May 2026 | Vol. 23 Iss.5
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Midvale
Classical music
Special Section
What to know about business licensing
Page 15
New festival coming from the arts council
Page 19
Blankets by Brian shaped by craft and memory By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com
Local blanket artisan wraps his customers with care.
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ong before he created Blankets by Brian, Brian Severson used sewing as a way to connect with the people he loved the most. Growing up in Heber, which was then a small, rural community, Severson often felt excluded but his Grandma Beverly and Grandma Bonnie took him under their wings. Their unconditional love and easy companionship taught him a deep appreciation for quilting, sewing, crocheting and Doris Day. Even his Blankets by Brian logo is a tribute to their memory, a lower case “b” (for Brian) nestled between two capital “B”s. “They were my best friends and the inspiration for my sewing,” he said. “My grandmas were always my shield. They never treated me like a child. I was always their equal. We talked and, wow, we laughed so hard.” Those hours spent with his grandmothers, creating items with thread and fabric, would later shape Severson’s career path. When he discovered the ultra-soft minky fabric he became obsessed with the plush texture and would splurge on yards of the material. Severson started Blankets by Brian in 2015, creating products that rival his biggest competitors. When his best friend was going through a terrible divorce, he made her a minky blanket with customized charms sewn into the seams. The charms represented things that mattered most to her. Severson wanted the blanket to be more than a comfort, but a reminder that life is worth living.
“I told her, ‘Look, you’re crashing. You’re not even at zero. You’re negative, like you’ve got nothing. All I need you to do is this. You just need to get back to zero to survive. And so the challenge is to look through or feel through the seam of the blanket and find the charms.’” Severson runs his company out of his Midvale home, where he lives with his husband, George. He even used his Grandma Bonnie’s original WWII-era Singer sewing machine when he first started, before upgrading to an industrial machine. His handcrafted, creative and innovative products are made with luxurious minky fabrics including wraps that button around the shoulders, a travel blanket that comes with a minky pouch that doubles as a pillow, and blankets in all sizes. He also has a line of fidget blankets, perfect for neurodivergent or autistic children and adults. “A friend of mine works with neurodivergent kids and said she could use a fidget toy because the kids have so much energy, it’s like running an engine at full speed in a car that’s on blocks,” Severson said. “But fidget toys are often loud and distracting to other kids. So I worked it out, and I made this fidget blanket that was quiet. You can put it on your lap or on your desk.” The minky fidget blankets come in two sizes, a hand-held mini-fidget and a lapsized meditation maze. Both blankets are lined in satin and have free-floating marbles sewn into the layers. “The big one has a maze and you push the marbles through the maze,” he said. “Then it has the embroidery, the satin, a furry side and a flat fur on the other side.
There’s just so many different tactile things going on there that if you’re fidgety, you’re going to be good.” Severson said he has a blanket for every budget, desire and theme, from holiday blankets to fan art. With every product handmade with care, he thinks his grandmothers would be proud.
“Everything goes through my hands,” he said. “I’m not a mass-producing blanket store. I think about every blanket that I’m making, then I wrap it up in a ribbon. When you buy one of my blankets, it’s made locally and you support local.” To learn more about his products, visit BlanketsByBrian.com. l
Using bolts of luxurious minky fabric, Brian Severson makes customized blankets, wraps and fidgets. (Peri Kinder/City Journals)
Ho Ho or Humdrum? Navigating Mental Health During the Holidays
Thank O You
ur favorite big box stores and online ads have been reminding us for weeks that the holidays are to our Community Sponsors for just around the corner. Happy time, right? supporting City Surprisingly theJournals holidays can be a time of increased stress and can trigger mental health challenges for many. A 2023 survey by the American Psychological Association found that 89% of U.S. adults feel stressed
Loneliness. The holidays can create a heightened sense of loneliness for those who are separated from loved one or grieving a loss. According to Dr. Jared Lambert, a CommonSpirit family medicine physician in West Jordan, there are several things we can do to manage holiday stress and even find joy in a season that is meant to be joyful.
– sleep, exercise, and healthy eating – still matter at this time of year. Third – Set a budget. Having a financial plan going into the holidays helps with avoiding excessive spending. There’s nothing quite so deflating as January credit card bills that exceed what we can afford. Fourth – Find joy in small things. Make time to talk to a friend or family member who