About Mimi Blankets

Mimi blankets were inspired by my daughter, Sofia.

At a young age, Sofia was diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder called Rett Syndrome. This condition affects 1 in 10,000 and we were told on the day of her diagnosis that Sofia would most likely not walk or speak or be able to use her hands and the rest of her body to function properly. Since that day we have had many hard challenges, but Sofia has taught us love, dedication and strength to name a few.  

The idea of the Mimi blanket came about one cold morning as I was taking Sofia on a walk in her wheelchair. I had her rugged up with a blanket tucked over her body and into the sides of her wheelchair so it wouldn’t fall off. As Sofia loves the outdoors she gets quite excited and shows this excitement through bouncing her legs and as soon as this happened I had to stop to adjust the blanket. I felt like every few metres I was adjusting the blanket. I knew then that I needed to create a blanket that doesn’t fall off and after several alterations the Mimi blanket was created. 

It is a blanket that is easy to put on and it’s versatility allows it to be worn wherever you go. There is no need for the hassle of taking shoulder straps off the wheelchair/stroller like you would when putting on a jacket. The Mimi blanket is effortless, saves time, is comfortable, warm and stylish!

The first design of the Mimi blanket

Our first Mimi blankets were made at home out of love of sewing. The very first blanket started off with cutting a hole in two pieces of material and simply sewing it together. I still remember as I put this first blanket on Sofia and I started getting so many ideas on how to improve it!

Every day forward I worked on the details for the design of the blanket - adding snap buttons to the neck hole so the blanket could button up and keep the chest warm, quality binding to withstand any chewing and wear, a detachable hood for those who need one and side straps to prevent the wind from blowing up the feet of the blanket.

2.5yrs work in progress…

Almost a year later I decided to take the step and go for achieving something bigger - getting this beautiful blanket out to the world. I approached several companies before I found the right one that produced excellent quality sewing and beautiful outcomes. The company agreed to sew my design so I ordered samples in different materials and the results were exciting.

I spent much time sewing several iterations of the blanket design. I was striving to make this a high quality and long-lasting blanket, with the correct measurements that would fit most people and would last for many growing years to come. After sourcing fabric samples and choosing the right quality and sensory-feel fabric, I sewed blankets for Sofia and she tested these many times through wash and wear for durability.

The final steps towards our goal

Although things were progressing there were still some minor changes that needed to be done to the blankets as well as the packaging design and website. For us to proceed and achieve our goal we needed to ask the public for funding support and that’s when I started a campaign on the Kickstarter platform. Sofia and I received overwhelming support and we had reached our funding goal and more - the amount of contributions we received will allow us to donate almost 90 blankets to those in need.

Now almost two months later (Oct 2021) we are about to receive our first small order from the manufacturer. The blankets will be checked for quality and correct design and depending on the outcome, I will be making changes and re-ordering or (if they are perfect) I will make a larger order to distribute to all our supporters and donate to people in need of a blanket. The blankets are also available to pre-order through this website.

The reason behind the design of a large neck hole is not only to make it easy to put on but also because some people may dislike putting something over their face. With the large opening the blanket goes over the head without covering the face and then is simply clipped into place with the side adjustments.

A strip of fabric has also been added to each side of the blanket towards the bottom, with clips that can be used to clip onto a wheelchair or stroller to prevent the wind from lifting up the blanket. The hood is also detachable, as not everyone prefers or needs a hood.

The blankets will come in different materials for the different seasons. The summer material will be a lightweight, soft bamboo. The spring/autumn blanket is made from beautifully printed minky material on top with a soft minky dot layer beneath. The winter blanket is printed minky on top with a thick warm berber fleece layer beneath. There is also a soft waterproof/windproof version of the blanket.

My goal for this project is to produce beautifully made, long-lasting & affordable wheelchair/stroller blankets that are comfortable, versatile and loved by the wearer.