Pattern design for a woven blanket for babies

Oops, we did it again!

If they so wish, all newborn Finns with their families receive a maternity package from KELA, an independent social security institution supervised by the Finnish Parliament. The content of the package is updated every year with an open tender. Last year we supplied Lithuania-based Barker Textiles with a pattern design for a woven blanket for babies, and that blanket was chosen for the 2022 package. Now, KELA has published the content for the 2023 package, and Barker Textile’s blanket with our design is in the box for the upcoming year as well. How cool is that?!

For the 2023 edition, the designer of the blanket is Miira Zukale. The pattern was originally designed as a repeat with a paper-cut technique. It had plenty of elements, colors, and buzz – too much for a woven blanket. First, Miira chose which elements would be necessary for a blanket for babies. Then she checked that the elements were suitable for manufacturing. Later on, additional versions of the woven repeat were tested, and in this final version of a woven blanket for babies, the friends in the forest are playing catch on a trail.

In a tender of this size, Barker Textile’s outstanding quality for the blankets plays the most important role: besides being very safe for the baby, the blanket is also durable: it will keep its colors and shape without problems even when washed in high temperatures and according to the washing instructions.

The history of the package dates back to 1938 when the first newborns and their mothers received aid from a governmental institution. This aid has had its role in keeping child mortality levels very low in Finland throughout the years.

It would be nice to see how families with newborns use the baby blanket! Do you use it only during the cold season, or does the blanket follow you to the beach or picnics? Please tag your image with #patternsfromagency on Instagram, so that we can feature it in our Instagram stories!