She turned her kids’ old clothes into keepsakes – now it’s a thriving home business

Siti Nur’ain Awari turned them into bears and quilts her children could keep. That idea grew into Patchwork Handmade Keepsakes, where the mum of four has transformed other kids' clothes, from baby onesies to school uniforms, into treasured mementos.

From baby onesies to school uniforms, mother-of-four Siti Nur’ain Awari gives treasured clothing a second life as stuffed toys and quilts. (Photo: Annie Tan)

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Siti Nur’ain Awari is that mum who keeps everything – her baby’s first onesie, the pyjamas her children wore as she cuddled them to sleep, their preschool uniforms.

“I know I will never throw these clothes away,” said the stay-at-home mum of four children aged 4, 8, 10 and 12.

But rather than leaving them forgotten and collecting dust in her storeroom, the 37-year-old sat down one day and cut these beloved pieces up. Her children were right beside her when she did so.

“I told them: This is your baju (Malay for clothing) when you came back from the hospital, these were your favourite army-print clothes that grandma bought, this is your K2 graduation outfit,” she told CNA Women.

For her first three children, she transformed the fabric pieces into stuffed bears. For her youngest, she made a quilt. These became her kids’ most treasured possessions.

The typical wait time for keepsake stuffed toys is six to eight weeks and the wait time for quilts is eight to 12 weeks. (Photo: Siti Nur’ain Awari)

A quilt usually requires 25 to 80 pieces of clothing depending on its size, a stuffed toy requires nine to 12 pieces, and school bears can be made with just one to two sets of uniforms. (Photo: Siti Nur’ain Awari)

Stuffed toys made from school uniforms are Nur’ain’s most popular product. (Photo: Siti Nur’ain Awari)

One thing she did not expect was for it to grow into a thriving home business. At Patchwork Handmade Keepsakes , Nur’ain has since transformed thousands of pre-loved baby and children’s clothes into stuffed animals and quilts for other families. Prices start from S$85 for a bear and from $120 for a quilt.

A PATCHWORK OF MEMORIES

The idea actually came from Nur’ain’s cousin.

In early 2024, inspired by something she saw online, this cousin sent Nur’ain a bag containing 30 pieces of her daughter’s baby and toddler clothes, featuring the prettiest floral prints and cutest cartoons. She asked Nur’ain to sew a quilt with them.

Nur’ain, who has been sewing and altering her own clothes since she was a teenager, spent months researching and practising before she felt confident enough to cut up her niece’s preloved baby onesies.

Each piece of clothing is a precious and irreplaceable memento. “You cannot mess it up,” Nur’ain told CNA Women.

Nur’ain with her keepsake bears and a quilt she made with her father’s and brother’s preloved clothing. (Photo: Annie Tan)

“It’s nice to earn some money of my own,” says Nur’ain, who became a stay-at-home mum after she lost her job during the pandemic. (Photo: Annie Tan)

Making a quilt is more technically complex than most imagine, she added.

“A quilt has three layers – the top layer, middle layer and backing fabric. It is quite thick. You need to know what type of thread to use, and how to adjust the sewing machine so it turns out well,” she explained.

Since her quilts are made up of square pieces of fabric, Nur’ain has to make precise measurements and align the squares properly. This becomes more complex if some fabrics are stretchier and others stiffer, she said.

It also requires some skill to piece the different fabrics in such a way that they complement one another, she added.

In May 2024, Nur’ain completed her first quilt for her cousin, and posted a picture of it on Instagram, generating some interest from friends. She decided to polish her skills by making two more trial quilts – one with her father’s and brother’s preloved clothes, and one with her youngest son’s baby clothes.

She posted pictures of these on Instagram and an Etsy shop, which she has since closed. A month later, she received her first order of two baby quilts.

WHEN A TOY BECOMES A KEEPSAKE

After quilts came turning pre-loved clothing into stuffed bears. After watching YouTube videos, she made a bear with her eldest son’s clothes that same month and posted a picture of it online. A few weeks later, four bear orders followed.

Encouraged, Nur’ain continued learning how to make different stuffed animals. She now offers eight, including rabbits, lions, horses and rhinoceroses.

These caught the eye of her own kids and they asked for their own. The doting mother happily obliged. Since her three older children graduated from the same preschool, she decided to make a bear with their old school uniforms.

A graduation bear made with Nur’ain’s children’s preschool uniform. Her eldest and second child are pictured here. (Photo: Siti Nur’ain Awari)

“Preschool days are special. It is their first time going to school, their first time wearing a school uniform, and they have their first teacher… There are so many firsts,” she reflected.

Cutting up the uniforms was definitely bittersweet, she said. “I was the one who buttoned up these uniforms for them every day, you know?”

These school bears unexpectedly became her best-sellers, especially for graduation ceremonies and PSLE results day. With their popularity, Nur’ain now frequently receives more orders than she can fulfil and caps her monthly workload at 25 orders, working around her mummy duties and when her kids are asleep.

Nur’ain learnt to sew from her mum, who used to sew clothes for the family, as well as princess dresses, kebayas and other clothes for Nur’ain’s Barbie dolls. (Photo: Annie Tan)

Nur’ain, who worked in an administrative role until she got laid off in 2020 during the pandemic, said that her home business now earns her almost as much as her former job.

MAKING NEW MEMORIES WITH OLD CLOTHES

One of her most difficult jobs arrived in three big bags two years ago. In them were more than 200 pieces of baby, toddler and children’s clothes tracing the life of someone’s beloved child.

The child’s mother requested for three large quilts – one for her, one for the father and one for the child, who was around seven then and unwell, Nur’ain said.

“I didn’t ask a lot because I wanted to respect their privacy, but it felt like it might be a serious illness,” she shared.

“When I first received the clothes, I couldn’t touch them for a week. It was quite hard for me to start cutting up the clothes. As a mother myself, I could imagine how painful it would be for the parents,” she said.

“When I first started this keepsake business, I thought I’d just be making things with cute baby clothes. I did not expect to feel these kinds of emotions,” Nur’ain added.

The parent returned a second time in December 2025 to make another quilt with the remaining clothes as a Christmas gift for the child’s grandmother in the United Kingdom, she said.

Nur’ain also recalled another job where a parent requested a quilt made from the clothes of 22 preschoolers. It was for a beloved teacher who was unwell, and the class hoped that she could use the quilt while undergoing treatment and feel comforted by their love and support.

A quilt made with clothing from 22 preschool children as a gift for their teacher who was unwell. (Photo: Siti Nur’ain Awari)

“Clothes carry not just memories, but emotions,” Nur’ain said. They belong to someone’s special son or daughter – a beloved child who is deeply cherished, she reflected.

This understanding has given the mumpreneur a deeper appreciation for upcycling these treasured pieces.

“Instead of throwing them away or letting them get dirty in the cupboard, why not make them into a new memory?” she said.

CNA Women is a section on CNA Lifestyle that seeks to inform, empower and inspire the modern woman. If you have women-related news, issues and ideas to share with us, email CNAWomen [at] mediacorp.com.sg .

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西蒂·努尔安·阿瓦里（Siti Nur'ain Awari）把它们做成了泰迪熊和被子，孩子们可以留作纪念。这个想法逐渐发展成了“拼布手工纪念品”（Patchwork Handmade Keepsakes）品牌，这位四个孩子的妈妈将其他孩子的旧衣服，从婴儿连体衣到校服，都改造成了珍贵的纪念品。

从婴儿连体衣到校服，四个孩子的母亲西蒂·努尔·阿瓦里（Siti Nur'ain Awari）将珍藏的衣物改造成毛绒玩具和被子，赋予它们第二次生命。（照片：安妮·谭）

这段音频由人工智能工具生成。

Siti Nur'ain Awari 是一位什么都留着的妈妈——她宝宝的第一件连体衣，孩子们在她怀里哄他们睡觉时穿的睡衣，以及他们的幼儿园校服。

“我知道我永远不会扔掉这些衣服，”这位有四个孩子（分别 4 岁、8 岁、10 岁和 12 岁）的家庭主妇说道。

但这位37岁的女子并没有让这些心爱的物件被遗忘在储藏室里积灰，而是有一天坐下来，把它们切割开来。当时她的孩子们就在她身边。

“我告诉他们：这是你从医院回来时穿的衣服，这是奶奶给你买的你最喜欢的军装，这是你的K2毕业礼服，”她告诉CNA Women。

她把碎布做成了毛绒熊，送给了前三个孩子。她还给最小的孩子做了一床被子。这些都成了孩子们最珍贵的物品。

纪念毛绒玩具的制作周期通常为六至八周，而被子的制作周期则为八至十二周。（图片：Siti Nur'ain Awari）

一条被子通常需要25到80件衣物，具体数量取决于被子的大小；一个毛绒玩具需要9到12件衣物；而制作一个校园熊只需要一到两套校服。（图片：Siti Nur'ain Awari）

用校服制作的毛绒玩具是努尔艾因最受欢迎的产品。（照片：西蒂·努尔艾因·阿瓦里）

她没想到的是，这竟发展成了一项蒸蒸日上的家庭生意。在“Patchwork Handmade Keepsakes”这家店里，努尔安已经将成千上万件二手婴幼儿服装改造成了毛绒玩具和被子，送给其他家庭。泰迪熊的起价为85新元，被子的起价为120新元。

记忆的碎片

这个想法其实来自努尔安的表弟。

2024年初，这位表妹受到网上看到的启发，给努尔安寄了一袋她女儿的婴儿和幼儿衣服，共30件，上面印着漂亮的碎花和可爱的卡通图案。她请努尔安用这些衣服缝制一条被子。

努尔安从十几岁起就开始缝制和修改自己的衣服，她花了几个月的时间研究和练习，才有足够的信心剪开她侄女用过的婴儿连体衣。

每件衣服都是珍贵且不可替代的纪念品。“你不能弄坏它，”努尔安告诉CNA Women。

努尔安抱着她的纪念泰迪熊，以及用她父亲和哥哥的旧衣服做成的被子。（摄影：安妮·谭）

“能自己挣点钱感觉真好，”努尔安说道。她在疫情期间失业后成为了一名全职妈妈。（图片：安妮·谭）

她补充说，制作被子在技术上比大多数人想象的要复杂得多。

“被子有三层——表层、中间层和底布。它很厚。你需要知道用什么类型的线，以及如何调整缝纫机才能做出好被子，”她解释道。

由于努尔安的被子是由正方形布块拼接而成，她必须精确测量并正确对齐这些布块。她说，如果有些布料弹性较大，有些布料较硬挺，这项工作就会变得更加复杂。

她补充说，将不同的面料拼接在一起，使它们彼此协调，也需要一定的技巧。

2024年5月，努尔安为她的表妹完成了第一床被子，并在Instagram上发布了照片，引起了朋友们的关注。她决定再做两床试缝被来磨练技艺——一床是用她父亲和哥哥的旧衣服做的，另一床是用她小儿子的婴儿服做的。

她把这些照片发布在了Instagram和一家Etsy网店上，不过这家网店后来关掉了。一个月后，她收到了第一批订单，两床婴儿被。

当玩具变成纪念品

继制作拼布被之后，她又开始尝试用旧衣服制作毛绒熊。在观看了一些YouTube视频后，她当月就用大儿子的衣服做了一只熊，并将照片发布到了网上。几周后，她收到了四份毛绒熊订单。

受到鼓舞，努尔安继续学习制作各种毛绒玩具。她现在提供八种毛绒玩具，包括兔子、狮子、马和犀牛。

这些小熊吸引了她孩子们的目光，他们也想要一个。这位慈爱的母亲欣然应允。由于她的三个大孩子都毕业于同一所幼儿园，她决定用他们以前的校服做一只泰迪熊。

这是用努尔安孩子们的幼儿园校服制作的毕业熊。照片中是她的大儿子和二儿子。（摄影：西蒂·努尔安·阿瓦里）

“幼儿园的日子很特别。这是他们第一次上学，第一次穿校服，也是他们的第一位老师……有太多的第一次了，”她感慨道。

她说，剪开这些制服确实让人百感交集。“你知道吗？这些制服都是我每天帮她们扣上的。”

这些校园主题泰迪熊意外地成了她的畅销品，尤其是在毕业典礼和小学离校考试（PSLE）成绩公布日。由于它们非常受欢迎，努尔安现在经常收到超出她能力范围的订单，因此她将每月的工作量限制在25个订单以内，利用照顾孩子和孩子们睡觉的空闲时间来完成订单。

努尔安的缝纫技艺是从她妈妈那里学来的，她妈妈以前不仅为全家人缝制衣服，还为努尔安的芭比娃娃缝制公主裙、马来西亚传统服饰（kebaya）和其他衣服。（照片：Annie Tan）

努尔安曾在一家公司担任行政职务，但在 2020 年疫情期间被解雇。她说，现在她的家庭生意收入几乎和以前一样多。

用旧衣服创造新回忆

两年前，她收到了三个大袋子，里面装着200多件婴儿、幼儿和儿童的衣服，记录着某个人挚爱的孩子的一生。这是她遇到的最棘手的难题之一。

努尔艾因说，孩子的母亲要求准备三床大被子——一床给她自己，一床给孩子的父亲，一床给当时大约七岁、身体不好的孩子。

“我没有问太多，因为我想尊重他们的隐私，但感觉他们可能得了重病，”她说道。

“我刚收到这些衣服的时候，整整一个星期都不敢碰它们。要我动手剪开它们，对我来说非常难受。我自己也是一位母亲，我能想象到这对父母来说是多么痛苦，”她说。

“我刚开始做纪念品生意的时候，以为只是做一些可爱的婴儿服装之类的东西。我没想到会感受到这些情感，”努尔安补充道。

她说，这位家长在 2025 年 12 月第二次来到这里，用剩下的衣服做了另一床被子，作为送给孩子在英国的祖母的圣诞礼物。

努尔安还回忆起另一次工作，一位家长请她用22个学前班孩子的衣服做成一床被子。这床被子是为一位生病的、深受爱戴的老师准备的，班上的孩子们希望她在接受治疗期间能用上这床被子，感受到他们的爱和支持。

一条用22名幼儿园小朋友的旧衣服做成的被子，作为礼物送给生病的老师。（摄影：Siti Nur'ain Awari）

“衣服不仅承载着回忆，也承载着情感，”努尔安说道。她感慨道，这些衣服属于某人特别的儿子或女儿——一个备受宠爱、被深深珍视的孩子。

这种理解让这位创业妈妈更加珍惜这些珍贵的旧物改造。

“与其把它们扔掉或者让它们在橱柜里弄脏，为什么不把它们变成新的回忆呢？”她说。

CNA Women是CNA Lifestyle旗下的一个版块，旨在为现代女性提供信息、赋能和启发。如果您有与女性相关的新闻、议题或想法想要与我们分享，请发送电子邮件至CNAWomen[at]mediacorp.com.sg。

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