Somebody sent me an order this week with twelve names on it.
Twelve. All going on the sleeves of one sweatshirt — six down one cuff and six down the other, in a soft lavender thread. I read the note twice to make sure I had it right.
That is the part of this work I never expected. People do not order a sweatshirt. They order a list of everyone they love and ask me to put it where they will see it.
It was a quieter week than the last few: eighty-one orders, ninety-nine pieces, thirty-six designs. The school fundraiser that took over September has finished and gone out the door, so for the first time in a month this was almost all keepsake work — one person, one piece of fabric at a time. I liked it.
Wedding dresses: forty-one pieces
Forty-one of the ninety-nine came out of somebody's wedding dress — the biggest share it has been.
Eighteen were the BRIDE keepsake sweatshirt, though only one of them actually said BRIDE. The rest were new last names cut out of the dress itself. Two said WIFE. One said MOM. Navy and Pepper did most of the work, with a good run of Orchid.
Eight were the bouquet design, where I appliqué the shape of a bouquet out of the gown fabric. Almost everyone asked for white or ivory, or simply told me to match the lace, whichever came closer.
Twelve were MRS sweatshirts with the bride's new last name, across three versions. The patterned fabrics are what people reach for now: sage chinoiserie went out seven times, then blue antique damask, rose paisley, white lace and a blue country floral. After that, one bride floral, one mother of the bride, and one hair scrunchie made from gown fabric — the smallest thing I made all week.
A lot of these had a date on one sleeve and a little appliqué heart on the other. The dates ran from 2025 out to 2027, so part of this week went to weddings that have not happened yet. The rest of that work is in Wedding & Bride.
Hospital blankets: seventeen pieces
Seventeen pieces came from a baby's hospital swaddle blanket, across eleven designs. Five were jackets — quarter zips and full zips in black, navy and athletic heather — and one was a mockneck.
The departments people asked for: NICU, labor and delivery, mother baby, and one midwife sweatshirt. Nearly all had a name and credentials on the front, and most wanted baby feet in two thread colours, one foot pink and one foot blue.
Two of the seventeen were not for nurses. They were for a preemie's own mom and dad, made from the same feet-print blanket, one sweatshirt and one t-shirt. Those are the ones I think about after they ship. The line is in Nurse Keepsakes, or start with the NICU version.
Baby clothes, and the words people choose
Fourteen pieces came out of baby clothes and onesies, and I counted nine different words across them: MAMA, MOM, MIMI, LOLLI, GIGI, NANA, Grandma, Gramma and MERRY. One was not a title at all — a baby's whole name, in lower case, in periwinkle.
Two people asked me to send their leftover scraps back with the finished sweatshirt. Always ask me that. I will always do it.
Most of these are the MAMA sweatshirt made from baby clothes, with a curved version if you like that shape better. It all sits in Memory Keepsakes.
Halloween finally showed up
I have been waiting for this. Four SPOOKY sequin bat sweatshirts went out, two in flat orange sequin and two in orange velvet, on athletic heather and jet black. There was also a BOO keepsake made from a baby's own clothes — my favourite kind of Halloween shirt.
Then the first Christmas piece of the year: one MERRY red sequin sweatshirt. It is October. Here we go. The rest is in Holiday & Seasonal.
Schools, and an order that is open right now
Eleven pieces of school wear, and seven were a brand new design: the Classical Conversations Sewell 250 Years tee. It marks 250 years since 1776, with John 1:1 in Latin across the top, on soft heather tees in Heather Dust and Heather Navy, youth and adult sizes. I posted it Wednesday and seven came in.
Ordering closes Friday, October 23, and the shirts get made after it closes — so CC Sewell families, now is the moment.
The other four were the last three Delran Bears pieces from the fall fundraiser and one more Pitman football sequin sweatshirt. If your school, team, co-op or church wants a sale like these, message me — I design it, set up the order page, and send everything back boxed by style. School Spirit is what is live now.
The small things
Six sleeve embroideries, including the twelve names. Two sets of appliquéd side bows. One rush order. Add-ons like these go with anything in Embroidered Shirts and Sweatshirts.
How to order, and how to send me your fabric
Pick the design on the site and tell me in the order notes what it should say — the name, the word, the thread colour, the date, whether you want a heart on the sleeve. I would rather talk it through than guess.
Then post me your fabric. For a wedding dress I only need a piece about seven inches by fifteen — a hem, the scraps from your alterations, a bit of the inside of the skirt nobody will ever see. Your dress stays whole. For baby clothes, send the onesie or the blanket itself, and tell me if you want the leftovers back.
I make all of this myself, here in Blackwood, New Jersey. If you want to watch it happen I am on Instagram at @bbiad — that is where this week's Classical Conversations tee went up first.