We learned that many families open a new pair a pj’s on Christmas Eve, baking with friends and loved ones is a time honored tradition, and giving to families in need is special time shared by many of our fans.  The Petunia Pickle Bottom team was really inspired by the traditions shared and picked up a few news ones to start in their own families.

In the end, we could only select 3 finalists that needed to rally their friends and family to vote for their tradition to win the highly coveted Red Velvet Cake Cameo Clutch.

Rally and campaign they did, but there could only be one winner, which was Tracy Hanish and her families pickle ornament tradition. Every Christmas Eve the pickle ornament is hung on the tree after the children have gone to bed. On Christmas morning, the first child to find the pickle receives a special present. Congratulations, Tracy and thank you for sharing!

Our Cosmopolitan Carryall in Pistachio Layer Cake

I’m having trouble deciding on which material to get my Boxy Backpack in. What are the differences between the brocade and chenille? And what exactly is the Glazed fabric?

- Cindy, San Francisco, CA

Hi Cindy,

Glad you asked. Choosing a fabric is an important decision as each material creates a distinct style for your PPB bag.

First let me start with why our fabrics our unique. The designs featured in all of the current Petunia Pickle Bottom fabrics are unique and creatively designed by Petunia Pickle Bottom’s fabric development team. This means you won’t find our fabrics anywhere else – we handcraft each exclusive pattern and design to bring you the most innovative and distinct styles on the market. We are constantly researching old world techniques and incorporating a new world twist of pattern and design with our Petunia flair.

Brocade: Our brocades are woven using old world hand looms in China, known for their expertise in this specific weaving technique. Our brocade fabric is made using a silk/rayon blend with a satin weave as the background. Characteristic to all brocades, our fabric features an all-over design which creates a subtly textured surface where the main motif of the design is located. Available on all of our Original Collection bags, the end fabric yields a rich material with a satin luster and saturated colors.

Chenille: This Original Collection fabric is most commonly identified by the use of chenille yarns woven into the design. These yarns are fuzzy resembling a caterpillar which in fact is where the name Chenille came from, meaning “caterpillar” in French. The presence of these yarns results in a soft plush finish in the featured design areas.

Glazed: Our Glazed line of Original Collection bags are constructed out of a matte finish-coated canvas fabric. It is this special PVC-free matte finish that keeps Petunia bags looking chic, not shiny. The durable canvas is also wipe-able and water repellent, combining daring travel-inspired patterns created by our design team with unique hand-embroidered accents.

Finally, though not available in the Boxy Backpack, we also utilize a beautiful cut velvet in our Cake Collection.

Italian Cut Velvet: This fabric is the ultimate in European luxury and often found in fine upholstery and home accents. This fabric, as it sounds, features a plush velvet with areas “cut” out to reveal the linen base cloth.

- Mindy Ehret, Product Design & Development

* Have your own burning question? Email us at blog@petunia.com and be sure to include your name and where you live.*

• Growing Your Baby reports new parents Halle Barry and Gabriel Aubrey picked up a Scout for daddy diaper duty.

• Designers Lindsey and Julie over at Coveiter are big fans of our Cake Collection bags as well as the Scout and Fawn bedding line.

• The Boston Globe’s style gurus named our Cake Collection “tot couture” in their Stylephile posting.

• And the March edition of 805 Living includes two write-ups on owner-designer DeNai Jones and on our Cross Town Clutch as the perfect accessory for moms on-the-go.

We knew the bags in our Cake Collection were deliciously fashionable, but unfortunately, the United States Department of Agriculture thought they were edible too! Our whole line of Cameo Clutches, Society Satchels, and brand new Cosmopolitan Carryalls were recently confiscated when customs officials inadvertently thought our shipping boxes were full of Chocolate Cherry, Pistachio and Mocha Berry Cream cakes. After a thorough search and without finding any crumbs (much to their disappointment), they released the bags. Sorry to disappoint your taste buds USDA!