Chickadee Baby Company, like so many women-owned businesses before us, started when I was on maternity leave with my first daughter. My mom, who like a goddess birthed five healthy babies, came to help me recover from my C-section and help take care of the baby when I transitioned back to work. But during those three months, we reconnected over our shared love for sewing and creating beautiful things. You see, I am one of those incredibly lucky girls who had beautifully tailored clothing growing up. Each of my formal dresses were one of a kind – pouring over pattern books together to find the perfect one and thoughtfully selecting each fabric and embellishment for a finished product that is swoon-worthy. My mom is the most amazing seamstress.

Using my great grandmother's thimble to tie this very early quilt while it was stretched on a frame.

 We weren’t making beautiful things while I was on maternity leave, though. We were making burp rags. Lots of burp rags. And receiving blankets. And blankets to have in the car seat. And blankets for the nursery. And shoulder straps for the car seat when my daughter ended up with a horrible skin infection and the regular strap covers irritated it further. And then we started making blankets for all of my friends who were having babies. And then I found Pinterest.

The first “pin” I attempted was the “make a quilt during nap time” – and if I am being honest, this was the most deceiving pin in the history of pins. It was a flannel rag quilt. Looked simple enough and I was convinced that even my very juvenile and rusty sewing skills could get me through it. So, I went to the fabric store and picked out a collection of fabrics I had been eyeing for a while and thought would be absolutely perfect for my dear friend who was due to have her first daughter just a few months after me. I cut and cut and cut. SO MANY SQUARES. The process extended MANY nap times over a few days before I called in reinforcements and begged my mom to pick up my slack so it would be ready for the baby shower. That was the one and only rag quilt we have ever made. After snipping for hours, we decided the next gift we made would be a traditional quilt.
That was three years ago. Mom and I have made countless custom quilts since. We started with designing custom nursery suites and filling Pinterest-worthy baby rooms with lovely coordinates from modern fabric collections. Our diversification into smaller baby products such as our Cover-All (car seat/nursing cover), Swaddle Pod, bibs, and burp cloths has necessitated the launch of our website where we hope to connect with more new moms looking for the highest quality, handmade baby products with an heirloom feel but suitable for their modern lifestyle.

The Chickadee Cover-All is THE essential product every new mom should have in the diaper bag.

Thank you for reading about our journey. We hope that you will continue to follow us and shop our website. We love custom orders so don’t hesitate to message us with your special requests.

XO,
Andrea & Shelley
Owners of Chickadee Baby Co.