessories for winter because I think they really dress up whatever you're wearing, and they're very quick and easy to sew and go a long way towards staying warm. So things like a wrap that you can wear at home or when you're out, or mittens or a headband that keeps your ears warm, things in fleece, things in sherpa, just those warm, cozy accessories. I think those are my favorite things to sew when it gets really cold.

Haley
Do you have a go-to cold-weather fabric?

Sarai
I love wool. Personally, anything wool. I wear wool all the time in the winter. I'm wearing a wool skirt right now. I love wool. It's breathable, it's warm. It makes a great base layer, makes a great top layer. It is great in damp weather. I love wool. So I'd probably say that's my favorite cold weather fabric. What about you?

Haley
I'm also a wool girly, but to follow my thread of base layers, I would say I really love, like, a merino jersey for something like that. I'm also really fond of lately, like, waffle knits. I'm really loving those. I love the ones that I See Fabric carries. They're really nice, and they have coordinating rib nets to go with them. That's, like, a little bit on the heavy. I wouldn't call it heavy, but it's not quite as thin as a merino can be. So maybe a little bit more of, like, a mid layer. Great for making, like, sweaters and things, but I'm loving sewing with those. I do sew a lot of knitwear in the wintertime, I would say.

Sarai
Yeah, knits are great in the winter. And I love merino jersey. It's just so versatile, so many different kinds. I have a beautiful merino jersey in my stash, or I don't know if you'd call it a jersey. It's a fleece back knit, actually.

Haley
Oh, yes. Those are nice.

Sarai
So nice and just so soft and fuzzy and warm. I love it.

Haley
I want to know, what element of your winter wardrobe do you think you struggle with the most?

Sarai
I think these days, because I love wool so much, I think the laundry aspect is the worst because a lot of stuff that you wear in the winter needs special laundry treatment. It needs to be hand washed or it needs to be laid flat to dry. Lots of sweaters which can't go in the dryer. So I just feel like there's laundry spread out all over my house all the time in the winter. That's what I really struggle with. What about you?

Haley
My gosh, the laundry in the winter, I feel like so much more of it can be so annoying. And the layers, I'm like, I hate getting changed because now I want to be cold and I have to strip down, like, five layers. It's just a whole thing, I would say. I don't know if it's an element, but for me, I feel a lot more confident with dressing for cold weather now. But when I moved from Southern California to Portland, Oregon, I really struggled because not only was I dealing with living in a colder climate than I had ever lived in, I was also dealing with wet winters and falls and springs, wet year-round weather.

So it was just a really big mind shift for me to learn how to—I don't want to say, like, deprioritize style and fashion. But you do have, like, a little bit. You need to learn to bring a lot more practicality into your choices. Where in California, I was like, if it's a natural fiber, I can wear it. It's great. So I think that the big hangups for me at that point were outerwear and footwear, but now that I've kind of, like, dialed in those elements, I just feel a lot more confident.

I think another struggle that I have dealt with in the past is not dressing down in cold weather, learning how to dress up in cold weather, but also doing the in-between, which I think especially in the Pacific Northwest, where people tend to dress really casual in general, and it's easy to fall into that rut of leggings, sweater, coat all the time.

There's nothing wrong with that. And to be honest, like, 50% of the time, that's what I'm doing, too. But learning your different options and how to do those looks as well.

Sarai
Also putting your own spin on it, I think you can wear leggings in different ways and make it feel like a little bit more you too. I think that's been a real shift for me over the years, is figuring out how to make those really comfortable, warm, and cozy outfits feel a little bit more like me at the same time,

it's often just a matter of putting your own little spin on it.

Haley
Yeah. And I feel like that's really been, like, the secret to getting that middle ground look that's between something that's dressed up and something that's really casual is learning how to do that.

Sarai
Yeah. I think also footwear is a big challenge I've had to overcome. And getting used to colder weather, I basically wear boots, like, almost all the time now because, like Haley said, it's cold and wet here most of the year, and that's just the most practical.

I love the look of ballet flats. I think they're so cute, but they are just, like, incredibly impractical for the weather and for where I live. So I had to kind of put those aside except for special occasions.

Haley
Now it's a summertime exclusive, really.

Sarai
Even then, they do tend to get trashed.

Haley
Okay, well, I am going to kick us off with some tips.

So tip number one is to choose your outerwear sewing patterns with underlining in mind. So, in truly cold weather, sometimes a wool coat just does not cut it. If you live somewhere that is truly cold cold or if you just run cold and a wool coat is inadequate for you.

So considering underlining fabrics for something a little bit more lightweight, you can do something like a flannel, might add just that little bit of extra warmth that you're looking for. Additional layers in your fabric are always going to, even if it's not like an incredibly thick layer, additional layers are going to keep heat trapped against your body.

So although flannel may seem kind of, like, insignificant in weight when it comes to the big picture, it actually can add quite a bit of warmth.

If you need something a little bit more heavy duty than that, you can look for products like Thinsulate, which is a brand name, but it is basically just a quilted fabric that's pretty lightweight and thin that you can use as an underlining on things like your outerwear projects to add significant warmth to them without making a big puffy parka if that's not the look you're going for.

Sarai
Haley, do you want to define underlining for people if they don't know what that is?

Haley
Oh, thank you for reminding me to do that. So, an underlining is basically a backing. It's a layer that goes between your self fabric, which is your outer shell, and your lining. And typically how that's done is you create kind of a backing to whatever your self fabric is.

So if I'm making a coat and I'm underlining the front panel of my coat, then I would sew my Thinsulate or whatever my underlining is to that front piece along the outer edges, and then I treat them as one in most cases. And so that's what an underlining is. It can be really useful when you are trying to add warmth, but also it's used in couture sewing to add additional body to things as well.

Sarai
It's a great technique to know because like Haley said, you can use it just to add more stability to the things that you're sewing.

So if you're using a lightweight fabric and you want it to be a little bit more stiff, a little bit more stable, you can use underlining to do that.

All right, so another option for you is quilting. So Haley mentioned capturing heat by having multiple layers together. So another way to do that is to use quilted fabric. So you can either choose pre-quilted fabrics, you can buy pre-quilted fabric for your projects, or you can quilt your own, or you can use a quilted lining. So you could actually line your projects with something that's quilted. I love that idea.

There's also quilted knits. So we're not just talking about your woven projects. You can also use it on knits and it just adds that extra layer in between your body and the outer layer, which obviously is going to make you warmer. So I really love quilted projects in the winter. I have a quilted coat that I made—our Easton jacket—and I absolutely love it. It is so warm.

It's like wearing a blanket. And at the same time, it's really easy to put on. I like the fact that mine is cotton, and even though it's just cotton, it still keeps me super warm. I absolutely love that. So don't neglect quilting because it's something you can add to so many projects. It's one of those little details that you can have in your back pocket that I think just works so well for so much winter sewing. I've been wanting for a couple of years to make a quilted skirt, also, like a full skirt. I think it would work best as a full skirt because obviously it adds a lot of bulk, but I've seen some really pretty kind of large circle skirts that kind of has that 50s look to it, but made in a quilted fabric. I think it would just be just like having a gigantic blanket wrapped around the lower half of your body at all times. Just sounds wonderful.

Haley
That sounds pretty nice right now. Not going to lie.

Sarai
Yeah, it's a little chilly in here.

Haley
All right. Our third suggestion is to not underestimate the power of a good base layer. So a base layer is something that you're going to be wearing underneath all of your layers. You'd be wearing it over your underwear. So things like long underwear, are base layers. A turtleneck can be a base layer. You really can choose your own adventure when it comes to this.

Something I would encourage you to do is not forget the bottom half of your body. I think a lot of times we are really good when we're dressing and making things for ourselves to address the top half of our body, make a fitted long sleeve, make a turtleneck. But sometimes we neglect the bottom half of our body, which also, it gets cold.

Sarai
Sure does.

Haley
So you could make some long underwear for yourself. You could make, like a little thermal set, I think is great. And choosing your fabric really wisely here is beneficial. I've already mentioned merino jersey. That's a really amazing option for a base layer. Fleece-backed knits are also lovely.

Something I would encourage you to do is make sure that you're choosing something with moisture-wicking properties, especially if you're living somewhere with temperatures that are freezing or below, because you don't want to be trapping any moisture against your body when it's freezing outside, that can be dangerous. So moisture-wicking fabrics like wool wool is moisture-wicking. You can also look for technical fabrics that have moisture-wicking qualities as well.

Sarai
Yeah. Another thing I would mention if you're making base layers is to pay attention to stretch. I've had ready to wear base layers that are made in merino wool, like icebreaker leggings and things like that, that do not have enough stretch. And they're super uncomfortable because even though it's merino and it's not itchy, every time I would bend down or squat down, they were sliding down my butt. I was constantly yanking on them, and it was just incredibly annoying.

Haley
I think something that I always look for and is often overlooked with fabric for base layers is you ideally want something that has some amount of four-way stretch. It doesn't have to be as stretchy in the length as it is in the width, but if that merino had had a little bit more vertical stretch to it, then it would have stretched vertically when you bent over, given you a little bit more coverage. So it can be really helpful when you're shopping for fabric to check both dimensions of stretch as well.

Sarai
And we have some great leggings patterns. So if you're thinking about making some base layers, I think the Alice top and one of our leggings patterns, like the Tino leggings, would be amazing as a base layer if you can just find the right fabric for it, whether that's a merino jersey or a more technical fabric that's going to keep you warm.

So speaking of technical fabrics, these are fabrics that can really help with moisture. So at least here in the northwest of the United States, cold is often accompanied by wet rain and sometimes snow. And I know where you live, there's very likely a chance that cold is accompanied by rain and or snow as well. So if you look for technical fabrics that have water resistant qualities, you can line them for extra warmth and create something that's both warm and also will protect you from the wet weather. So we have an article all about this. If you want to check it out, it's at seamwork.com/articles. Well, I'll just say it's called How to Sew a Rain Jacket. You could just search for that on our site and we'll put a link to it in the show notes.

It will really help you kind of suss out what types of fabrics might work best for something like that. I think a rain jacket is, at least where we live, it’s a really important thing to have. I use it all the time. Every time I have to garden at this time of year or do any kind of outdoor chore, go for a walk. I always have my rain jacket with me.

Haley
Yeah. The article also goes into how to seal your seams so that they're also waterproof, which is also really important if you want to keep yourself actually dry. Otherwise, it'll just be, like, kind of water resistant.

Sarai
Not all the way there.

Haley
And then our last tip, this probably will be Sarai's favorite, is don't forget accessories. You can make gloves, hats, scarves, muffs, even socks. If you're a knitter, this is really your time of year to shine because all of these things are obviously really lovely when hand knit.

But if you are not a knitter, don't fear. A lot of these things can also be sewn as well. You can sew really cute mittens. You could sew gloves. Gloves a little harder.

Sarai
I have a vintage pattern for gloves, actually, like form-fitting gloves, and I've always wanted to make them, but I never have.

Haley
They're really lovely. I've seen people make gloves before, and a lot of times you have to be on a special free arm machine.

Sarai
These, I think, would be hand sewn.

Haley
Yeah.

Sarai
There was an article in Threads Magazine a long time ago about hand sewing your own gloves.

Haley
That's so Threads.

Sarai
Yeah, very threads. The detail oriented stuff you can always find at threads. I've always wanted to do that, but you really need the right fabric with enough stretch, and I've just never gotten around to it.

Haley
Yeah, well, if you also don't have the time to get around to it, you can just make some mittens. I think you can make some really cute ones.

Sarai
I like mittens better anyway. They’re warmer.

Haley
Make them out of, like, some fleece. You could use sherpa. There's lots of different fabrics, sweater knits, and these work great for mittens. They work great for hats and scarves, all of those kinds of things. I always keep extra winter accessories in my car in the wintertime. Because it's, like, teeny tiny. It just fits in my trunk really easily, and it has saved my butt so many times when I just need to throw on a beanie and a scarf and some mittens. So never underestimate those bad boys.

Sarai
That's a great idea. All right, well, we shared some pretty great tips for keeping warm with your sewing this winter, so I'm just going to recap those really quick.

So our five tips are to choose outerwear with underlining in mind.

To remember that quilting is your friend.

Not to underestimate good base layers and some of the great fabrics you can use to create base layers.

Number four is remember that technical fabrics will help with moisture if that's something important to you in your climate. 

And number five is not to forget accessories like gloves, hats, scarves, and mittens. All wonderful things to sew and keep you warm during this time of year.

So my big takeaway, I think, from this episode is what you just said, Haley, about keeping extra warm stuff in your car. What a great idea. Our car is just like prepper central. Not really, but we have a lot of stuff in our car for any kind of situation. And we do have a wool blanket in there for an emergency situation or something like that. But I love the idea of keeping extra warm accessories in there just in case you need them on a more everyday basis.

Haley
Yeah, it's really handy. I didn't always do it, but I started doing it once I had Charley because I started doing it for her and I was like, I should do this for me.

Sarai
Dry socks too. Dry socks are a lifesaver.

Haley
She is not the only person who deserves to be warm. I think that my big takeaway was, I really liked the conversation we had closer to the beginning of the episode about how the process of learning how to infuse your personal style into your comfy, cozy clothes, your leggings and sweatshirts, outfits, so that you can continue to feel like yourself and dress like yourself even when the weather's kind of yucky out. I feel like that's my big takeaway. It was a hard learned lesson. I'm on my eighth. I think this is my eighth or my 9th winter here, and I think it's something that I've just began to master in the last couple of years.

Sarai
Yeah, it's tough. It takes some doing, I think, and experimentation, too. Well, if you're looking for cold weather fabrics, our Seamwork members get discounts at some of our favorite indie fabric stores, and you can save anywhere from 10 to 20% on your purchase as a Seamwork member. And a lot of people say that these discounts alone pay for their entire membership.

So you can see a list of participating fabric stores at seamwork.com/deals if you're interested in that.

And if you liked this episode, you can leave us a review or just leave us five stars. We'd really, really appreciate that. If you don't have time to write a review. You can leave that on the podcast platform of your choice. We have a review today from So Many Crafts who says, “Listening to the show is like hanging out with one of my craft buddies with a mug of tea, a handwork project and some good chat. So delightful. I look forward to the new episode each week since I binged most of the old episodes over the summer.” I love that.

She also said, “I saw a review of the Seamwork service on YouTube, found out they had a podcast and I think I signed up after the first couple of summer camp episodes that I heard. It's been a lovely journey in the last few months into learning my style, learning to sew more real world garments as opposed to costumes or quilts, and putting some intention into what I wear. I also love that they embrace the adjacent crafts. I am quite the dabbler and I've gotten some fun ideas from recent episodes.”

Oh yeah, I definitely embrace those adjacent craft, especially knitting. That's my thing, knitting and crochet. Thank you so really appreciate that review. And again, if you would like to leave us a review and let us know what you think of the show, we really appreciate those five star reviews. They really help other people define the show as well.

I'm Sarai.

Haley
And I'm Haley.

Sarai
And this is Seamwork Radio.