This is definitely the hardest part! With so many cute clothes that hold such treasured memories of first cuddles, first smiles or first rolls, it can be hard to decide which ones to choose to create your memory bear or keepsake blanket. Here’s my top tips on selecting the perfect clothes for your baby’s keepsake …

First of all there will be one or two items that you simply can’t bear to cut up, even if it is for a gorgeous keepsake. These might be your little one’s first ever outfit or one that was a super special gift. Put these in your memory box – these are the ones that for years to come you’ll hold up and marvel at how small they once were.

Next, pick out the clothes that hold real memories for you – perhaps a going home outfit or one that was worn for a special occasion, or reminds you of their first adventures. I’m sure looking at them will bring memories flooding back of how they smelt or how they fit so perfectly in your arms. I’m also sure you have more than the 6 – 8 items needed for a keepsake animal from the First Cuddles Collection, and so comes the hardest part of whittling down to this number of items!

Of course, if you really can’t choose just 8 items of clothing then a keepsake blanket would be a great option for you!

For my First Cuddles Collection, how your finished animal keepsake looks will vary vastly depending on the clothes you provide, so take a look at the clothes you’ve picked out and make sure you’re happy with how they all look together. However, the most important thing is the memories the clothes hold, not necessarily how they might coordinate, so be sure to pick out clothes that mean the most to you.

It can be tricky to use a lot of large motifs on the animals in my First Cuddles Collection due to the more intricate pieces of fabric needed to make up each of them. Motifs tend to work better on the keepsake blankets. Therefore, I tend to advise that the majority of clothes provided for the keepsake animals are patterned (stripes, spots, stars, flowers etc). I would always recommend including one plainer item as well as I find these lend themselves well for the faces and as a background for embroidery.

Jersey fabric (usually used for sleepsuits, vests and t-shirts etc) is perfect for keepsakes as it shapes nicely and is great for cuddling up to. However, I stabilise each piece of clothing with interfacing when making ALL of my keepsakes, which ensures a high quality finish and therefore almost any fabric can be used. Please do bear in mind though that anything too thick may not sit so nicely against cotton and jersey and will not result in such a clean, flat seam finish. Fabric that doesn’t work well includes leather, swimwear and chunky knitwear.

Selecting your clothes is the first part of the Cuddle Me Keepsakes magic, so be sure to enjoy the process and re-igniting all your precious memories.

Here’s a closer look at each keepsake:

First Cuddles Collection

Amie Bear
The perfectly timeless Amie Bear sits at 30cm and requires 6 – 8 items of clothing. This is based on baby clothes aged 3 – 6 months, so if the clothing you have selected is smaller, please send a couple of extra items.

Large motifs can be difficult to incorporate on Amie Bear so I would advise sending a maximum of two items with motifs and the majority of items being patterned (flowers, spots, stripes, stars etc). I would also advise making sure one item of clothing is plainer as I find these work well for Amie Bear’s face or as the background for personalised embroidery. If any of your clothing includes features such as bows, lace or pockets etc, I’ll try and incorporate these in your keepsake design as well.

In addition to the clothing you provide, Amie Bear comes with a felt nose, safety eyes, a coordinating ribbon and round wooden buttons at the arms and leg joints.

Boo the Elephant
Boo the Elephant, with his big trunk and floppy ears is a little bigger than the other keepsakes in the First Cuddles Collection, measuring 32cm and requires 6 – 8 items of baby clothing. This is based on clothing aged 3 – 6 months, so if the clothing you have selected is smaller, please send a couple of extra items.

Boo provides more opportunity for including motifs with large spaces on the front and back of his ears as well as on his back. Therefore, I would recommend sending a maximum of four items that include motifs and the remaining items being patterned. I would also suggest including at least one plainer item as this works well for Boo’s face and as a background for any personalised embroidery. Where your clothes have features such as bows and pockets etc, I will always try and incorporate these into your keepsake as well.

In addition to the clothing you provide, Boo the Elephant comes with safety eyes, a felt tipped tail and a coordinating ribbon.

Cuddle Bunny
Cuddle Bunny, with big ears full of fun, sits at 30cm and requires 6 – 8 items of clothing. This is based on baby clothes aged 3 – 6 months, so if the clothing you have selected is smaller, please send a couple of extra items.

Large motifs can be difficult to incorporate on Cuddle Bunny, although those big floppy ears do provide an ideal place, so I would advise sending a maximum of two items with motifs and the majority of items being patterned (flowers, spots, stripes, stars etc). I would also advise making sure one item of clothing is plainer as I find these work well for Cuddle Bunny’s face or as the background for personalised embroidery. If any of your clothing includes features such as bows, lace or pockets etc, I’ll try and incorporate these in your keepsake design as well.

In addition to the clothing you provide, Cuddle Bunny comes with a felt nose, safety eyes, coordinating ribbon and round wooden buttons at the arms and leg joints.

Jack-Jack Lion
The roar-some Jack-Jack Lion is the smallest (although he’d argue the mightiest) of the First Cuddles Collection (only by a little bit) and sits at 28cm tall, with 6 – 8 items of clothing required. This is based on clothing aged 3 – 6 months, so if the clothing you have selected is smaller, please send a couple of extra items.

Large motifs can be difficult to incorporate due to Jack-Jack’s more intricate pieces, however there are larger areas on his back. Therefore I would recommend sending a maximum of two items that include motifs and the majority of items being patterned. Something nice and bold always looks fabulous for Jack-Jack’s mane (this is usually the first fabric I choose when I start your design – it is the mane attraction after all)! I would also recommend sending at least one plainer item of clothing as I find this works well for Jack-Jack’s face and as a background for personalised embroidery. Where your clothes have features such as bows and pockets etc, I will always try and incorporate these into your keepsake as well.

In addition to the clothing you provide, Jack-Jack Lion comes with safety eyes, a felt tipped tail and a coordinating ribbon.

Whisper the Unicorn
Whisper the magical Unicorn sits at 30cm and requires 6 – 8 items of clothing. This is based on baby clothes aged 3 – 6 months, so if the clothing you have selected is smaller, please send a couple of extra items.

Large motifs can be difficult to incorporate on Whisper so I would advise sending a maximum of two items with motifs and the majority of items being patterned (flowers, spots, stripes, stars etc). I would also advise making sure one item of clothing is plainer as I find these work well for Whisper’s face or as the background for personalised embroidery. If any of your clothing includes features such as bows, lace or pockets etc, I’ll try and incorporate these in your keepsake design as well.

In addition to the clothing you provide, Whisper comes with a felt nose, safety eyes, a coordinating ribbon and round wooden buttons at the arms and leg joints.

Cosy Up With Me Collection

Cuddle & Luxury blankets
If you have a lot of clothing that includes large motifs then a Cuddle or Luxury blanket is definitely for you. Each patch measures approximately 14.5cm squared, but where a motif or detail measures bigger than this I can spread the detail over multiple patches to ensure it’s fully included.

The number of items needed per blanket are as follows:
– Small blanket – 14 – 16 items
– Medium blanket – 26 – 28 items
– Large blanket – 42 – 44 items

This is based on baby clothing aged 3 – 6 months so if clothing is smaller please send some extra items. I usually try to take two patches from each item of clothing. This is usually a patch from the front of the clothing (usually with details) and a patch from the back of the clothing (this is usually plainer). If you would like more details featured on your keepsake blanket then please send extra clothes to make up for not using the plainer back patches.

In addition to the clothes you provide, Cuddle blankets are backed in a super soft cuddly fleece and Luxury blankets are backed in a premium super soft dimple fleece and filled with thick quality wadding for extra warmth and comfort. All fleeces are available in a range of colours to coordinate with your clothes.

Interiors Collection

Cushion 
Whilst patches on the cushion are smaller than on the blankets, measuring approximately 8cm squared, they still offer the versatility of incorporating a detail or feature over multiple patches. I would recommend sending 6 – 8 items of baby clothing for a cushion, but again more can be sent if you’d like less repetition of patterns on your keepsake.

In addition to the clothes you provide, keepsake cushions are backed in a super soft cuddly fleece, available in a range of colours to coordinate with your clothes, have an envelope closure and include a premium cushion insert.

Bunting
The perfect way to add colour and coordination to any nursery or child’s room, keepsake bunting can be made from 10 baby grows (based on aged 3 – 6 months). This is based on using the front of the clothing for the front of the flag and the back of the clothing for the back of the flag. However, if you don’t have enough items of clothing, a coordinating plain cotton fabric can be used for the backs of the flags instead.

Each flag is stabilised with interfacing to ensure a high quality finish and therefore almost any fabric can be used. Fabric that doesn’t work well includes leather, swimwear and chunky knitwear.

Bunting is finished with white specialist bunting tape to ensure it doesn’t droop or loose it’s shape.

I hope this has helped you decide which keepsake is the perfect choice for you to showcase your treasured memories. For further questions you may have, please check out my FAQ page or send me a message – I always love to hear from you!

I hope to welcome you to the Cuddle Me Keepsakes family soon!

Much love, Leah xxx