Meet the Maker: Why Handmade & Shopping Small Matters

Hey there! I’m Mindy, the hands, heart, and hustle behind Milkweed Baby—a small but mighty handmade business creating embroidered hats, patches, sewn goods and unique accessories from my Prairie Village, Kansas studio.

I didn’t exactly set out to start a business—it just kind of happened. I’ve always been a maker, never without a creative project in the works. But when I started dating my husband (a natural-born sales guy), he saw something more. He encouraged me to put my work out into the world, and before I knew it, what was once a personal passion became a full-fledged business.

Why Handmade? Because It Means More.

In a world where mass production is the norm, handmade pieces tell a different story. Every hand-embroidered hat, stitched pouch and small-batch piece has the little variations that show an actual person made it.

If you want to see that work up close, browse my hand-embroidered collection. It brings together one-of-a-kind hats, zipper pouches, clutches, bows and other pieces stitched by hand.

Handmade is Personal. When you buy from a small maker, you’re getting someone’s creativity, time and point of view—not something designed to look exactly like ten thousand others.

Quality Over Quantity. Small-batch making lets me pay attention to the details: the fabric, thread, stitching, finishing and all the tiny choices that make a piece feel special.

It Supports a Real Maker. When you shop Milkweed, you’re supporting an independent Kansas City-area business and helping me keep making the weird, pretty, playful things I want to put into the world.

The Story Behind My Work

My love for embroidery started young—taught to me by my honorary grandmother when I was just four or five years old. Over the years, I picked up sewing, crocheting and painting. Creativity has always been my outlet, and embroidery eventually became one of the biggest parts of my work.

I use a mix of techniques across Milkweed—machine embroidery, hand embroidery, sewing, heat pressing and graphic design. But the pieces in the hand-embroidered shop are where you can really see the slow-made side of the brand: visible stitches, tiny details and designs that don't need to be perfectly identical to be beautiful.

A Safe Space for Creativity & Community

Milkweed Baby isn’t just about handmade accessories—it’s about making things with personality and finding the people who get them. This space is welcoming to all—except for hate.

Thank You for Being Here

Whether you’re here to shop, follow along or just see what I’m making, I appreciate you. Every order from a small handmade business matters.

If you like pieces with visible handwork, unexpected color and a little bit of attitude, start with the Hand-Embroidered collection →