Today we are meeting Kenzie, owner of Bewhiskered Blankets and creator of Ruggles!
Kenzie's mother taught her how to sew at a very young age, and while she's broken out the sewing machine off and on ever since, it she didn't get serious about sewing until after the birth of her first son in 2008. She began to sew in earnest then, first creating his cloth diaper stash and then, which disappointed with the selection of security blankets available in chain retail stores, created the very first Ruggle.
What is a Ruggle? Well, see, she liked the idea behind a tag blanket, but they were too small. Normal blankets were nice, but boring. Then inspiration struck! As a child, she had a Tiger rug she thought her Mom had latch hooked for her. (Turns out the Tiger rug was made for her older brother.) She made her own version, a (stuffed) Tiger skin rug. Cute, but too big to carry. She took that idea, made it smaller and added tag like elements and voila! Ruggles were born.
What is a Ruggle? Well, see, she liked the idea behind a tag blanket, but they were too small. Normal blankets were nice, but boring. Then inspiration struck! As a child, she had a Tiger rug she thought her Mom had latch hooked for her. (Turns out the Tiger rug was made for her older brother.) She made her own version, a (stuffed) Tiger skin rug. Cute, but too big to carry. She took that idea, made it smaller and added tag like elements and voila! Ruggles were born.
Bewhiskered gives Kenzie an outlet for her creativity, allowing her to do fun things with her sons she otherwise couldn't afford and gives her a ready excuse to feed her fabric addiction.
When she initially chose the name Bewhiskered, Kenzie thought she would be selling items for pets. The business evolved from that initial idea, but the name stuck. When asked what the most difficult thing to overcome as an indie business owner was, Kenzie said "it's hard when you're doing something that you love and the money comes organically from that. Especially when, like most other handmade businesses, it's a small start up process and you find success slowly."
Where do all these awesome ideas come from? Kenzie finds inspiration in animals she sees online on blogs, from her customer's special requests and from the big encyclopedia of animals she keeps in her studio.
And you know what's really cool? A portion of Bewhiskered's profits goes to an animal charity each year. She also has several special projects throughout the year to benefit various charities, and donates Ruggles to fundraisers when she can.
Visit Bewhiskered!
Thank you for the feature! :D
ReplyDeleteI'm a little late to the party, but I love this shop! What an awesome concept. So cute!
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