News: Wild Things Collection

Books and Bibs: Halloween Edition

By Casey Corey

Spooky Season is upon us. To celebrate, we’ve paired some children’s halloween books with our modern baby bib sets. It’s like a book club but for our babies. That works, right? Some of the things I look for in children’s books before I commit to a a recommendation are: how is the plot? Will I mind reading this 50 times before Halloween? (Major bonus for humor). How’s the character development? Can my children relate? What’s the message? What kind of themes or lessons can my children pick up from reading it? 

halloween themed bibs shown with children's halloween themed book and pumpkins

Using the above criteria, we settled on two children’s books and a third suggestion (more on that below). The first is Vampirina Ballerina by Anne Marie Pace. A strong female lead trying something new supported by her large family? It’s quirky and cute. And there’s pink on the cover so my four year old was immediately in love. We’ve read this one a number of times and I’m still not sick of it. We paired this lovely read with two Casey Sheila Quilts bib sets: Purple Dino Babies Bib Set and the Wild Things Baby Bib Set. 

Dinosaurs are always appropriate for spooky season. The purples in this set are rich and luxurious and will translate nicely into the winter. 

The black and golds in the Wild Things set are a weakness for me. I’m obsessed. And the crowns bib is a great option if your family is dressing up as royalty or as Max from Where the Wild Things Are for Halloween. My daughter is dressing up as a princess this year and she could not be more excited. We got my son a dragon costume and so far, he is petrified of it. 

orange baby bib sets shown with a children's halloween themed book

The second book, Bonaparte Falls Apart by Margery Cuyler, is a personal favorite. The main skeletal character is scared about surviving school when all of his limbs keep falling off. His friends relentlessly try to come up with solutions to help him. Children solving problems without adult intervention? Check. Friends being supportive and kind? Check, check. We paired this book with the Orange Dino Babies Bib Set and the Turtle Dude Babies Bib Set. 

The oranges in both sets fit in nicely with the spooky season orange color. And the orange solid color in both sets remains relevant for the rest of fall. *The solid orange bib in the Orange Dino Babies Bib Set is a reddish orange while the Turtle Dude Babies Bib Set has a bright orange solid. 

teal baby bib sets shown to raise food allergy awareness

And last but perhaps the most important, is the teal set for this Halloween’s Books and Bibs series. It’s not a children’s book, but it was a book I needed as a new mom to a small child with food allergies. Allergic Girl by Sloane Miller helped give me confidence that we could raise my daughter without food being a stressful trigger for her. Neither my husband nor I had any personal experience with food allergies, and we desperately needed guidance. I also loved Don’t Kiss the Birthday Girl by Sandra Beasley. She walked me through her life managing food allergies and made it easier to process how to keep my daughter safe without creating too much anxiety. 

 

The Teal Pumpkin Project was created to help raise food allergy awareness. By putting out a teal pumpkin at Halloween, you are letting families know you are giving out candy or toys that are safe from the top 8 allergens. So, we included the Pop Babies Bib Set and the Taco Babies Bib Set for this book suggestion. Unintentionally, they’re both food related sets. They were really chosen for the teal solid color bib in each set. 

If you have any questions or a recommendation for a children’s book about allergies, I’d love to hear them: casey@caseysheilaquilts.com. Wishing you and your families a very fun and safe Halloween. 

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Pout Pout Fish Quilt Collection Sneak Peek

By Casey Corey

Pout Pout Fish Quilt Collection Sneak Peek

It had been almost six months since the Wild Things Collection launched. I was ready to start planning for the next children’s book inspired collection. I went through the all of the kids’ books that we had and polled my momma friends on their favorites. I kept coming back to one- Pout Pout Fish. I read this book all the time to Alice when she was a baby. During those long, but sweet days when it was just the two of us while on maternity leave I would read this book at least once a day. I created character voices and entertained myself. It’s hard to say if Alice was actually entertained by my reading performances, but I’m sure she enjoyed my company at the least. 

pout pout fish book with matching colored fabric

I had good memories of the book, but was it enough to inspire an entire quilt collection? I opened the very worn down book once again. The colors. They were so good. All the characters had their own color vibe going. I was really feeling Ms. Clam’s soft yellow and orange. The silver fish? And of course, Mr. Pout Pout himself.  

blue and purple fabric squares on a white background 

I thought this could be it so I started to sketch out designs. As I did, I reread the book over and over again. And I fell in love with it for a different reason- the plot line. The whole purpose of the book! I had somehow missed it during those early sleep-deprived days. The perspective message spoke to me in a whole new way. 

sun fabric with coordinating colors

I started to challenge my own perspective on parenting. Kamala Harris became Vice President as I designed and pieced this collection together. I started to think about myself, my worth as a woman, and my ability to parent my young daughter into a confident woman who confidently knew her worth. I realized I was falling quite short with the little every day things. 

purple pout pout fish fabric

Sure, I was hitting the big things or as much as you can with a three year old. Reinforcing love, kindness, and empathy. But I wasn’t modeling it. I spoke to myself in unkind ways that I would be horrified to hear Alice talk to herself. I knew I had to do better. For her and for me. 

sewing binding for the pout pout fish collection

For many personal reasons, I am so excited to share this collection with you in just a few weeks. There will be three quilt designs in four sizes: crib (30” x 50”), baby (40” x 40”), toddler (40” x 50”), and twin (70” x 90”). There will be three coordinating quilted pillow covers and a really special, fourth pillow. 

Come back soon for the full reveal of the Pout Pout Fish Collection

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Baby Shower Gift Guide

By Casey Corey

Baby Shower Gift Guide

Your friend/acquaintance/co-worker/cousin/a person in your life is expecting a baby! How exciting! You get invited to the celebration of said baby. The date is approaching and now you begin to wonder about what’s an appropriate gift?! The registry is obviously helpful, but how excited can you get about giving diaper cream? I usually like to do a mix of both registry gifts and non-registry gifts. Some bottles, formula, and bibs? Feeding time is taken care of! A sound machine and quilted pillow? Newborn naps in the nursery, done! A play gym and quilt? Tummy time! Just need the baby… Here are some ideas from Casey Sheila Quilts:

baby bibs hanging on ladder in front of white wall

Option A: Baby Bib Sets

Baby Boy:

Check out the Wild Things Babies Bib Set because let’s be honest, most babies are a bit of wild thing. Or the classic Orange Dino Babies Bib Set goes with any theme. The dinos and orange bones are as soft as they are cute. 

Baby Girl

You can’t go wrong with the Sugar Babies Bib Set. Babies are so sweet and wearing a sweet, ice cream bib will help remind the parents as they try to contain the baby spit up. Or the classy Les Fleurs Babies Bib Set is always such an elegant set. 

Team Green:

Gender reveal isn’t happening until birth? We’ve got you covered.  Apple Bottom Babies Bib Set is literal team green. And the classic mint in the Donut & Sprinkles Babies Bib Set makes it one of our most popular sets for a reason. 

baby boy laying on 2 quilted pillows

Option B: Quilted Pillow Covers

If you wanted to make more of a statement, then check out our Quilted Pillow Covers.  We’e got three designs in the Wild Things Set that are pretty universal.  The Wild Rumpus Quilted Pillow Cover fits a coastal themed nursery while the King of All Wild Things Pillow Cover fits a “woods-y” themed nursery.  Going fully custom is, of course, always an option. 

kids hanging on a tree branch with quilts acting like wild things

Option C: Baby Quilts

The creme de la creme- a handmade, modern baby quilt.  Looking for a modern baby girl quilt? Mischief of One Kind and Another is one of my favorites. Don’t forget to check out the fun backing, too. And just like the quilted pillow covers, going fully custom is an option. Fill out our Questionnaire, and we can start planning the perfect gift.

Option D: Gift Cards

All that said, if buying a gift is too overwhelming (I get it!), gift cards are really a perfectly appropriate gift, too. 

quilted making designs of a quilt at a desk

Thank you for being here. We are so honored to be part of this momentous time. 

 

xoxo, Casey

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Wild Things Collection

By Casey Corey

Wild Things Collection

“And now," cried Max, "let the wild rumpus start!”

Our first book-inspired line, the Wild Things, is here! Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are is full of adventure, imagination, mischief, frustrating parenting moments, love, and warmth. The Wild Things Collection includes a handmade bib set, three modern baby quilt designs, and coordinating quilted pillow covers. Each design in this collection includes a heavy focus on gold- the crowned king deserves no less. 

Baby bibs

 

The bib set includes the classic colors associated with the book: gold (of course), white, and black. The colors and patterns have a strong, powerful energy. The set includes three bibs. They are each incredibly soft- soft enough even for our sensitive skin babes. They are available in both the bandana and long bib forms with either Fleece or French Terry Cloth backing. And of course, they are machine washable so they will last for years to come. Most certainly longer than Max’s adventure to rumpus with the wild things. 

Modern baby quilt on water

Meet “Wild Rumpus.” The first quilt and quilted pillow cover design in this collection. This design was inspired by the nighttime skies that Max sails and leads his rumpus through. The back is a gorgeous navy blue and gold stripe fabric. The horizontal straight line quilting creates a water-inspired texture running throughout this soft fabric. Perfect to lay across you and your baby (toddlers, especially) as you read your copy of Where the Wild Things Are. Oh yeah, did we mention yet that each quilt purchased from this collection comes with a new copy of the book?

Pink baby quilt on a tree

Next in line is: “Mischief of One Kind and Another.” It’s interesting that the colors usually associated with this book are gold, white, and black because there are so many pinks and yellows throughout. We took the pink and yellow from Max’s sailboat and brought it to a quilted form. The equilateral triangles represent the sailboat. The mix of light and darker pinks are the ocean waves crashing onto each other. The vertically stitched quilted lines and vertical lines of pinks and yellows on the back of the quilt evoke of sense of empowerment and confidence. Traits we often try to instill in our next generation.  

Green baby quilt

And finally: Max himself: “King of All Wild Things.” The forest greens of the vines hanging from Max’s ceiling and walls meets the cream and white equilateral triangles taken from Max’s crown. And of course, there’s fabric speckled with gold. The back of this quilt is a luscious green with metallic gold running up and down just like the vines and trees. And the quilt is wrapped up with a hand stitched binding filled with white and gold. 

Wild Things Collection Quilts and Pillows

Each quilt design is available in either the baby (40” x 40”) or toddler (40” x 50”) size. The quilted pillow covers are also available in either an 18” by 18” or 20” x 20” square. Custom square sizes are possible, just send an inquiry to casey@caseysheilaquilts.com. Lastly, this is a limited edition collection so there is a finite number of each buttery soft product. But, if you’ve had your heart set on something and it sells out, please send an inquiry to casey@caseysheilaquilts.com. As always, these items are made-to-order with love and attention to every detail. 

“And Max the king of all wild things was lonely and wanted to be where someone loved him best of all.”

Happy reading snuggling. xoxo.  

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Currently: June

By Casey Corey

Currently: June

Is it really June?  I’m pretty sure it’s still March. It’s Friday and I just picked up Alice from daycare with Dylan in tow.  It was a hard week for her.  We traded in her diapers for pink, mermaid underwear and she was learning to use the restroom at school.  She gave her teachers a hug good bye (I thought it was strange, they don’t usually go in for a hug) and I exchanged the normal pleasantries with them (thank you for taking care of my girl, have a great weekend, etc…).  Then I got home and saw the email that day care was closing down for the foreseeable future.  Oh, now I understood the hug.  Anyway, it just feels like time has stood still during the lockdown but since it really is June, here’s what I’ve been up to:

Listening to the Alessia Cara (children’s) pandora station.  I still listen to the pandora with commercials. Ha. 

Watching Gilmore Girls all over again.  I just started season 5.  Rory is in her second year at Yale, she just met Logan (team Logan, for sure) and Lorelai is dating Luke.  This might be my favorite season. 

Wanting a work out.  I missed the last 2 days because our a/c broke and was getting replaced.  So grateful for the small wall unit in our back room that kept us cool. 

Making rosemary/olive oil bread in the Zojirushi today.  Alice loves to fill up the measuring cups.  And by fill them up, I mean spill the flour all over the place.

Sewing the summer bib sets.  There will be 5 (!!) new sets of handmade baby bibs.  Mark your calendars- They are being released Tuesday, June 23! AND AND just finished the Wild Things Collection.  Really, really excited.  The collection is launching next week!! Tuesday, June 16!!

Reading The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed by Jessica Lahey.  Enjoyed the first half, but the second half seems more geared for older kids so I don’t quite connect with that yet.  Kind of seems impossible that Alice and Dylan will be teenagers or even adults one day. 

Loving these Dear Stella Honey Bee fabrics: beehives and hedgehogs.  Come onnnn. Would so love to use this for the back on a modern baby quilt for someone.  Send me an email if you’re my person: casey@caseysheilaquilts.com

Feeling grateful that I get to spend all this time with my kiddos and husband, but stressed with all of the uncertainties in the future.  I’m.a.planner. 

Thinking about my momma.  Wondering how she would handle all of this.  

Sending you all big virtual hugs.  Thanks for being here :)

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