Glenna Jean is a well-known designer and manufacturer of premium baby crib bedding and accessories, available through baby specialty stores and online retailers. One of Glenna Jean's sets is Libbie, which was introduced in late 2005. The Libbie bedding collection is a visually striking set with ruffles and fringe for those who desire a very feminine appearance for their baby girl's room decor. With a four-piece crib set retailing for $400 or more, Libbie is far more expensive than many popular themed bedding collections from other national brands, such as Kidsline and Lambs & Ivy. Then again, it is far less expensive than custom-made crib bedding with comparable fabric quality and styling. If the price is within your budget, this is truly premium quality merchandise that more than justifies the price.

Libbie comes as a four-piece set which includes a quilt, bumper, crib skirt, and fitted sheet. There is also a five-piece option with your choice of a pillow or diaper stacker available. All pieces are also sold separately. The collection is made from a 60/40 cotton/poly blend and is machine washable. As with most bedding collections, accessories are available to enhance the nursery. A common accessory not available in the Libbie pattern is a hamper. On the other hand, Glenna Jean is making available a number of accessories not normally seen, including: a memory board, a chandelier, and various signs for decorating the walls.

The pattern used in Libbie is a genuine patchwork, in which each patch of fabric is sewn together to create the pattern used; rather than a printed patchwork in which the "patches" are printed onto the same fabric and stitching is used to make the patches appear independent of each other. The quilt is comprised of several squares of each of the main fabrics used in the bedding collection - pink toile and gingham, solid pink chenille, green cable knit, pink and cream star pattern. Upon close inspection of each of the fabrics, I am pleased that Glenna Jean has used only premium quality fabrics. The quality of the stitching and overall workmanship is very good, as I would expect at this price point.

The bumper measures 9.5" tall with pink satin ties on the top only. One minor flaw of the bumper is that is in one continuous piece, which makes washing more of a chore. The bumper features a "poodle fringe" along the top. The fringe is created from thin, kinked threads of pink and green and is soft to the touch. It's an interesting addition to the bumper. Another feature of the bumper is the patchwork pattern appears on both sides of the bumper. In many cases, the inward facing part of the bumper features the patterns used in the collection, while the outward facing area is a plaid or another striped fabric used as a background. The fitted crib sheet is a cream fleece, which is also on the back of the quilt. The crib skirt has a 15" drop and features the fringe in a pom pom form.

Because Libbie merchandise is assembled in the United States, it can be particularly appealing for Canadian customers purchasing from a US retailer. It can be shipped to Canada duty-free, thereby avoiding charges of 17% or more of the purchase price that apply to bedding manufactured in China or India.

If you prefer the fringe look of Libbie, you could look at Isabella, also by Glenna Jean.

Katherine L is a Copywriter/Customer Service Representative for BabySuperMall, an online resource for Baby Room Dcor, including Libbie Bedding by Glenna Jean