Homemade toys are real friends 
I was raised with a tradition of handmade. My mother is a hand quilter who
learned from my great-grandmother and then passed the skill down to me. I hope to pass the art of hand sewing down
to my children. I truly believe you can't beat hand made goods for durability, safety, quality, and most
importantly, personality.
I didn't have to pose this picture. This is something my son (now age 2) often
arranges himself, or directs me to arrange for him. He adores his "bibis", dressing them every day, picking which
ones get the special privilege of accompanying him on errands, and tucking them into bed at night. He sleeps with
so many of them at night (ranging from tiny 4 inch babies to his two big dolls) that sometimes I can't fit in the
bed with him to give him snuggles and we have to reallocate a few of them to their little canvas bin.
Could you imagine your little one sleeping in a pile of plastic dolls? What's cozy about that? Where's the
love in that? Every one of the "bibis" in bed with my son was made by hand, so it's like tucking him in with
portable, huggable representations of love. The natural fibers adjust to his body temperature, making the babies
feel like tiny living companions through the night. Sure, they make take a little more wear than a plastic baby
that could be wiped off, but I can't help but think of the Velveteen Rabbit. It's the love, the wear, the
personality instilled into a one-of-a-kind toy that makes it become Real.
Let's see Barbie manage
that one.
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