Winchester mother Cheryl Thomas said she was attending college in California in 2013 when she got the idea to make clothing for children.

“It was originally a graduation project,” Thomas said. “We had to create our own brand.”

That was when Thomas came up with Pintsize, a line of unique, printed onesies for babies. It was after Thomas released the first few outfits she had created that a family member gave her the idea to create clothing for children with autism who may have special sensory needs.

Thomas jumped on the idea, eager to make a difference in the lives of other people, especially children.

But without the money to fund a large startup, Thomas had to get creative about how to bring her dream to life.

“I decided that Etsy is a great place to find creative people,” she said. “So I reached out to about 20 different moms on Etsy and told them what I was doing. From that I found three other moms who I work with to make the clothes.”

From there, Pintsize was able to expand its offerings to include clothing for children as old as 6, and Thomas said she has plans to continue expanding to offer clothing for older children and adults.

Pintsize clothes are designed to be fashionable and functional for people who have sensory needs or issues with the motor skills required to put on some clothing items.

All of the clothing is made from soft fabric suitable for babies with no zippers, buttons, tags or ties.

Additionally, the seams of each piece are made flat and alternate from the inside of the piece to the outside, preventing them from distracting the wearer while also adding versatility to the clothing.

“You can wear every outfit four different ways,” Thomas said. “That’s done so that there’s no wrong way for a child to put on the clothing.”

Thomas said she is always on the lookout for others who want to join the Pintsize team, both to grow the startup and create more job opportunities and to deepen the creative pool when it comes to designing the outfits.

She also said she is planning on putting together a catalog showcasing other outfits for both children and adults.

To learn more or to browse the clothing Pintsize currently has available, visit. www.lovepintsize.com.

The company can also be found on Facebook and Twitter @lovepintsize.