Not Your Grandma's Baby Blanket

Unless your Grandma is extremely hip.  +wink+ Following closely on the heels of my newly redesigned bibs (flannel, chenille with blingy pearl snaps) I received a request from one of my favorite shops ~ Could you make baby blankets, too?

Baby blankets have been on my project list forever, but I just never seemed to get around to them.  So when this special request came in I decided there must be a market for handmade baby blankets.  Why not give it a whirl?

I made my first blankets today.  I decided to start with the smallest size - what has been called "receiving blankets" in the past and, depending on the size of the baby, may work as swaddling blankets as well. These are the kind you would use to bring a newborn home from the hospital and bundle up in their first few weeks of life.  These are all 30" x 30" double-sided coordinating pre-washed, pre-shrunk flannel.  I am a huge fan of anything polka dot, so plan to make the coordinating flannel always polka dot.

I also plan to make some larger blankets.  They will probably be flannel and chenille or minky dot (a kind of close-cropped very soft chenille).  

They look easy to make, but I was surprised how careful I had to be to measure correctly and sew slowly to be sure everything lined up.  Even then they aren't perfect ~ but I tell myself I hope customers will appreciate the fact that they are handmade and no two will be alike.  I am sure - as with anything - the more I make the easier it will be and the more detail I will enjoy adding.

I've fallen in love with flannel fabrics.  The designs are endless and run the gambit from soft pastels for the more traditional to crazy skulls for the more adventurous.  My tastes in choosing fabrics for my blankets, bibs and burpies (burp cloths) also runs the gambit.  I'm drawn to some of the traditional soft and sweet baby designs and colors.  But I also get a real kick out of the loud and crazy designs and colors you wouldn't expect to see in a baby product.  I am finding that a majority of my customers seem to be young, hipster Mommies and they go for the unusual and unexpected.  But I will carry some traditional fabrics as well.  For you know, the traditional Mommies and Grandmommies.  I love 'em all!  

What fun I have designing new things!  I haven't abandoned my Whee Ones - there will be many coming soon for the next holiday season; but my imagination runs rampant with ideas for new products, new fabrics, new designs.  It keeps my products - and my work days - fresh and fun.

Speaking of ~ since my product line is expanding I'm thinking of doing some subtle changes to my logo, colors, taglines, etc.  Once I've made those decisions, I'll slowly roll out the new image.  
And I just realized - as I often do - I'm making future plans in my head by writing /speaking them as I do it.  My apologies.  Now carry on.  +wink+ 

Long live flannel.

And babies.

Long Live the Dinosaurs!

With the most recent request for a Bronte pillow (this one in purple and grey), I reflected back on the many requests I've had for Bronte in various incarnations.

The original and still most popular is the green on green.  But I love seeing the imaginative ways people envision Bronte - and how they incorporate him into their own special home decor.

Well, that and it warms my heart to know that dinosaurs are still as popular with kiddos as when my guys were little. :)

Pillows. They're Not Just for Kids Anymore.

When I began designing pillows a few weeks ago, the first designs definitely had a "kid-friendly" feel and that was the direction in which I thought I would go.

Not so fast. ;-) I soon began getting requests from some big kids (aka adults). My sister-in-law from the Great White North wanted a few in Canadian themes ~ thinking snowflakes for the coming winter; my son wanted a dragon for his wife, a student in Chinese Medical School; a friend wanted a sailboat befitting his New England home.

So, although the majority of the designs I come up with will most likely be centered around kids, I'm always open to requests from those big kids, too. Because as my friend Jeff says, "Pillows are just stuffed animals for men." And apparently, women, too. :)

(Check out the possibilities @ cmh design. Just go to "Shop" page to find the links to all my venues! Or got directly to my Etsy shop cmh design.)

Do It for the Kids!

I'll bet it's true in every part of the country ~ I know it is in Denver. The Toys for Tots program operated each year by the US Marines, is desperate for toys. The world being what it is these days, they have received more requests from families in need than ever before and accordingly, donations are at an all time low.

If you live in Denver and can donate anything ~ a yo-yo, a basketball, a doll - anything ~ you can drop them off tomorrow from 6:00am-6:00pm at any American Furniture in town; a couple of Super Wal-Marts (9449 Sheridan in Westminster or 9400 East Hampden in Denver, Bass ProShop 7970 Northfield in Stapleton; or the warehouse for Toys for Tots in Aurora, 12601 East 33rd every day from 8am - 5pm until December 23.

And if you don't live in Denver, consider giving in your community. It's all about the kids.

I decided to start my own tradition this year and go thru my "freckles & friends" inventory in December and donate anything that hasn't sold. What an easy thing to do!! I clear my shelves to make room for new stock in the new year ~ and maybe some little one will go to bed on Christmas night with a smile and a new best friend.

Win-Win. :D