Most of the warm things in a winter wardrobe are expensive for no good reason. A faux fur collar puts a coat’s price into the hundreds and it is a rectangle of fur on a length of elastic. So this list of DIY clothes for winter leans hard on that gap: thrifted sweaters cut into cowls and mittens, a fleece poncho that is genuinely two seams, crochet mittens from less than one skein, free printable patterns for a trapper hat and a pleated skirt, and half a dozen refashions that only need a needle. Some want a sewing machine and plenty of them do not. My own sewing sits at beginner to intermediate, which is roughly where most of these land, and none of them come out looking homemade in the way we all worry about.

DIY Clothes to Make For Winter

1. Detachable Fur Coat Collar DIY

DIY clothes for winter, a white and grey faux fur collar buttoned onto a black and white tweed coat with wood buttons

A faux fur collar is what makes a plain coat look like an expensive coat, and buying one built in costs hundreds. A Beautiful Mess drapes white cotton over the coat’s own collar, pins it smooth from the back around to the front, and trims the excess to make a pattern that fits that coat exactly. Faux fur, elastic and a couple of buttons finish it. Start with a coat that has a simple symmetrical collar, and use a dress form if you can get your hands on one.

Get the full tutorial at A Beautiful Mess.

2. Easy Christmas Sweater Embroidery Hack

Embroidered lettering on a sweater usually means stitching layer over layer to get any height, and this skips all of it. A line of hot glue laid under the letters creates the illusion of embossed lettering, so a single pass of thread over the top sits proud of the knit. It holds through a wash, which delicate surface embroidery often does not. Names, a holiday greeting or a small motif, on a plain knit, and it is genuinely a beginner project rather than a beginner project that assumes you can already embroider.

Get the full tutorial at Sueeye.

3. Pretty DIY Bow Sweater With Open Back

DIY clothes for winter, the back of a cream knit sweater with a cut out opening closed by a gold satin ribbon bow

An open back closed with a single ribbon bow, which turns a sweater you never wear into one you will. Love Maegan started from a sweater that already had a cut-out back and removed the knitted strip across it with a seam ripper, working carefully so she did not cut into the knit itself. If your sweater is solid, cut your own opening: a U, a V or a small keyhole all work. Satin ribbon gives a soft bow, grosgrain a much stiffer one.

Get the full tutorial at Love Maegan.

4. Katniss Cowl

Pin graphic reading thrift store sweater katniss cowl, an oversized grey sweater above a woman wearing the finished grey cowl

The chunky asymmetric cowl from the Hunger Games, and See Kate Sew wrote a free sewing pattern for it so you do not have to crochet one. It is made from a thrifted sweater, and her instruction is to get the biggest sweater you can find, or use 1.5 yards of sweater knit fabric. One size fits most, roughly a women’s medium. The collar piece measures 28 inches wide by 14 inches tall, and there are two body pieces besides. Grey to match the film, though it would be striking in mustard.

Get the full tutorial at See Kate Sew.

5. Sew A Fleece Poncho

DIY clothes for winter, a woman outdoors in a black and white buffalo check fleece poncho with a cowl neck

Two seams. That is genuinely the whole construction, which is why Melly Sews recommends it as both a beginner project and a gift you can make repeatedly. The cowl neck doubles as a hood, so it covers more than a scarf does without adding a layer. Fleece is cheap, usually goes on sale in autumn, and comes in enough patterns that you can match a difficult person. Sizing is forgiving, which is the part that makes it a safe thing to sew for somebody else.

Get the full tutorial at Melly Sews.

6. DIY Simple Pleated Skirt

DIY clothes for winter, four photos of a navy pleated skirt with front buttons worn with a white top and black tights

There is a little arithmetic and then it is straight sewing. The tutorial on Oh Everything Handmade takes your hip circumference, multiplies it by 1.5 and adds seam allowances to get the skirt width, then cuts wide elastic to your waist measurement. A zipper goes in the side, exposed and metallic here, though invisible or standard works. If your skirt width comes out wider than your fabric, buy two skirt lengths. Worth making in a heavy winter fabric and wearing over thick tights and ankle boots.

Get the full tutorial at Oh Everything Handmade.

7. Faux Fur Trapper Hat

Pin graphic reading Faux Fur Trapper Hat Pattern, a woman wearing a cream faux fur trapper hat with ear flaps

One yard of faux fur goes a very long way. See Kate Sew made this trapper hat entirely from the leftovers of another project, with a cotton lining and free printable pattern pieces. Two details save you: the top piece is not on the printable and measures 13.5 inches by 4 inches, and faux fur slips like nothing else, so use far more pins than feels reasonable. Printing the pattern at 80 to 90 percent sizes it down for a child.

Get the full tutorial at See Kate Sew.

8. DIY Plaid Patchwork Jeans

DIY clothes for winter, blue skinny jeans patched at the knees with red and navy plaid flannel, worn with black boots

Flannel scraps ironed onto denim with fusible webbing, no sewing at all. Wild Amor cuts each patch no larger than 4.5 inches wide by 5.5 inches tall, mixes the sizes, and concentrates them around the knee. The part that makes it work is the webbing: cut a strip for each side of the patch, slide it between flannel and denim, then press firmly on the cotton setting on a hard flat surface, doing one or two strips at a time so nothing shifts under the iron. She priced the designer version at $250.

Get the full tutorial at Wild Amor.

9. Lace Up Sweatshirt Refashion

DIY clothes for winter, a black sweatshirt with a blue shoelace laced through grommets at the neck, with blue jeans

Grommets down the front of a plain pullover, laced with a shoelace, and a basic sweatshirt becomes something you would pay for. Merrick’s Art buys hers in the men’s section, which is worth knowing because the cut is looser and the fabric is usually heavier. The supply list is short: grommets, a grommet tool, a shoelace and a scrap of matching fabric to back the opening so the grommets have something solid to bite into. Only a few minutes of actual work.

Get the full tutorial at Merrick's Art.

10. Cozy Blanket Cardigan

DIY clothes for winter, a woman outdoors in a cream chunky crochet cocoon cardigan over a white top and jeans

The whole cardigan is a crocheted rectangle with the corners folded in and seamed, which is why it is a realistic first garment. Mama In A Stitch’s stitch pattern makes a lofty, knit-like fabric that stays light rather than turning into something you cannot lift your arms in, and she notes that most cocoon sweaters slide off the shoulders, so her designs include an optional button. This one apparently stays put without it. The free pattern sits at the bottom of her post.

Get the full tutorial at Mama In A Stitch.

11. Cozy Pom-Pom-Sleeved Sweater

DIY clothes for winter, a pink knit sweater laid flat on dark wood with white pom poms sewn along both sleeves

Four steps and a needle. Refinery29 sews medium pom poms down the sleeves of a plain sweater with thick thread matched to the pom pom color: start at the top of the pom pom, stitch down through its middle and through the sweater, back up through again, and repeat a couple of times so it sits tight. Tie off, trim, move to the next. Space them in a scatter rather than a line, and expect people to want to touch your arms.

Get the full tutorial at Refinery29.

12. DIY Bobble Scarf

DIY clothes for winter, a grey scarf trimmed with bright red pom poms looped over a purple puffer coat in the snow

Linen with pom pom trim sewn into the edges, and the finishing is what makes it look bought. Crown Hill cuts a 58 by 20 inch piece of linen by snipping a small hole and pulling a single fiber to reveal the straight line of the weave, then cutting along it, which gives a perfectly on-grain edge. Fold an inch along each long side and press, fold again, then fold back to form a channel for the bobbles. Pin the trim in and sew with a zipper foot. Three yards of bobbles.

Get the full tutorial at Crown Hill.

13. Brilliance Statement Shoulder Sweater

DIY clothes for winter, a beige ribbed knit sweater with black faceted jewels clustered across one shoulder

Black faceted sew-on jewels scattered across one shoulder of a plain beige knit, which is about as much as a sweater ever needs. M&J Blog sets them in a random cluster on one shoulder rather than an even sprinkle, and the only tools are a needle and thread. Their one useful warning: if a jewel starts sinking into the knit, slip a scrap of fabric behind the sweater to back it. Slow handwork rather than difficult handwork, so put something on and settle in.

Get the full tutorial at M&J Blog.

14. DIY Mittens From a Felted Upcycled Sweater

We have all left a wool sweater in the washer too long, and I used to be genuinely annoyed about it until I learned that the stiff state it comes out in is felted wool, which is a material in its own right. It does not fray, so mittens are the easiest way in. Lay the felted sweater flat, trace around your hands in a mitten shape on paper, cut the template, pin it and cut through two layers with sharp scissors. Sew the layers together by hand or machine, turn them out and steam press, which sets every stitch.

Get the full tutorial at Sueeye.

15. DIY Homebody Sweater

DIY clothes for winter, a woman in an oversized cream crochet sweater with a cold shoulder detail and black jeans

Almost the entire sweater is half double crochet, which is why Megmade with Love bills it as a good first garment. It needs DK weight yarn, 1,000 to 1,100 yards for a small and 1,100 to 1,200 for a medium, and it is designed to fit oversized on purpose. The free pattern is on her blog with a printable PDF in her shop if you would rather work from paper. If you have crocheted blankets and never clothing, this is a sensible place to cross over.

Get the full tutorial at Megmade with Love.

16. DIY Smittens

Pin graphic reading Smittens, two hands in red and white Nordic mittens holding a white cup against a white coat

Mittens cut from a sweater, and the name alone has sold this project for years. The pair pictured is a red and white Nordic knit, which is what happens when you start looking at every patterned sweater as raw material. The Renegade Seamstress posted a one minute video of the process, so you can see the shape before you cut into anything. Use a sweater you already own and do not love, since the first pair is where you learn how much seam allowance a knit needs.

Get the full tutorial at The Renegade Seamstress.

17. How to Make a Hooded Scarf

A scarf that is also a hood, so your head is covered when the snow starts without a hat flattening your hair for the rest of the day. It is cut in two layers, a wool mix on the outside and faux lamb as the lining, which is what makes it warm enough to be the only thing you put on. Fold the outer fabric, draw and cut the shape, use that piece to cut the lining, then stack them right sides together and stitch along the central U. Any fabric you like, so it can be made to match a specific coat.

Get the full tutorial at Sueeye.

18. Warm Wool-ish Mittens

DIY clothes for winter, a pair of crochet mittens in white fading into teal, laid flat with a sprig of greenery

Less than one skein makes the pair, which is a rare thing to be able to say about a garment. Left in Knots works these in Lion Brand Scarfie, and her note on the yarn is the useful part: it is labeled bulky but it is lofty enough that a smaller hook squashes it down and it behaves like a worsted weight, so hook size and tension genuinely change what you get. The free pattern fits an average adult woman, with an ad-free printable if you prefer paper.

Get the full tutorial at Left in Knots.

19. Winter White DIY Skirt and Top

DIY clothes for winter, a woman in a white button front flared skirt and white short sleeve top with nude heels

Winter white is a harder thing to buy than to make. Mimi G built this skirt from a quilted knit with buttons down the front, using Simplicity 8019, which she describes as quick to sew, easy to follow and flattering. The top is Butterick 5562, now out of print. Her own arithmetic is the best argument for the whole list: she saw a similar skirt at Dolce & Gabbana for around $750 and made hers for about $48. The buttons are what carry it.

Get the full tutorial at Mimi G Style.