My mini air purifier kept on turning on inside my bag, so I made this a learning project to make a case for a rounded gadget. I dipped into the scraps of a previous project and I finished it in two nights.
Here's how I made it:
I didn't really measure it. I just based the size of the case on the gadget. I just made sure that the gadget would fit the case :)
Here's how it looks:
I had an odd set of scrap fabric from making a tote bag for a friend. It wasn't a lot, but enough to make a card holder. I needed one because the many rewards cards from shops were too bulky. I also always wanted to learn how to make a proper wallet.
I watched a couple of videos to understand the "logic" behind making small wallets. It was pretty easy to make. I used a piece of paper to understand how to fold the fabric. I aimed to make a 4" x 2.5" holder with two compartments.
Here's how I made it:
Materials:
Scrap fabric
Fusible interfacing
Velcro
Thread
Measurements:
I've been working on sorting and restoring my Mom's fabric and retaso (scrap fabric) stash. I've been toiling over it for the past few months and decided to take a break by sewing. I restored a cute, embroidered fabric. It still had some stains, so I thought it best to make kitchen curtains.
Since the fabric was a bit short, I decided to "upgrade" my curtain sewing skills, by adding a different kind of fabric to make it longer. I matched it with some soft denim fabric and added lace. I wanted to try make table top curtains (the one with loops), but I'm still doing a lot of other stuff, so went for my usual rod pocket curtains.
Here's how I made it:
The result:
Measurements based on my kitchen window:
I just also realized the new curtains match my cat kitchen appliance covers!
I found a bunch of scrap jeans coasters my Mom made back in the 90s. I remember it was a project she was doing with one of her assistants. It smelled of the 90s so I washed it and sun-dried it for a few days. Mom gave me one potholder a long time ago and we still use it. Quite sturdy IMHO!
I got to work and made another one. Hand sewing it together took two days and it wasn't easy (and probably why Mom abandoned the project!). Here's how I made the potholder:
It was a good first project for the year! I've been busy sorting my Mom's stuff and needed a breather, so I got to work :)
#BeKind #StaySafe
I have this really cute fabric perfect for doctors. It has hearts and squiggly lines representing ECGs. Last time I used it was to make gifts for my doctors in Singapore. I have a new set and thought I'd make something for my current set of doctors.
I decided to make a throw pillow case for one of my doctors. She had a pillow in her clinic. I asked permission to measure it and surprised my doctor with the throw pillow case during my next appointment. I still wanted to learn something new for this project, so I made heart accents for the throw pillow case. I'll share next time how I made it (I'm still trying to perfect it).
Here's how I made it:
themed fabric
red fabric
black fabric
fabric for the back of the pillow
fusible interfacing
batting
backing fabric
Size:
17" x 17"
From a bag full of colors, I thought I'd try doing something opposite. Black and white, well, a gradient from black to white. It took me a long time to finish this project since I lacked fabric that's in-between white and black. I eventually found some and got to work. It's a belated birthday gift for a friend and she told me she liked her totes to be black.
I didn't want it to be just black, so I thought I'd play around with the color. Oh boy, I didn't realize how hard it would be to find the best layout for the fabric. It took me awhile just to get it right. I had to consult with my son since he's better with colors than me. Things were easy after the layout was finalized.
Here's how I made it:
Materials:
96 2.5" x 2.5" various fabric from black to white
lining
fusible interfacing
batting
thread
iron
Size:
12" x 16"
I definitely made a lot of hearts! I decided to make a heart themed tote bag for a friend during pride month. He loved it and has been using the tote bag to carry around gadgets.
Having ready-made hearts makes it easy to create other projects. For this tote bag project, I just added fabric to the top and bottom. Ironed it on interfacing and sandwiched it with batting. After stitching in the ditch, I added the straps and the lining. Easy peasy :)
Here's how I made it:
This quilt cover project has been on my to-do list since 2022! I decided to just bite the bullet and start it last January. I thought I could finish it in two to three weeks, but no, it stretched to almost six weeks. I got busy doing other home projects.
The design is quite simple, but making twelve pieces of 4x4 squares took awhile to make. I also decided to use the QAYG technique since the main quilt cover measures 58" x 44". I basically made a blanket with flaps. I left the flap open since the bench doubles as storage space. It's where I keep things that need to be further sorted (haha).
Here's how I made the quilted cover:
Materials:
fabric with design (I used a Star Wars themed fabric which I got from Spotlight in Singapore)
four solid colors fabric (orange, yellow, blue, green)
black fabric (for sashing and binding)
backing fabric
Design:
Size:
Main Cover - 58" x 44"
Flaps: 20" x 12"
I wanted to start the year with a fun project. I decided to make a bag inspired by a jute bag a friend gave me. I love the shape and size of the bag. I use one daily at home to carry stuff from room to room. While making the bag, I discovered I couldn't find the straps I've collected over the years! I didn't want to waste time looking for the straps, so I decided to just DIY it.
Here's the tutorial:
Luckily, I had all the materials on hand. Here's what you need:
fabric
1.5" interfacing
thread
iron
Here are the steps to make it:
2. Fold the fabric in half.
3. Position the interfacing in the middle.
4. Fold in the sides.
5. Sew all the sides.
I love Santa and I just had to make a Santa-inspired potholder. One can never have enough potholders, so why not have one just for the holiday season! I honestly started making this last September, but I got distracted with other projects. I set it aside in my scrap fabric stash and forgot about it. Found it the other day while organizing stuff and decided to finish it. Easy peasy. It just took one session to finish the project.
Here's the tutorial:
Materials:
black fabric
red fabric for wadding and backside of the potholder
backing fabric
insulation wadding
regular wadding (I like my potholders a bit thick)
gold thread
red thread
Size:
8.5" x 7"
Pattern:
I finished this project in a few hours. I rushed to finish it for a friend who was visiting. I used red and green a layer cake (10" square pre-cut fabric) to make the process faster. It's a good idea to make this also for Christmas/holiday gifts since it's pretty easy to make. I made 2 variations since I couldn't decide whether I liked green or red binding for it, haha.
Here's the tutorial:
2 layer cakes (green and red)
fabric for binding
wadding
insulation wadding
backing fabric
thread
Size:
10" x 10"
Line Pattern:
Just realized I need to catch up writing about the other scrap fabric projects I did. Most of the time I have so much fun sewing I forget about the documentation part. I've been documenting and filming my projects so in case I want to do it again I can take note of points I can improve on. Quilting and sewing is a continuous learning journey for me. It's also been helping me heal from losing my Mom.
I unearthed all my scrap fabric a few weeks ago. Gathered them up and sorted them. It was actually harder to plan scrap fabric projects. The challenge lay in the sizes of the scrap fabric and how it could fit what I wanted to do. For this project, I got some inspiration from a quilting magazine on bags. I just wanted a simple design that would work on the scrap fabric I had on hand.
Here's the tutorial:
Materials:
scrap fabric and scrap binding
thick wadding
backing fabric
thread
pins and clips
Size:
9" x 11"
I decided to work on the scrap fabric I collected over the past few years. Aside from small pieces, I have some that are already pieced together. I set aside the excess pieces and thought it would be useful eventually. Found some of the pieced together denim-like fabric I used for the cat quilts.
Decided to make a potholder since I need new ones. I finished the project in one sitting since it was practically ready to be quilted. I also used scrap wadding and scrap insulating wadding for the project. I also had leftover bias tape. I would have finished faster if I didn't need to film, lol.
Here's the tutorial:
The steps:
2. Sandwich with wadding, insulating wadding and backing fabric. (I doubled it just to make it a bit thicker, but the insulating wadding would have been enough to keep heat out).
3. Stitch in the ditch.
4. Prepare the backside of the potholder. Split into two pieces and fold in one side of both pieces.
5. Align the front side with the backside, then bind with bias tape.
Materials:
scrap fabric
wadding
insulating wadding
backing fabric
fabric for backside of potholder
thread
Size:
8" x 6"
I felt I needed to add a small item with the laptop sleeve I made for my friend. I really want to learn how to install a zipper on my projects, so I thought a small pouch would be nice. She could use it as a pencil case or other knick-knacks. It would fit the pocket of the sleeve too.
I decided to match it with the laptop sleeve, so I didn't change the design anymore. I had the fabric on my sewing basket, so I finished everything in one evening. It was a small piece, but nonetheless challenging when it came to adding the lining. I had to re-watch my quilted tote bag video to figure it out. I did it wrong the first time, so ended up doing it again, haha. Just remember to slip in the right side of the pouch with the lining facing the wrong side out (note for myself!).
Here's the tutorial:
The steps:
2. Piece together. Start with the middle part, then add the outer sides.
3. Iron both sides.
4. Sandwich with wadding and backing fabric.
5. Pin to stabilize and stitch in the ditch.
6. Clean the sides.
7. Add the zipper.
8. Sew the edges together from the wrong side.
9. Add the lining. Pull out the pouch from the open side of the lining.
10. Close the open side of the lining.
Materials:
Little twin stars fabric
4 pastel solid color fabric
backing fabric
wadding
thread
zipper
Size:
9" x 5"
I have a friend who loves Little Twin Stars. I knew about this Sanrio character because my sister had it on her dresser (jewelry boxes). I'm glad I found Little Twin Stars fabric online. I only got a meter because it's expensive! There's probably a lot more options available in Japan.
After storing the fabric for a few months, I finally decided to make a laptop sleeve for my friend. I asked her what kind of laptop she was using. Then I worked out the measurements and design. I asked help from my son to help me choose the colors of the fabric. I wanted to make sure the colors would complement the Little Twin Stars fabric.
I made the design simple, to make sure the Little Twin Stars fabric is noticeable. The challenging part in assembling this quilted laptop sleeve is figuring out how to properly add the pocket. I wanted the wadding to be continuous to add strength to the sleeve.
I'm glad I didn't rush to finish the project because I was able to make the sleeve stable. I was also able to add velcro discreetly. I didn't want stitches for the velcro to show on the flap. I'm happy how it turned out, I just hope my friend's laptop fits!
Here's the tutorial:
The steps:
2. Create the inner panel and pocket. Sandwich the pocket with wadding and bind the top. Join the inner panel and pocket at the bottom.
3. Piece together the flap.
4. Piece together the back panel.
5. Join the back panel and flap. Then join the inner panel with pocket.
6. Sandwich with wadding. Stabilize with pins and then quilt. Don't quilt the flap yet.
7. Add velcro to the flap and pocket, then quilt.
8. Finish with binding.
Materials:
4 pastel solid color fabric
backing fabric
wadding
thread
velcro
Size:
13.5" x 10"
Pattern:
I worked on the front cover first of this project. I was inspired by a pinterest pin to create two cute cats. See previous posts on how I created the base and put on the cat face. I took my time to finish it since I had to figure out how to create it from scratch.
The trick to making quilt covers for your appliances/gadgets is to create it in panels. That way it's easier to bind them together. Binding the panels just took one afternoon. It helps to prepare your bias tape ahead of time.
Here's a short tutorial -
1. Finish the front panel.
2. Create the back panel with pocket.
3. Make the main panel that will combine the front and back panel.
4. Clip and sew the front panel. Do the same for the back panel.
5. Clip wrong side of binding. Sew.
6. Finish the binding.
See also part 1 and part two of this project:
Part 1: https://www.needleadventures.com/2023/05/another-pinterest-inspired-cat-quilt.html
Part 2: https://www.needleadventures.com/2023/06/making-cat-face-and-quilt-cover-pocket.html
