I quite enjoyed recapping my Quilts of 2025, so I thought I’d do the same with my other (sewing) makes of the year. You’ll not be surprised to learn that there’s a lot of pouches - my love for them continues, and I think there’ll be plenty more this year too.

But I did make more than pouches, there’s even been a dress and a pie-carrier, and plenty of embroidery thrown in. Many of the things I’ve made have had previous lives - as t-shirts, dresses and even covering a headboard. Seriously. There’s been small fabric samples too, and I’ve even used materials cut out from the larger books, and I’ve already found a use for the sample books I picked up at the Harrogate show in November.

I’m hoping that in 2026 I’ll have even more ‘other makes’ but first let’s look back at my 2025 makes.

Here’s what I’ve made in 2025

In January I completed my mandala pouch which continues to be home for my poppers, and all the tools associated with that. I also found time to add some sparkles to my zumba pouch (I’m still missing that class which stopped in the summer - sad face!) and knocked myself up a quick felt pencil case for some of the supplies I needed to take along to a workshop.

In February there were more pouches, obviously and I made an appliquéd velvet pouch and a impromptu saucepan saver as I discovered how to use my new sewing machine. And then making use of a block left over from the Noughts and Crosses quilt, I made myself the ‘all the patterns’ project bag.

Then it seemed I had an ‘other makes’ rest for a few months, as it wasn’t until June that I completed my next make - and that was a big one for me, it was my dress.

Let’s gloss over the fact that I’d bought some material (still not used) to make this dress back in 2023 though! This was the toile, or test run of the pattern, which if it didn’t work then I’d never have to wear, and I wouldn’t have spoiled my lovely bought fabric either. But as it turned out I have worn this dress, quite a lot in fact, and it continues to bring compliments which is also nice.

Even better it still hasn’t fallen apart. But I’ve not yet made it in the original material, nor some of the other material I’ve bought since either. Maybe 2026 is the year…

In July I was making things up again and created a really useful velvet box pouch from various fabric samples I’d collected over the years. This one’s purpose is to keep the foot pedal of my ‘take to’ machine safe during journeys, and to stop it banging against my second new sewing machine of the year.

The end of the month saw me create an incremental update for dad’s birthday bunting - I hadn’t worked out how to attach it to the original banner, but then again I also reckoned that really wasn’t my problem!

In August, inspired by the workshop I attended at the Festival of Quilts I stitched two kantha inspired landscape scenes, including one with a hare for the bedside tables in our spare rooms.

Though clearly by now I was experiencing some pouch withdrawal symptoms - but don’t worry another eight were to be completed by the end of August, and I jest but they were the perfect project to get used to my ‘take to’ sewing machine, and well, pouches are always useful. I don’t know where they go, but the pile soon disappears!

Actually I made another project bag as well in August, but I haven’t shared that one here yet so when I do - I’ve another one on the go as part of the ‘set’ - I’ll add a link in here.

In September I was clearly busy finishing quilts, so it wasn’t until October that I became obsessed with and made myself a small pie carrier, and while it’s a bit smaller than I’d like it’s still useful. I still need to make myself a slightly larger, less prototype version, so that should be along this year too at some point.

In October I also had a bout of repurposing old clothes into, yes you’ve guessed it, more pouches and project bags - and this is definitely something that will continue this year.

I ended the year with some more Christmassy items - a Scandinavian folded fabric star which tested my ability to follow instructions, and several ‘sheep in Christmas jumper’ Christmas cards, as you do.

And of course, some more pouches - this time as presents, so add three pouches and a further project bag to my year’s ‘other’ makes. Not a bad year at all, and I’m hoping that 2026 is even more prolific - with maybe even a new style of pouch too, who knows?!

Having done this for 2025 for quilts and other makes, I’ve gone back in time and done this for 2024, however as there was only one quilt in 2024 I’ve combined both updates.

The year started with lots of English Paper Piecing patchwork with Tula Pink fabrics, and by July I was sharing the sewing machine mat which I hadn’t even set out to make at the start of the year! Since then it’s appeared unintentionally in many of my photos, and it still proudly sits underneath my sewing machine.

To coincide with my blog’s eleventh birthday, and completely unplanned, I finally got around to making some lavender sachets - spookily eleven. That’s not too bad going as I first saw, and fell in love with the pattern back in 2014!

By March I was making use of some of the Gelli Prints I’d completed on the course I’d attended, and trust me, the gelli printing is slightly addictive - and me being me, well I keep the offcuts too as you never know…

In April I was crocheting, or more precisely finishing a crochet project. I’d made the intricate rainbow squares back in 2020 and after rediscovering them in our house move I was determined to finish this project, and boy, I’m so glad I did.

Isn’t it gorgeous?

I also started my next course run by our local library, and this time it was bags. I started by making a pincushion and two pouches for starters, which I’m still using - though I’d clearly like to use my sunglasses case even more!

Within a few weeks I’d made a zipped pouch and a bag from old curtains, which is my ‘go to’ bag for quilt shows. It’s strong, holds a lot (and I mean a lot) and when I bring it home it doesn’t look like I’ve shopped hardly at all - always a bonus!

Then I started to embroider the Indian Block printing I’d done on yet another adult learning course. My first makes were two sets of bunting, one for my great niece with her name on as she has an out of the norm name, and another for my dad who was celebrating a milestone birthday, neither of which I shared on my blog at the time - though I have since shared dad’s birthday bunting a year on.

In September I was scratching my head and working out how to repurpose a cycling top into a drawstring bag, like you do! I’m not sure if it’s particularly spider-proof but it is used to store a cycle helmet in our gym. I impressed myself with how I managed to incorporate the logos, some of the reflective panels, and more from one of MOH’s first cycling tops.

Then, just as summer was ending, I got my act together and made four cushion covers for cushions for our garden chairs - well, they were ready for the following year’s use! Though given my previous fear of everything zipped, this was a major undertaking for me - and all thanks to that bag course that I went on, where as well as making some lovely bags and pouches, I conquered zips!

And having conquered zips, in October on came the pouches - and to be honest, they haven’t stopped since!

It wasn’t until November that I completed my first, and only, quilt of the year - and it was shortly after this my ‘stretch' project idea started to form. The Flying Geese quilt also informed another project I’ve had on my Quilt list for 2025, but didn’t get to so it remains on my list for another year.

But there were more pouches to end the year.

Although I didn’t share the completed embroidered heart here until February the following year, it was all done by Christmas - and a gem of a present to myself, and again it was one that developed as I embroidered. At the start I had no intention of adding the creamy beige lines, but now I can’t imagine it without them.

I ended the year by sharing the pouch love, with hand made Christmas presents in various shapes and sizes for some of my family. That’s also something that’s ongoing, whether or not they think they need a pouch or not - I’m on a mission to convert them!

Quite a year of makes, and yet, quite a different year of makes to the year that follows!