News: Gift Ideas

I created a Raindance gender neutral rainbow baby quilt in May 2021. After momma received the handmade baby quilt, she ordered one for her sister who was also expecting a rainbow baby. Both mommas were team green. The first momma ended up having a boy and I can’t wait to see what her sister has. 

This is one of my favorite custom baby quilts to make. You get to select five different colors for the triangles and any kind of backing of your choice! We had a specific color palette in mind for this quilt and ended up finding the perfect backing choice on spoonflower.com. 

I quilted this Raindance quilt in diamond shapes with a cream thread. I love the subtle pop from the shape, texture, and color of the thread on the back. The cream is just delicate enough to complement the bold colors on the front. 

I had some extra fabric from binding all three layers together (top, batting, and backing). In fact, I often over measure this part and have extra fabric. It’s been a struggle because I don’t want to throw out the fabric, but I didn’t know how to re-use it. I finally figured out I could wrap the quilts up with the extra fabric. I think the end result looks authentic, handmade, and personal. And it keeps fabric out of wasteland. An all around win. 

I would love to help you create the baby quilt of your dreams for you or a momma in your life. Please send an email to me at casey@caseysheilaquilts.com. 

Setting up a baby registry is no easy task. I legitimately cried from being overwhelmed, more than once. When I started, I was at a mall and very naively thought I’d just jump into a few of the baby stores and start adding to my registry. I decided to start with a stroller since that seemed like a big item to get out of the way and I completely crumbled. I had no idea what I wanted in a stroller or what a stroller could offer my family. I found that the overwhelming number of choices and need to research the strollers also applied to almost everything I put on my baby registry. Baby bibs were not immune from the chaos and mental load.

After three babies and selling my own handmade baby bibs for two years, I know what I like in a bib. Here are my musts: 

• The bib must be machine washable. 
• It must have a snap because baby can rip the velcro right off. 
• It has to have good coverage. 
• It has to be soft because all of my babes have had very sensitive skin. They have to be absorbent because the amount of spit up that comes out of those cute gremlins is no joke. 
• And of course, they have to be cute. 

Casey Sheila Quilts baby bibs of course do all that. And they’re handmade by yours truly so you can be confident that you’re getting a well-made item that directly supports this small, family business.

Our bibs do require you to make a few decisions. I’m sorry! But every baby is different so we need to cover (literally) their needs. The first decision you have to make is which set! We have sorted the bibs based on gender (girl, boy, gender neutral) to help you navigate the options. You can find the different options in the drop down menu. 

The second decision you have to make is about sizing. Does the bandana size or the long size better fit your family’s needs? The long size has the most coverage. I usually recommend the long for babies who have a lot of spit up, if your baby’s spit up goes everywhere and you need more coverage, or if baby is older and you plan on mainly using the bibs at meal time. The long bib sizes come with two different snaps (no velcro on any of our bibs!) so they can grow and adapt to fit baby as baby grows. The bandana has one snap and provides plenty of coverage for the average baby. 

The third and last decision you have to make about our bibs is the backing material. Does the organic fleece or organic Terry Cloth better suit your family’s needs? The fleece is softer than the Terry cloth. The Terry cloth is more absorbent than the fleece. This can be a tough balance to strike. All of my babies had crazy drool and often developed irritation on their necks. The Terry cloth absorbed most of the drool but sometimes their skin needed the softness of the fleece. The fleece feels like a luxuriously soft sweater.

If you’re purchasing our bibs a gift for someone else, you can get a few different options so momma and baby can try them all out. If you’re registering for yourself and still have no idea what you want to try, send me an email at casey@caseysheilaquilts.com. I’m happy to chat and talk about what might work best. If you know exactly what you want, go ahead and add us to your baby registry (you can use Babylist and basically add anything from any website!). I have a dream of sending off a free set to a momma who has registered for us- if that’s you, send me an email so I can check out your registry. 

Most importantly, whether you’re a momma or supporting a momma- remember you’re doing a great job. 

I was commissioned to create a custom, handmade quilted pillow based on the Les Fleurs Baby Bib Set. I love to see where my client’s inspiration for a custom pillow or quilt come from. I am even more in love when that inspiration comes from one of my handmade baby bib sets. The design process for this pillow was so fun and easy. We knew the front would be the magical Liberty of London floral fabric. The fabric is soft and easy to wash. 

The client picked the coordinating red fabric for the back of the pillow.  A brilliant choice. 

We then used the yellow speckled fabric for the bottom with a study black zipper. The bronze zipper is YKK and glides very smoothly. Easy for taking on and off the pillow insert. Our pillows do come with an insert, but if you have the perfect insert in mind, then I am happy to adjust the price to come without the insert. Just let me know at casey@caseysheilaquilts.com. 

The resulting pillow for baby girl’s floral nursery is strikingly beautiful and practical. The pillow can be used for back support during those late night feedings, for pretend naps when baby becomes a toddler (or fingers crossed, a real nap!), or any kind of play that baby imagines. The pillow is an heirloom that be used to create memories for years to come. Hopefully one day, baby girl can pass it on to the next generation. Now she just needs a matching Casey Sheila Quilts quilt. 

I’ve got baby girls on the mind and wanted to do a round-up of our best selling floral baby bibs. Our baby bibs are all handmade. I double stitch on the top to ensure longevity. In fact, the feedback I hear the most about our handmade baby bibs is how well they hold up wash after wash. I agree- I’ve been using them with my kids for 4 years now. They make a great addition to a baby registry (Babylist lets you register Casey Sheila Quilts products), a baby shower gift, or as part of that new baby gift package. Without further ado, here are our top two selling, gorgeous floral bibs: 

Les Fleurs Babies Bib Set

This set is filled with deep reds and yellows. They inspire hope at the end of a long winter that spring is indeed coming. Just hang on for that next season, momma. They come with a plastic snap closure so baby can’t easily rip them off. Like all of our bibs, they are available in either a bandana or long form. You also get to choose if you want them backed with organic fleece or organic terry cloth. While the terry cloth is more absorbent, the fleece is a bit softer and therefore easier on a sensitive baby’s skin. 

Nina Bib Set

The Nina Bib Set was inspired by a custom quilt I created for baby Nina. This set is feminine and strong. Soft pink flowers paired with independent succulents. This is a limited set so once it’s sold out, it’s gone for good. 

These bib sets are great from the newborn stage to the toddler stage. They make great drool and spit up catchers. They protect baby’s skin from those red, gnarly drool rashes. They also catch purees and food once baby is old enough for solids. Truly a must have baby registry item. 

You can always add a matching, custom pillow or quilt with your bib order. I’d love to bring your vision to life. Just send me an email at casey@caseysheilaquilts.com. And don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter so you can be the first to know when our new products launch. 

I was commissioned to create a custom Casey Sheila Quilts quilt as a gift for someone’s parents. The parents have a spectacular beach house that is open for family use and houses some truly wonderful memories. It was fitting that the beach house, also known as La Playa, had its own custom quilt. 

From the balcony on the second floor, you can see the beautiful beach waters and sand. Often times, you can see baby sea turtles hatching and heading to the water. The parents have 8 grand children- 4 girls and 4 boys. It was only fitting the quilt had 8 hatchlings to represent their grandchildren. 

The client designed the quilt himself. It’s full of rich colors that fit together perfectly. I’ll be honest. The quilt took me about twice as long as a custom quilt normally takes me to make even though the client designed it himself. 

Shortly after I took on the commission, I got pregnant and spent the next few months nauseous in bed. I never experienced the second trimester energy boost although the nausea let up thankfully. So, slowly I got back to work. Lots of cutting and math errors led to more cutting. Luckily, most everything is fixable in a quilt! One of the quilting magical wonders. 

After 4 or 5 months, we finally had a quilt ready to be gifted. The client sent me a photo of the quilt on the balcony that served as the inspiration and it looked right at home. A true heirloom that will be generously enjoyed for years to come. 

Looking for your own custom handmade quilt? Email me at casey@caseysheilaquilts.com. I’d love to bring your vision to life. 

After the holiday rush last year, I spent the day before Christmas creating some custom quilted pillows for me! It was one of the first times I made myself something. This year, when I brought out the Christmas Decor and got to put out the pillows, it truly made me giddy. I made four pillows- one side with gold fabric and the other side with a pink and gold Christmas tree fabric. I quilted them with pink thread and used a beautiful gold zipper on the bottom. I made two of them 18” by 18” and the other two were 20”x 20” so that there would be varying sizes on the couch.

As I packed up Christmas last year, I dreamed of a matching quilt. As I started to prep for the holidays this year, I pulled out the fabrics. I had plenty left to make a quilt and started right away. I coordinated the quilt with the pillows by using the same gold and pink Christmas tree fabrics. I also included a light pink and dark pink. 

I used the Nostalgia Quilt design to make a pink ombre quilt. Like all of the Casey Sheila Quilts custom quilt designs, it’s so versatile. The result is always something truly unique and custom. I used the gold fabric on the front. I then backed the quilt with the pink Christmas tree fabric. The quilt is a lap quilt- so about 45” x 60”.

Alice, my pink obsessed girl, was as thrilled with the final product as I was. I got to make something else for myself! A true heirloom that will last for years and years. I spent many nights during this holiday season lounging on the couch with my quilt wrapped around my shoulders and a matching pillow behind me for support. 

Next year, I may attempt a tree skirt. I feel like that’s the last missing piece to my coordinated Christmas decor, but I’m sure I’ll think of something else next year. Quilts are like Pringles, am I right?

Hope you all had a magical holiday season with time to rest, reflect, and enjoy family. 

Looking for your own custom holiday quilted heirloom? Email me at casey@caseysheilaquilts.com. I’d love to bring your vision to life. 

We’re officially in December! Thanksgiving is done and Channukah is underway. We have diligently been building our holiday book stash and it’s honestly one of my favorite traditions. I remember watching holiday movies growing up but I don’t think we had a holiday book collection. There’s something so fun about unboxing all of the special books with the rest of the decor. In this year’s books and bibs guide, I paired one of our modern holiday baby bib sets with one of the kids’ favorites from our book collection. 

First up, we have the Lit Baby Bib Set with Stick Man by Julia Donaldson (illustrated by Axel Scheffler). If I’m being honest, this book is a little stressful for me to read as the papa stick man gets separated from his family and attempts to get back home to his family. Spoiler alert: he’s successful and even makes it in time before the holidays! Despite the stress, I included this book because it’s one of my kids’ favorites. 

Next, we paired the Beary Merry Baby Bib Set with Together by Heather Stricter (illustrated by Martha Ratcliff). A sweet book about family and connection during this season. An idea I can definitely get behind especially with all of the distractions and hardships that also accompany this busy time of year. 

How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss seemed like a classic that must be included. The Grinch is paired with the Tropical Holiday Baby Bib Set. I mentioned in a previous post that this bib set was inspired by my mom’s “grinch-y” attitude to do away with the holidays and just go to Aruba for all of December. Seemed like this was a pair meant to be. 

Our Challah Baby Bib Set is paired with Freddie the Farting Snowman by Jane Bexley. I think kids just really love a good fart joke. While it is not my favorite, the cute little giggles coming from my kids as we read are my favorite. 

The fifth and final bib set, Holi-Baby Bib Set, is paired with Little Penguins by Cynthia Rylant (illustrated by Christian Robinson). I love this book for my youngest. The words and sentences are short- perfect for someone with a short attention span just beginning to experiment with word mimicking.

Just a reminder that all of our Casey Sheila Quilts bibs are handmade and can be back with either organic fleece or organic terry cloth. The holiday bibs come with a bright fleece (as opposed to a cream organic fleece used on the non-holiday bib sets). Hope you enjoy some of these book suggestions and feel free to send me an email with your family’s favorite books to read during this season: casey@caseysheilaquilts.com.

We’ve published a Baby Boy Bib Guide and a Baby Girl Bib Guide so naturally, today is the Gender Neutral (Team Green!) Baby Bib Guide. Whether you’re waiting to find out the sex at baby’s birth (but obviously need to stock up on bibs before then) or wanting something gender neutral so the bibs can be passed down to future babies- we’ve got you covered. 

These are our five top picks for our handmade baby bibs, but you can find all of our gender neutral baby bibs under the bib section of our menu. 

Our first pick is is the Panda Baby Bib Set. The grey is light and the pandas are so adorable. There’s a dark grey bib in the set with white spots and I just love that one as a neutral for any outfit. 

Our next pick is the Taco Baby Bib Set. All babies need tacos in their life. Rather, baby’s caretakers need tacos (and maybe margaritas). The suns and bright turquoise bibs in this set make this set so bright and cheery. 

The Donut & Sprinkles Baby Bib Set is a cult classic for a reason. Donuts are always in season. My favorite treat on the weekends when Alice was a newborn was a fresh batch of donuts. Nutella icing was a must.

Apple Bottom Babies Bib Set is one of my personal favorites, and not just because of the clever name. The bright green always lifts my mood and I love those fresh apples. 

And for a holiday pick, we had to go with the Tropical Holiday Baby Bib Set. Every baby needs palm trees and gold stars.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at casey@caseysheilaquilts.com. We love to recommend baby books to go with our bib sets if you’re looking to gift a bib set this holiday season!