My 2025 Quilting Projects

I wasn't as productive as I wanted to be, but I still managed to finish some useful projects. I didn't make any homemade gifts this year. My theme was to make items from Mom's unfinished projects.

The biggest set I made was throw pillow covers for our couch. I made them from Mom's unfinished projects and leftover fabric. I didn't even make a dent (she has more craft stuff than me). 

From the throw pillow covers, I made a pouch for my powerbank and embarked on other scrap fabric projects. And then I made a bag out of squares Mom pieces together. I use it everytime we go out.

I wasn't able to make a lot of projects since we were very busy with other stuff. I also had an accident which prevented me from using my sewing machine for a few months. I focused my time on PT.

When my leg was a bit better, I embarked on my Christmas project. I always wanted to make new covers for my kitchen gadgets. I finished two and I'm still working on another one. I hope to finish it before the season ends!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Scrap Fabric Project: Case for Eyeglasses

I finally got a new pair of eyeglasses. It came with a hard case which I find too bulky and heavy for my bag. I rarely remove my eyeglasses, but sometimes it's needed and I would just stuff it in my bag. I don't want my new pair of eyeglasses to get scratches so I thought I'd make a fabric case for it. 

I just used scrap fabric and just cut it into small squares. I like sewing quick and easy projects since I'm busy with other stuff for our home. I made this project in two evenings. Here's how I made it -

Easy peasy and I got to use it immediately the next day. 

I think I'll work on one of Mom's unfinished project. Maybe a new bag?

#BeKind #StaySafe

Another Scrap Fabric Project

I need a couple of things for my bag. I've been annoyed with my powerbank juggling around inside my bag. I had been putting it inside a pouch with my pill box. I realized though it's not good to do that since the power bank warms up when I use it. 

After making the pillow cases from Mom's unfinished projects, I set aside the scraps for future use. Found some long strips and thought I'd finally make a pouch for my power bank. I didn't bother measuring it and just decided after I pieced it how it would look. 

Here's how I made it:

I also used franken-batting, an old pillowcase (as back fabric), and leftover binding to close one side. I like how it turned out and I've been using it. I finished the project in two nights. I still have a lot of leftover fabric and will probably make a case for my eyeglasses. Let's see how that goes next week. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Completed Mom's Unfinished White Quilt Project

I found six squares of pieced together white fabric. It was hand sewn by Mom. I looked at it for a long time before I decided to make throw pillow quilt covers with it. I also used some of the scrap fabric she left. I broke this project into two parts. 

The first part of the project was for the bigger throw pillows. It was perfect because there were two larger squares. I took the chance and experimented on making cats. I posted about it a few weeks ago (check it out here). The second part was to make four throw pillow covers for the smaller pillows. 

The squares were not even, so I decided to simplify and just added scrap fabric to the sides to frame the white squares. I wanted to highlight the fabric Mom used (eyelet? I'm not sure what it's called) and I chose some of her scrap fabric to frame it. I quilted diagonally to add some flair. 

Here's how I made it:

Mom still has a lot of unfinished projects. No wonder she kept telling me to finish what I start because she left a lot of stuff for me to finish. Most of her unfinished projects are big enough to make more throw pillows. I have to wash all of them and see if maybe I can make a blanket out of them. Well, we'll see. I'm just glad I managed to make something out of her unfinished project :)

#BeKind #StaySafe 

Mom's Quilting Homework

I spent the fast week sorting Mom's sewing materials. Oh boy, just like her collection of beads, I should have expected she'd leave a huge collection of fabric. 

My Mom didn't really buy fabric. She'd get scraps from my aunt's dress making shop. My tita used to export to Japan, so the scraps were really nice and perfect for quilting. 

Sorting through the boxes was like going through a field with landlines. I had to be careful because there were a lot of random pins, especially for the unfinished projects she left.

And that's what surprised me. Mom left at least 50 unfinished projects. I didn't count anymore since I filled up four boxes with unfinished projects. I'm surprised my Mom didn't finish the projects because she told me I should finish projects before moving on to a new one. 

I also sorted fabric she already cut. She also drew lines on it too, so it'd be easier to piece together. I'm trying to figure out what she was trying to make. I'll try to do what she didn't finish. 

One thing that will be hard for me to finish are the clothes she was making for Sto. Nino. I don't really make clothes, but I'm willing to try. 

The washing and ironing continues!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Organized Mom's Fabric Scraps

Sorting continues. We got several boxes yesterday and I requested to start with the boxes from Mom's room. She had organized all her sewing stuff in Dad's cabinet. It was like she knew and organized her things the way I would understand it.

I quickly finished sorting ten boxes. More than half of the items will be donated. Old towels will be used for household needs (cat bedding and cleaning cloth). I also found some stuff that's mine like curtains and a box of earrings. Not enjoyable to sort was the box of fabric.

It was a box of scraps. Some I remember from when Mom was teaching me how to quilt. I also found a bunch of unfinished throw pillow covers. She probably made it during the pandemic and didn't have batting. I have to check them individually to see if I could finish it.

I sorted the scraps by color to see what I could do with it. I ran out of energy after sorting, so I'll leave thinking about a project for another day. I'll also need to wash the scraps anyway before using it.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Made a Tablet Case Out of Scrap Fabric

I decided to make a new case for my tablet since the last one I made has seen better days. I made it when I started quilting again in 2015. It was a practice piece and I told myself I'll make a proper one someday. "Someday" arrived and I wanted to make something useful for my last scrap fabric project (for now!). 

Since my last tablet case was pretty colorful, I decided to stick to black, red and white fabric. I went through a quilting magazine for inspiration. Chose a simple design that would fit the scraps I had on hand. I also used scrap wadding and binding to finish the project. 

Here's how I made the tablet case:

And how it turned out:

Side by side with my 2015 project :)

Measurements and other info available at: https://www.needleadventures.com/2023/10/scrap-fabric-project-diy-tablet-case.html

#BeKind #StaySafe

Retaso Project: Made an Old Notebook Look New

Found a lot of mementos while decluttering. I also found a number of notebooks collected from events and those given to me by colleagues. I just kept them for future use. I just kept a few since I can't possibly use all of them. Found one notebook that was wrapped in plastic and wanted to use it. 

I was disenheartened when I removed the plastic cover because the cover became brittle through the years. Specks of black material came off and I immediately put it back inside the plastic cover. The paper of the notebook is really nice, so I thought I could do something to fix the cover. 

I had an aha moment last week and realized I could use scrap fabric to make the notebook look new again. I found chunks of Harry Potter fabric I used for the HP quilt blanket I made for Jomar and Celine as a wedding gift. It was perfect for the retaso project and I finished it in one evening. 

Busted out my glue streaked cutting mat for the project. It was a bit messy, but I remembered how much fun I used to have when I used to make decorative boxes. Oh, maybe I could do this also for my old Ikea boxes. They have stood the test of time, but they need sprucing up. 

It's a simple project, but a nice way to save old notebooks na inaagnas. I didn't want to give away the notebook since it was already damaged. I was thinking of skipping buying a planner for next year and just use the notebooks I've collected. 

This retaso project was also a warm-up for me. I rested from doing any sewing the past two weeks since I've been unwell. I like making smaller projects since they're faster to finish, haha. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Retaso Project 2: DIY Small Wallet

Going through the scrap fabric I've collected for a few years now made me think about how my Mom was very creative. She could turn anything into something useful. She turned my old magazines into useful desk containers and boxes. She did the same for the yellow pages, newspapers and other types of scrap paper. So I thought I'd test my creative skills and make some of my scraps into something useful. 

Last week I turned the leftover denim-like fabric I used for the blender cover into a potholder. The second piece of scrap fabric was a bit challenging. It was quite small, but after measuring it I thought I could make it into a small wallet. I just added additional fabric which I found in the scrap pile. 

Here's how it turned out -

And how I made it -

I have a few more "leftovers" which I want to "flip" (as they call it in real estate) to something useful. Let's see what I can come up with before I move on to my next project :)

#BeKind #StaySafe