Mother’s Day 2022: short notice product ideas your business can profit from right now

If you have a screen printer or a digital printer, and if you’re good with a wooden frame and a staple gun, then fabric wall art could be the way to go.  Just take your printed fabric and stretch it over a wooden frame … it really couldn’t be simpler. 

This no-sew product is great if your designs include specific locations (villages, local points of interest etc.), pets (dalmatians, cocker spaniels etc.), or catchy family-friendly text slogans. You can keep the product quite small, too. It doesn’t need to be a vast canvas that can hang above the hearth. A small square that fits neatly on a windowsill can be just as valuable. 

You can attach your label directly to the wood with some adhesive or staples, saving you valuable sewing time. 

If you have some great statement fabric and a sewing machine, try cushions! Most cushion covers have a zipper built in, but this fiddly detail isn’t a requirement. If you’re covering blank cushions then you can use a flap closure (similar to what you might see on a pillowcase). If you’re using loose filling, then simply stuff the cushion and sew it shut.

A cushion is a great medium for souvenir and memento-styled designs, similar to fabric wall art, so don’t be afraid to have fun with it. You can create some really interesting cushion shapes, too, but if time is really tight, you might want to stick to simple squares and let the fabric do the talking. 

One quick safety note: make sure that the materials you use comply with UK fire safety rules (see our guide for more info). 

If you’ve got some beautiful silk, high-grade cotton fabric or microfibre cloth in your stores, then you’ve got everything you need to make and sell spectacle wipes! A few minutes with pinking shears and an iron and you can have a stack of beautiful eyeglass wipes ready to sell. 

With a product as simple as a glasses wipe, you need to start out with some exceptional fabric. Fine-woven material is a must. Vibrant colours, gorgeous patterns and intricate details will help you, too. 

Avoid any extra details or finishes that add bulk to the eyeglass wipe. If you do want to add some embroidery, keep it small and tight. You don’t want any threads to get caught in the hinges of your customer’s spectacles.

Sometimes, all a mum needs is a little time to herself! If your customer’s budget won’t stretch to spa days and weekends away, then a fabric eye mask could be just what they’re looking for … especially  if they’re shopping for a sleep-deprived new mum. 

Eye masks require a bit more skill than most of the ideas on this list. You’ll need a sewing machine, elastic, satin and some tight-woven fabric for the middle of the eye mask (a sleep mask can’t let any light through). 

Have fun with this one and make sure every design stands out. Consider packaging each eye mask in its own box to make it really stand out. For ideas on sustainable packaging, read our guide.

If you’ve got faux fur, long pile fabric or any kind of tufted material or velvet on hand, then consider making a few hot water bottle covers! With heating bills skyrocketing this year, a lot of mothers will be glad of a handcrafted hot water bottle cover. 

The dimensions of a standard hot water bottle vary depending on whether it’s a 2 litre, 1 litre or 0.8 litre bottle size. Make sure that the material you use won’t heat up too quickly (you might need to add a few layers of lining to your fabric), and always include a flap at the top to reduce the chances of the bottle top being unscrewed by a child.  

Mother’s Day is all about giving one person a little moment of personal indulgence … but a full bedding set takes a lot of time to produce. If you’re trying to get a bedding product out in time for Mothering Sunday, then a single statement pillowcase could be perfect. 

Pillowcases are small and light, making them easy to pack and post. They also don’t require a vast amount of fabric, so you can make a good margin even if you use a premium cotton or satin. If you want to work with silk, just remember that it’s not to everyone’s taste. Silk has insulative properties that other fabrics don’t, and some people can find them too hot to sleep under. Learn more in our guide to silk. 

If your shoppers are looking for homeware-related gifts, consider fabric placemats! Placemats are simple to make and they’re the perfect gift for a mother who loves to entertain but hates feeling like they’re chained to the kitchen. 

A well-made placemat is a great homeware gift that can help your customer’s mum to bring joy to family occasions for years to come. It also carries none of the connotations of a tea towel or apron. Go for simple hems, hardy machine-washable fabrics and make sure you produce enough of each design so  that you can sell your product in sets of 4 or 6 (ideally paired with a matching coaster).