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Customized Baby Blankets: Swaddle That Sentiment

Todd Lilly runs an adoption agency of sorts out of the back room of his tidy 23rd-floor office in downtown Dallas. Each of his charges – custom, hand-finished baby blankets – is christened and embroidered with personalized messages of love, hope and faith.

Guided through the assembly line by the hands of seamstress Betty Cenac, each baby gift is finished with a hand-tied bow and sent out into the world to meet its new family.

“Betty will say, ‘Have a safe trip’ to the blankets as she’s packing them up every day,” says Mr. Lilly.

It seems like a perfect job, an office filled with pretty pink and blue fabrics, satin trims and words of love customizing the products that come through their door, but the process of setting up Mr. Lilly’s two companies hasn’t come easy. In fact, you could say it was a little like giving birth.

“Well, not that I’ve actually been through that,” says Mr. Lilly.

In 2004, Mr. Lilly knew nothing about the baby-blanket biz. His wife, Sarah, had just given birth to their son, Ethan, and among baby gifts they received, a friend’s personalized baby blanket stood out.

“It told a story and it was really special for two reasons: So much thought went into the copy that it meant a lot, and it has always been Ethan’s favorite blanket,” says Mr. Lilly.

He and his wife ordered similar baby blankets as gifts. When friends were equally thrilled, Mr. Lilly tried to buy out the woman sewing them in rural Illinois, but without success.

“Sarah said, ‘Do it yourself.’ " And so he did, but kept his day job as an account manager and strategist for an ad agency.

It took more than nine months to work out the details, but Fill in the Blankie cotton blankets debuted in 2004.

Wendy Storklands, the Lillys’ wholesale line of receiving blankets made from luxury-label Sferra sheets, launched last summer.

Mr. Lilly says he’s never been so happy with a product that he’s been moved to write a thank-you note to the manufacturer.

“But we get three to five e-mails a day telling us how meaningful this gift was,” he says.

“It’s crazy-easy to be the most thoughtful gift-giver now, and this goes threefold: The baby loves it, the parents love it and the gift-giver looks good.”

These days, orders come in from all around the country.

Most people use the blankets to commemorate baptisms and birthdays, but the Lillys have seen them used as birth announcements and even corporate gifts.

“It’s like creating a Hallmark card on a blanket,” says Mr. Lilly.

RESOURCES

Fill in the Blankie cotton blankets with personalized satin trim ($39 to $97) are online at www.fillintheblankie.com.

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