FAQ

Yes! I have used everything from baby outfits, adult sweaters, pyjamas, pillow cases, quilts, even school uniforms. I cannot use real fur, leather, lace or sheer fabric. If you have any questions about whether your fabric will work, please contact me before ordering.

Onesies (also called bodysuits, creepers, diaper shirts) and little pants, even multiple ones, are too small to use for the main parts of our keepsake animals, but I can use them as the accent fabric (ears, paws, snout) in most cases. If you have a special onesie or two piece outfit, feel free to send them along with something larger, such as a footed sleeper or blanket.

Please send freshly laundered, stain- and damage-free fabric for your keepsake whenever possible. I will try to avoid using stained parts of your fabric, though with baby clothes I generally cannot avoid using any part of the clothing. Stains can become darker and more pronounced when I prepare your fabric for sewing and will be noticeable on the completed keepsake.
Fabric with multiple holes makes things challenging, but not impossible. Please send a photo of your fabric to info@nestlingkeepsakes.com and I will let you know what I can use it for.

The smaller the piece of clothing, the less likely it is that I will be able to match up stripes, but I will always do our best to make the pattern pieces complement each other. My goal is always to make the most attractive keepsake each and every time.

If you have ideas on how you would like specific pieces of your fabric to be used, please let me know and I will follow your requests whenever possible. Please have a look at as many photos of my keepsakes as you can prior to ordering to get an idea of how completed keepsakes will look. You can trust me to make the best choices to highlight your special fabrics on your keepsake animal.

My waitlist for custom designed keepsake animals not currently in the menagerie is now closed indefinitely. I am just too busy for the complicated and time consuming work of designing new animals.

I do not make or alter clothes or alter keepsake designs to fit existing clothing.

Yes! I now sell Printable PDF Memory Bear sewing patterns and tutorials, printed memory bear patterns with shipping available, and full Memory Bear making kits. These are the same patterns I've been using here at Nestling Keepsakes for many years! Browse my selection here: MEMORY BEAR SEWING PATTERNS
More animal patterns will become available for sale as my schedule allows. Creating a great quality sewing tutorial is a time consuming project that cannot be rushed.

Unfortunately a repetitive strain injury means I have to severely limit the amount of hand stitching I do. I only offer machine embroidery now out of necessity.

We only offer one embroidery font, as it works well with most fabrics, colours and keepsake designs.

This depends on several factors: the type of keepsake, the size, the length of the embroidery (four letters vs. ten letters).
For "sitting" animals, like the bear, fox, kitty, etc., initials and dates always go on the feet. For names, if it will fit on a foot I will place it there, otherwise it goes on the back.
For other animals, embroidery goes on the side(s) or back.
I cannot embroider on the curved bellies of most animals, or on the wings of angel bears or dragons.
If you have a preference for embroidery placement, please let me know and I will accomodate your request if possible.

I do not offer discounts. I routinely make orders of 5-20 memorial animals. My process and pricing remains the same regardless of the number of items ordered, as the care and craft that goes into each one does not change with quantity.

I don't generally have sales or discounts, but in the very rare occasion that I do, my email subscribers find out first, then my social media followers.
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Yes. Shipping costs vary widely according to parcel size and region so it is not possible to anticipate those costs. Clients find that sending their fabric by postal service (Canada Post/USPS) to be the most reliable and economical. Please contact your local postal service for more information. We generally do not accept international parcels through UPS, FedEx, Loomis, DHL or other couriers due to high customs charges, except in the event of a postal strike.

Yes! Gift cards can be used as payment towards any item or combination of items on www.nestlingkeepsakes.com / www.nestlingkids.com 

Perfect as holiday gifts, baby shower gifts or sympathy memorial gifts, Nestling Keepsakes gift cards are delivered by email and contain redemption instructions. Purchase yours here.