Much Ado About Something: Part 2 High End, Mid Range, and Budget Machine Wovens

The other question that I see a lot asked in groups and forums concerns the different types of machine woven wraps–usually jacquard machine woven wraps. These are wraps that are woven by machines in mills. Their wrap qualities are different than a handwoven and can be different from each other in many respects.

One of the differences comes in fiber choice. Hemp, linen, wool, cotton, silk, bamboo and more are all available in blends and triblends and quad blends. The materials affect the price. An all cotton machine woven wrap is less costly to make than a linen/wool/cotton triblend for instance. Cost is usually determined by the mill, the quantity made, the cost of the fiber, the cost of finishing, the cost of operations for the wrap company, plus profit, plus name.

High End wraps are usually made with expensive materials, which raises the cost paid by consumers. Also, high end wraps are thought to be made in lower quantities, which would raise the amount passed to the customer for the mill. Generally, in business, the less product made the more you pay for the production of it. Walmart pays less for milk than the local grocer because they order more milk and do it consistently, so they can dictate the price they are willing to pay and are offered discounts more often as a result as well. The same works for wrap companies.

In the interest of keeping it honest, I will be saying some things that will not be popular. These are merely my opinions. They are not meant to be “fighting words” or an attempt to start a war about wraps. I love all wraps–the $50 used storch and the $1,000 meeyo or artipoppe or whatever. But I am going to be honest for the rest of this time and not try to sugar coat the truth, or what I have done in the last post and this post, which is put a positive spin on my opinion as to not hurt feelings.

Budget wraps are wraps between $50-$150 in general. They are usually made with simple materials and in high volumes. Many companies have stock patterns and stock blends. These wraps are usually made with cotton or are cotton blends. My favorite budget wrap is a Yaro, as pictured below.

[image: chest pass of a double hammock in Yaro la Vita, a green wrap with a repeating design of black leaves with inner green leaves]

Mid range wraps are $150-$300. They are usually made with more diverse and higher quality materials in smaller volumes and in more limited releases.

High end wraps are $300 and above. They are made with higher quality materials in smaller volumes and usually single releases or limited releases.

The differences between budget wraps and exclusive releases of budget wraps are zero as far as actual wrap and quality. A standard stock release of Girasol primevera wraps exactly the same as a Pax exclusive. The only difference is in number of wraps woven.

The difference between a budget wrap and a mid range wrap is fairly similar. The mid range wraps are usually smaller in number. The smaller number of wraps available makes the product more desirable and the price reflects that. Also, the materials tend to be of a higher quality and there are less imperfections. For instance, I had that yaro. It was in great shape when it arrived, but there were loose threads in the hem. This doesn’t affect safety at all, just a minor imperfection. Weaver’s knots, loose threads, skipped threads, and imperfect hems are pretty common in budget wraps.

Mid range wraps often tend to have more care put into them in the finishing. My favorite mid range wrap brand is Fire Spiral Slings. They come with a tote and bag. They usually come finished (meaning that they’ve been washed). The quality is great and the materials are more carefully selected. You’ll find combed cotton instead of just cotton. Blends are often available. For example this Fispi seafoam, which is cotton and linen blend.

[image: Peter in Fire Spiral Obsidian Eclipse Seafoam, a blue wrap with the design of crashing waves or seafoam in black]

High End wraps are typically very small releases and often require the luck of the draw with invoicing or fastest fingers purchasing on release days. They are made from higher quality materials than budget wraps, although there are high end wraps made of just cotton also. They are usually in perfect condition when they arrive. Attention to detail in the finishing. They may or may not come in loom state, depending on the company. They usually come with a tote and swag–bracelets, etc.

Based on all of this information, on my experience, and on wrap qualities across the board, I will say that I find the biggest difference to be between the budget wraps and the mid range wraps. The materials are better, the quality is better, the designs are usually better.

In my opinion and experience there is absolutely no difference between a mid range wrap and a high end wrap in the quality of materials, finishing, or wrap quality. High End wraps are mostly about hype. The chatter groups and online forums dedicated to specific brands and their fans are what make high end wraps expensive. Buying a high end wrap is buying exclusivity.

Once you get into high end machine wovens, it is about keeping up, about having the latest, about status. If you are able to get there, then it becomes pretty tight community wise. This is something that a lot of people stay around for…a family sense amongst fans for a particular brand.

This does not mean that mid range wrap chatter groups do not have tight knit fan bases or that you cannot find a community feel in a budget chatter group. It means that the pool of potential community members is limited to those who are of the same mind when it comes to high end machine woven wraps.

The Rub
There is absolutely nothing wrong with collecting high end wraps. If you have the money and love a particular style or brand of wrap, then I have no issue with you in the least. I do, however, have an issue with exploiting vulnerable new moms without the income to have large stashes of high end wraps. I don’t think this is intentional. New moms want to feel close to their baby, they want to feel connected to other mothers, they are often secluded and lonely. I found community and closeness within these groups. I found friends and acceptance. I also found myself needing to purchase wraps to “belong” and my stash felt like a direct reflection of my appreciation for my friends. My stash became a symbol for my seriousness, for my status, for everything.

It became less and less about the act of carrying my baby for practical reasons and became a weird race and obsession with trading and buying and selling wraps that I had no business having–wraps that were so expensive that I didn’t feel comfortable wearing them to do chores or go for walks. I became imprisoned by these expensive pieces of fabric almost. I had hundreds of dollars sitting on a shelf that served no purpose aside from being my ticket to fitting in, to having friends, to belonging somewhere. I was desperate to hold onto something for just me. To have something to be that incorporated being a mother without being about motherhood.

If I can save even one person from doing this, then it is worth it to me. I am not wealthy. I do not have the disposable income to spend large amounts of money on wraps. Ultimately, wraps are utilitarian. They are for a purpose. My lifestyle and my children and my income limit me to easy wraps that are easy to care for and inexpensive. If your lifestyle is tidy and you wrap for fashion and have money for the high end wraps and exclusivity is your thing, then that’s okay! I have no issues with that at all. That just isn’t my life. It isn’t who I am or why I wear, and that is okay too.

We all contribute how we can and from where we are to make the community what it is. Your stash size does not reflect who you are, your seriousness about babywearing, or anything about you. There are women with one budget wrap that wear every single day. There are women with 20 high end wraps that no longer have babies to wear. Both of these women belong to the babywearing community. Neither should feel ashamed or embarrassed about their stash. My issue is with that underlying sense that the woman with one wrap should feel obligated to purchase more in order to belong; that she hasn’t spent enough money on her ticket and is therefore not as worthy. This idea is not said outright. The high end community is nice and pleasant. In my experience, they would not and do not overtly say these things nor do they necessarily believe them either. It is not purposeful. Intention doesn’t really matter though, impact does. The impact that these wraps and groups have on new moms can be extremely negative for those who do not have the income to be involved.

In the case of high end machine wovens…it really is much ado about nothing.

Much Ado about Something: Part 1–Handwovens

One of the most asked questions that I hear and see in groups is “Why are handwovens so different? Why do the cost SO MUCH? Are they really that much different than X budget brand?” These are the same questions that pop up when new babywearers come across High End machine wovens like Artipoppe, Kokoro, Sling Studios, Woven Wings, etc.

Firstly, and most importantly, I am going to stop here and say No. I need to say no right now and address something that will come up in a different post later and at length. Babywearing is for everyone. I do not want you to leave this post thinking that you NEED anything that will force you to spend outside of your means. Wrapping with a budget wrap does not make you less of a babywearer than the wearer with twenty handwovens. Owning one wrap does not make you less serious about wrapping than owning fifty.

Secondly, I am a wrapper. I do not weave. This is from a wrappers perspective only. I present the information as I have come to understand it. I am totally out of my element speaking about weaves and I am sure I will miss very important things from the perspective of weavers. It is not my intention to misrepresent anyone–I only wish to help wrappers and make sense of my own feelings as I go.

This is purely about the differences or lack thereof between handwovens and machine wovens, then further on the difference or lack thereof between high end machine wovens, mid range wovens, and budget wovens.

Handwoven Wraps
Handwoven wraps refer to wraps woven by hand on a loom by an artist either by commission or custom or completely designed by the weaver. They are typically $300 and above, and depending on the weave, weaver, and material, much more. They are usually much smaller in quantity–think two to three pieces per warp, though I am sure that there are weavers who do more.

Why so much?
Well, you are paying for several things when you are paying for a handwoven wrap. You are paying for an artist to create a work of art–that artist is entirely responsible for creating the design, sourcing the material, dealing one on one with a customer (even if you bought secondhand, they usually do work with someone along the way), the weaving, the finishing, the shipping. The weaving takes time. It is definitely an art form. Weaving is the only art form that requires you to envision the end result before you even begin setting up the loom. There is not much room for editing–maybe no room for editing once the warp has begun.

The Rub
Here’s the rub, because all handwovens are woven by different people with different materials and in different weaves, it is near impossible to generalize about wrap quality, quality of wraps, weave quality, etc. I will try my best because I do think that some generalizations about handwovens can be made, but I encourage lots of personal research and taking my advice with a grain of salt.

Plainweave is usually light and airy. Wraps like an ace bandage and shines well in multipass carries. If you like long wraps, then a plainweave is where it is at. Tends to require precision in wrapping to be comfortable, and it does sag over time with larger babies.

[image: close up shot of Uppymama plain weave wrap. The colors are green, blue, white, turquoise, red in varying sizes]

Heart weave feels very similar to plain weave and twill. I find that the complicated weave makes for a tighter and more supportive wrap. Very moldable and light but structured. Shines in mid length or long sizes. Less sag associated with it than a plainweave, but it does still require a precise wrap job.

[image: chestpass selfie of a heart weave. Gradient of dark blue to light to purple to dark purple]

Twill is great for midlength carries as well. The weave looks similar to the weave of denim jeans. It’s stronger than hearts or plainweave. However, it looks pretty plain in my opinion and often has a lower price tag as a result. Because companies like Girasol and Nunamoochie also provide handwoven cotton twill wraps, it is not worth the extra in my opinion for an all cotton plain twill.

Broken twills are different. The ones I have tried are thick and strong and perfect shorties. Moldable and easy, forgiving of sloppy wrap jobs, and beautiful. I wouldn’t suggest a thick broken twill handwoven for a long wrap as they are difficult to execute in multipass carries because of the texture and grip associated with the weave.

[image: chestpass and shepherd’s knot in balanced broken twill wrap. Blue to yellow to orange gradient]

So, are they worth it? Are they that much different?
Short answer: Yes. They are very different than a machine woven wrap. No matter what weave or weaver or materials you choose, they are very different to wrap with than a jacquard wrap. Handwovens provide more stretch and moldability. They, in my opinion, are the only wraps that can be described as having “ace bandage” wrap quality, or that can feel like a “second skin.” These qualities also mean that, in general, your wrap job needs to be precise. These are not wraps you can just throw on in two seconds without carefully tightening and go.

I, personally, love a great handwoven wrap. I love the artistry, I love the weave, I love the wrap quality. Would I choose one over a machine woven? Maybe. Do I think everyone needs to try one? For sure. Do I think that everyone needs to buy one? No, I don’t.

Getting a handwoven–especially a custom is a large investment that will often result in a loss when selling on. It’s important to keep that in mind if you are not comfortable getting a full return on a wrap in sales. Some handwoven wraps are highly sought after and popular, but in general, yes you will lose money.  Do I think it’s worth it? Yes, I do. I see the money lost in sales to be the rent I pay to try a wrap. Because handwovens are pieces of art, their “rent” is higher.

My biggest suggestion for those who are curious about handwovens is to search for information. Join the chatter groups on Facebook. My favorite is Loom to Wrap, which has such great files and reviews for weavers. See if there are any local babywearers in your area that would let you see a handwoven in person and wrap with it. Most babywearers I know are more than happy to help people figure out what is best for them.

You Can’t Go Home Again, Except When You Can: A Review

Wraps can serve many purposes and fulfill many needs, and sometimes those needs are practical and, well, sometimes those needs are purely emotional. Then, as if by divine intervention, you find a wrap that meets you perfectly in the middle exactly where you are.

I’m going to get mushy and sentimental because this wrap takes me to a place that I’ve spent a good deal of my life running from.

I grew up in a tiny town in northwest Kansas called Osborne. My very large family is from there, and I spent most of my childhood safely nestled inside of acres and acres of wheat fields, blanketed by a forever blue and endless sky with only the occasional windmill and grain elevator in my periphery. The smell of harvest and rain fill my nose when I remember it.

So, when Bijou wear came out with their Windmills wrap, I knew I had to have one. Specifically, I had to have High Plains (because duh, I’m from the high plains). I was also interested in trying Eco2Cotton. I am a fiber geek and love trying out new blends and fibers.

[image: chest pass selfie with a candy cane chest belt with Bijou wear Windmills High Plains. The color is two tones: natural white cotton and a grey and brown oatmeal color. The design is a repeating windmill design in varying sizes. This shows the natural white side out with grey/brown windmills.]

Fiber and Weave

This is a machine woven wrap with a white cotton warp and an Eco2Cotton weft. Eco2Cotton is a yarn made from recycled cotton products like the scraps in a t-shirt factory. Bijou chose to keep this recycled cotton in its natural state, so it is even more environmentally friendly. The natural, rustic feel of the eco2cotton gives this wrap a snuggly, hoodie type feel. It isn’t heavy, but it isn’t light in hand either. It is 325gsm, so it has weight, but it isn’t cumbersome. The wrap is tapered and has a small square “B” middle marker on both sides.

Price

Bijou wraps start at $125, making them very budget friendly for the quality. The resale value at the time of this post for this specific wrap is probably retail, maybe a little less.

The Company

Bijou Wear is owned and operated by Jaime Gassmann. According to the Bijou Wear site, she pays fair wages, seeks out environmentally friendly materials, and contributes to charity. Specifically, she donates to the Carrying On Project, which donates carriers to military service members. All wraps are woven and finished within the U.S.

http://bijouwear.com/pages/about-us

Advertisements and Chatter Pages

On the site there are is a variety of models of different background, size, and gender. The chatter group on Facebook is also diverse. This gives a friendly and inclusive vibe. The Facebook fan page is called Bijou Buzz. The group is still small and is a fairly tight knit community. The owner is often about and easily accessible to her customers and fan base. This is a smart and customer focused way to create buzz about your wraps and increase sales because customers feel connected to the owner and have a sense of ownership in the company.

Chatter pages and fan pages oftentimes have a great impact on my opinion of a brand. I do a lot of research when I am interested in a brand. I search their website, ask around, and I join their chatter and fan pages. I lurk around and read comments and threads, I check market values, and I get a feel for the overall attitude of the people within the community. Community is a big deal in the babywearing world, and for me specifically, because I am one of the only, if not the only, babywearer in my town. So, the only way for me to find people to geek out on wraps and fibers and carries is through Facebook.

So, I ask myself “is this space inclusive? what is the general attitude about market value? what is the role of the wrap company in the group? does this place feel safe? are questions of dissent, concern, or criticism ignored, deleted, or addressed and how? how intense is the obsession with this brand?” How these questions are answered can and does affect my desire to own a wrap by said company–even a wrap I was dying for just two days ago.

Also, most brand specific pages are where resale often happens. So, if I love a wrap and am curious about a company, then I have to be involved on their chatter page. If I don’t want to be involved on their chatter page because of the aforementioned issues (or any issues that matter to me like attitude toward social justice, diversity in advertisements, the sourcing of materials, fair wages for mill workers), then I’ll just not own their wrap.

All of that to say, I really like Bijou Buzz. It has a great, low maintenance, laid back feel. The community is diverse and supportive with a mix between professional looking action shots and disheveled mama in pajamas selfies.

Wrap Quality

Finally, my favorite part of the review. The most important part: How does it wrap? Well, the cotton side glides easily and the eco2cotton side grips fantastically. It has so much texture that it is amazing. Here’s a pic:

[image: selfie shot of Autumn in Bijou Wear Windmills High plains. Pic is of the left shoulder in a ruck tied Tibetan. The grey/brown side is facing out on the shoulder and the windmills are white. The Tibetan tie off shows the white side with oatmeal windmills. This is a closeup of the texture. The picture is taken outdoors, so there is a wood fence and trees in the background as well as a curly top of a toddler. Autumn is wearing a green, blue, brown, and white flannel shirt.]

The combination of texture and smoothness that is achieved with the windmill design makes it a dream to wrap. It glides when you need it to and sticks when you need it too. It’s thick and cushy, making even a ruck feel comfortable on the shoulder.

[image: side shot selfie of Autumn, outdoors in a green, blue, brown, and white flannel shirt, and Peter in a Ruck tied Tibetan with Bijou Wear Windmills High Plains.]

The tightness of the weave and the fiber choices make it unbreakable for my 27lb 1 year old. I prefer to wrap eco2cotton side out because of the look. The only issue that I’ve had doing this is that because of the glide of the cotton side, Peter can pop his seat easier. Pinning the seat with the cross passes prevents this from happening.

[image: side shot selfie of Autumn in the same flannel shirt in a Double Hammock tied at the shoulder, this time with cotton side (white side) out. This shows the left shoulder and the knot.]

Wrapping cotton side out can be a bit frustrating to start because the texture and grip of the eco2cotton side can make tightening chest passes annoying. I am a quick and dirty wrapper, so anything that requires more than 20 seconds becomes annoying to me. The nice thing is that even with a wonky and loose chest pass, Peter isn’t going anywhere. He’s trapped and happy.

I would recommend this wrap to anyone who likes cush. It is so smooshy and thick and delicious. I think it would shine in a mid-length or short size because of its solidity. I have it in a base -1. I’ve become so attached to it that I chickened out on trading it for a smaller size, eventhough it would really be better in a base -3 or -4. The thickness and cush make it wrap a bit short, but Bijou Wear has cut them a bit long to compensate for that, according to their description online.

I mean, look at how thick it is!

[image: chest pass selfie of Autumn in Bijou Wear Windmills High Plains. This is an off center shot of a Ruck tied Tibetan.]

Let’s talk about heat. All that thickness and cush might scare off a few of you because it reads “hot.” It can be hot. I am living in southeast Oklahoma, which is subtropical according to “the google.” I’ve worn this in 95 degree heat on a several mile long walk. It IS hot. It doesn’t breathe like repreve or linen. BUT it isn’t *that* hot in my opinion. I didn’t feel any warmer wearing this than I did wearing an all cotton midweight wrap. Don’t let the weight and bigness of this wrap scare you. What it lacks in temperature control, it gains in comfort and stability. It also stays put over time with low to moderate activity. Heavy activity can cause some sagging, but not any more than you would see in any other wrap.

Overall, I love this wrap. I love it for so many reasons. It near perfectly encapsulates the most important things about babywearing and wrapping: It pairs nostalgia with small community love. It is environmentally friendly, inclusive, and accepting. It is budget friendly and giving. It does all of these things and manages to be a wrap that I want to use because the thick, cushy, marshmallowy, strong, and grippy wrap quality is exactly what I was looking for.

When I get lonely and homesick I just pick up this wrap, put my baby on my back, and close my eyes. It hugs me just as those acres of wheat, it connects me to a place in time. I can almost see the cotton puff clouds and smell the harvest rain. I think I hear my grandmother calling me…

 

 

Four Wraps Diverged in a Wood

Last week my babywearing hobby with purpose became a real life necessary and needed tool. My husband’s car broke down, and as our only source of income, his need for transportation was greater than mine. Which is totally acceptable and agreeable to me, but the rub is that I would have to walk several miles round trip in order to pick up my kindergartner, Loki, from school.

My first thought was “no problem! I can do this! It’s not that far!” followed by an intense fear. My fear was driven by a few factors: I’d be walking this distance with a 1 year old and a 3 year old, in traffic, with no sidewalks, on a busy street. No way would a stroller work. This meant that obviously I would wear Peter, which I would’ve done anyway, but this meant that I would wear Peter the entire distance–further than I’d ever walked with him on my back–without the option of tapping out. That was my biggest fear: What if I get halfway there and I just *can’t* walk any further, can’t wear Peter a moment longer, “what if”?

All of that fear did not matter though. The fact was that I had no choice–I would be walking to get Loki with Aldous and Peter. I would have to make it; there were no other options. No school bus because of the age, no public transportation, no friends, no family to call.  So I take this opportunity to add extra pressure to myself. I decide that I will wear a new wrap and use a new variation of Double Hammock each day and evaluate them on long term intense activity. (I feel obligated here to say that the road is very hilly and I laughed when I told my husband that it IS uphill both ways–this was not a stroll or after dinner walk, this was business)

Wrap One: Tekhni Delta Koinonia Babywearers of Color Group Exclusive 4

[image: side shot of Autumn in a grey shirt and jeans wearing Peter in Tekhni Delta Koinonia, a gradient of scarlet to black to grey to white with a repeating triangle pattern. In this picture the carry is Shepherds Carry]

Day one I chose a Tekhni Delta with repreve in a midsize length and did Double Hammock Double Rings. I chose this wrap because it is a traveler and it was about 98 degrees outside. I needed a wrap that would be cool, so I decided to test repreve, which is known for temperature regulation and is a favorite of babywearers for hot weather.

I will skip the intense review of the wrap itself because there will be a formal review in blog post later on. The repreve definitely did what was promised. It kept Peter and I both cool the whole way. Of course, it isn’t a miracle of science–I was still hot because wearing repreve doesn’t erase that there is a human on your back. We both were sweaty messes when we got home, but not overheated or cranky. Koinonia also stayed in place–no sag. I only had to readjust the passes and carry once during our travels, and that had more to do with the carry I chose. It was pretty cushy the whole way, but around the halfway mark the dig began.

I chose double hammock double rings because it was a secure carry that I love to use, especially in the heat because there is almost no wrap covering my body. In my mind that meant I would be cooler and more comfortable, but I was wrong. In retrospect, I’d rather be a few degrees warmer and comfortable than have rings digging into the front of my shoulders and top of my chest. Also, the tightness required to keep the rings in place add extra pressure to those places. Halfway through I had to change my carry to double hammock rebozo because my arms had gone numb and my shoulders were DEAD.

Double Hammock Rebozo was an improvement, but the glide and cush of Koinonia made the slipknot fall and slip and need readjustment often. I would say about every block I would have to jump and tighten that rebozo pass. This experience made double hammock rebozo a non contender for the rest of the week. I just don’t have time for all of that faffiness.

Wrap Two: Bijou Wear Windmills High Plains 6

[image: chest pass selfie of Windmills in Shepherd’s Carry. The wrap is wrong side out, so a grey/brown recycled cotton look with white windmills]

After my experience with Koinonia, I decided I just had to use my new favorite wrap, Bijou Windmills High Plains. It is by far the cushiest wrap I own and I just knew that, if nothing else, it would solve the comfort issues I’d experienced the day before. It is made with eco2cotton, which is recycled cotton. I have no idea what that means, but this is the thickest and cushiest wrap I’ve ever felt.

I wore High Plains in a double hammock with a candy cane chest belt.

[image: chest pass selfie of Windmills in double hammock with a candy cane chest belt. The wrap is a natural white with a grey/brown repeating windmills pattern.]

The difference between my experiences the day before and this day were amazing. I attribute a lot of this to the carry I chose. A spread chest pass in double hammock is necessary for long term comfort and because of the weight distribution, my shoulders felt like heaven the entire journey. This wrap was easy to use and adjust post tie off. It was warmer than koinonia but not by much. My only issue with this wrap was sag. At the halfway point I had to readjust and basically redo the whole wrap job because he had bounced his way a few inches down. (This might have a bit to do with the fact that we were all but running because we were late. I am a bouncy walker any given day, so speed walking is both hilarious and probably whiplash inducing.)

On the way home, walking at a normal pace, the sag was less an issue and I got to enjoy the wrap and the walk. The weight distribution was awesome, the shoulders were comfortable, and Peter felt weightless and was happy. He stayed right up where he was supposed to be.

Wrap Three: Fairy River Textiles “Istanbul Sunset” 3.9m

[image: Autumn wearing Peter in a double hammock. Picture is taken from behind and shows both Peter and Autumn’s back. Peter’s curly head is turned to the side and he is looking at the photographer. The wrap is a gradient of deep navy to a sunshine yellow to an orange peach to a gradual darkening to a burnt orange or rust color. The weft color is a deep navy. The weave is a balanced broken twill and looks to zig zag the length of the wrap. There is white pinstriping in the navy section and navy pinstriping in the yellow and orange gradient section.]

This wrap is huge and thick. I feel the need to preface my review with that because I used double hammock double rings again. I know I know, why would you choose that carry? You clearly hated it day one! I chose double hammock double rings because my only other options with the length were to do double hammock rebozo or give up on double hammocks altogether. Of course, I was terrified that using that carry would result in another shoulder catastrophe and midwalk change in carry. I suppose I could have used a different wrap, but I was curious to see how a handwoven would weather against the walk. I had never used my FRT for a down and dirty carry or walk and was desperate to know how it would stand against the machine wovens.

FRT is so thick that I struggled to get the wrap through the rings. I used large rings and large is the biggest size sling rings that I could find.

[image: chest pass selfie with FRT in double hammock double rings. The large rings are on either shoulder. One ring is black and one is olive green.]

This wrap is 100% cotton. It has some cush, some breathability, and is a sturdy beast. Unlike day one, double hammock double rings was actually very comfortable.  The grip in the wrap made the carry stick and it didn’t move a single millimeter in those rings. This wrap was quite warm for Peter and I. The weather was the same every day that we walked: A balmy 90-98 degrees Fahrenheit. My biggest issue with this wrap was sag. The solidity of the rings meant that I didn’t have to rewrap halfway, but I had to adjust adjust adjust. My shoulders were comfortable the whole way, but my arms did get tingly and numb. The awesome cush that I felt in the beginning slowly disappeared and the wrap got diggy in my shoulders by the time we got home. It was a relief to dismount and let my shoulders breathe.

Wrap Four: Fire Spiral Slings Ternion Obsidian Seafoam size 5

[image: Autumn and Peter in Ternion Seafoam in a double hammock tied at shoulder. The picture is taken from behind and there are rays of sunshine through the image. Peter, a curly headed toddler in a blue shirt, is looking directly at the camera. The wrap is black with the image of seafoam across Peters butt and side in white. Autumn is wearing black glasses and a black shirt and is looking to the side toward the camera.]

This wrap arrived midweek and I was so excited. It is a triblend from fispi. The warp is cotton and the weft is strands of linen and hemp twisted together. I decided to do another spread pass variation of double hammock. Because of the length of the wrap, I could not achieve a candy cane chest belt and decided to tie off in a knot at the shoulder.

This wrap is cool to the touch and pretty heavy. I think it’s something like 350 gsm. I’ll do a formal review later, but it is quite heavy. The black side is slippy and “wet” feeling because it’s the cotton side, but the white side is grippy and dry. The result is a wrap that glides easily and grips against itself. It was perfect in a double hammock tied at shoulder.

[image: a picture of the back of a double hammock tied at shoulder in ternion seafoam. Peter and Autumn are both facing away from the camera. The wrap is shown to be mostly black with accents of white in the seafoam pattern.]

The wrap held well throughout the walk. I never had to readjust the carry, the knot that usually has my shoulder screaming stayed put and comfortable, and Peter did not sag at any point. He was weightless and comfortable and seemed happy throughout. It was warmer than Koinonia, but cooler than both the Bijou and FRT. At dismount I was shocked at the amount of sweat on my back and on Peter. I didn’t feel as hot as the amount of sweat that was there. Peter didn’t complain either, which he always does by the end of the walk.

Conclusions

This challenge was a mean feat and I am proud of myself for making it the whole time, and am happy to report that each day was easier. Because each day was easier, my reviews on these might be a bit skewed.

First of all, I’d like to say that all four of these wraps held up to this challenge, and any of these wraps would be good for this kind of activity. Not one of them disappointed me. The carries I chose to use likely affected my likes and dislikes more than the actual wraps themselves. Double Hammock Double Rings is not a carry I would suggest for this kind of activity unless you have a beast of a wrap that has a significant amount of grip. Double Hammock with spread passes and with two shoulders were amazing and comfortable. Double Hammock Rebozo I would not suggest for this kind of activity. I love DHR for walks around the neighborhood or grocery shopping, but not for intense, booking it walks.

Ternion was the obvious winner for me. It has everything I prize in a wrap and didn’t move. It was cool and thick. It was supportive and light. It was cushy and a workhorse.

Bijou Windmills High Plains was my second favorite. It held pretty well. It is grippy and textured. Dry and supportive. It was pretty hot though and did require a rewrap. Also, the candy cane chest belt was annoying. It liked to crawl up my chest and choke me. I loved the support and cush though. It was comfy for days.

FRT *just* made third favorite because GRIP. Holy grip, it was awesome. I loved that I didn’t have to undo the rings because it held so well. The thickness in that carry was perfect because the rings were doing the work and not my chest and shoulders. The sag was something that was quite annoying; HOWEVER, the sag comes from that handwoven wrap quality that a lot of people love. That ace bandagey wrap quality that makes a wrap just hug you and feel like a second skin is what caused that sag. I don’t consider this a fault, just a fault because of the activity. This wrap would be perfect for leisurely activity (plus it is GORGEOUS).

Tekhni Delta Koinonia was my least favorite because something had to come in last. It was really great though. It was super cool and easy to use. I fully blame DHDR for Koinonia coming in last because I really do love this wrap. It’s beautiful. It does everything you ask it to do. It is no fuss and durable.

So, four wraps diverged in a wood, and I
I choose the one that was cool, supportive, and dry

and that has made all the difference.

Doeck Tulipa Rosso

As a serial churner, I am on constant lookout for a good bargain and a new to me wrap brand. So, when about a month and half ago I was asked my opinion on the aesthetics of a wrap I’d never seen nor heard of, I began the search. I was asked what my thoughts were on a forest green Doeck Arbor. I looked at their site and discovered that there were many Arbor colorways, and I saw that another design was on sale! I practically jumped at the chance to try a Doeck because with conversion and shipping it would only cost $95 for a size 5. If you’re new to wrapping, then this is a great price!

[image: folded wrap in loom state. The wrap is Doeck Tulipa Rosso, which is lipstick red with white flowers]

Weave and Fiber
This is a machine woven wrap made from locally sourced 100%cotton, according to the site. It is a tight weave and thin in hand. It has modest tapers. An interesting thing to note is that the middle marker is available in two options, which you must choose when purchasing, a brown leather Doeck logo or a cotton version. I thought this was a neat idea, especially for people who choose, for ethical reasons, not to use that material.

Price
The tulipa line is all currently still on sale, starting from 55 euros plus shipping. My wrap is a size 5 and was $95 total including shipping. Regular retail prices start at 119 euros plus shipping.

The Company
Doeck is a small Dutch company in the Netherlands, and was founded and is operated by Anneclaire Hortensius, a babywearing consultant, in 2012. According to her site she prides herself on locally sourcing materials and her sense of perfection. http://www.doeck.com/en/

The website is very clean and simple and is easy to navigate. You are given the option to pay through PayPal, credit card, or ideal. You must create an account to purchase, which is a good thing because of what happened to me.

I forgot my password on the site after I was directed to PayPal to pay for the wrap. I ended up backing out of paypal to go back to the site for some reason or other (I think it was to check shipping costs and conversion rates). Well when I did that I was no longer able to log in to my Doeck account. So, I didn’t purchase the wrap, I didn’t have my password anymore, and I couldn’t pull up the invoice to pay through PayPal. I was totally sad because I had to apply for a password reset, which means that I was going to wait for 3 seconds before giving up and never returning to pay for the wrap and giving up on the whole idea of buying it to begin with. Sounds illogical and silly, but I am being honest.

So, after giving up and totally forgetting about the whole ordeal and the wrap, I went on about my life until about a week later when the wrap showed up special delivery. I started to panic because I did not pay for this wrap. There had to be a mistake. I checked my bank statements, I checked my paypal statement and there was nothing. I was beginning to think there was some terrible mistake at the same time as I was thinking “a free wrap! My lucky day!” Of course, I have a conscience and cannot allow this mistake to go unaccounted for. I attempted to contact the owner, but the site was down and the facebook on hold because of a vacation. *sigh* What am I supposed to do now? How do I pay? Did they think I paid?

I ended up finding a very lovely email that was buried in my inbox from the owner. To paraphrase, it said “I know that you carted this and it went to paypal invoice, but I’m going on vacation and wanted to send you your wrap so you wouldn’t have to wait for me to come back to the office.” Which was one of the most personal and lovely things that I’ve ever experienced as a consumer. She sent the wrap from the Netherlands to the US, assuming on good faith that I would pay the balance and everything would be fine. I obviously felt shitty about my part in this mess at this point. I felt guilty for being a tad excited about a free wrap, especially when the owner of the company was so generous and trusting with me. I totally paid for the wrap immediately after reading that. Oh, this is such a long story for something that transpired in only minutes, but I wanted to be honest. In my opinion, the owner went above and beyond in the customer service department to  make sure that I was happy and taken care of. I cannot speak any higher of her at this point.

Advertisements
Advertisements and Stock photos feature the same few models, and one of those models is the owner as far as I can tell by her photo in the “about me” section of the page. All of the models are white and I have only found one photo on their facebook page with a person of color.

Wrap Quality
Tulipa Rosso was thin in hand and tightly woven. Very light. The right side is lipstick red with intermittent white tulips in a sketch style. The wrong side is an inverse–all white with intermittent sketched red tulips.

[image: knot shot of tulipa rosso that shows both sides of the wrap. White with red tulips and red with white tulips]

The wrap had great glide and little grip. The tulips gave texture to the wrap and offered some grip, but on the whole the wrap was pretty slippy. It was easy to do back passes and adjust the seat after tying off. It has little to no cush and was quite diggy on my shoulders in ruck variations, and it didn’t shine in double hammock because it lacked the grip to hold a chestpass over time.

[image: side selfie with Peter in half jordan’s back carry, showing the red or right side of Tulipa Rosso]

I used this wrap for about a week before I sold it to another mother. I wore Peter, my one year old, and Aldous, my 3 year old. Peter is 26 lbs and Aldous is 48lbs. With Aldous this wrap was extremely easy to use. I managed to get him up in a ruck in about 20 seconds. However, once he was up there it was not comfortable for me at all. There was too much pressure in those ruck straps and this wrap has no cush at all.

[image: mirror selfie of Autumn wearing Aldous in tulipa rosso in a rucksack carry]

Peter and I used this wrap for nightly walks in the heat and humidity of SE Oklahoma. It was quite cool temperature wise compared to other all cotton wraps, and it is one of the best mid range wraps I’ve tried for the heat.

Within five minutes of our walk I needed to retighten my passes. The carry did not matter with this issue. In DH it sagged and needed adjustments, in HJBC, in Shepherds Carry, etc. It performed better in front carries and hip carries. It was wonderful for quick ups and short grocery store trips.

Conclusions
Overall, I would tentatively recommend Doeck. For ethics and customer service I give them fairly high marks with room for improvement with diversity in advertisements, but for down and dirty wrap quality I just don’t know that I could recommend them to people unless I knew their specific tastes in wrap qualities.

If you love the aesthetics of the wrap and are dying for something thin that glides easy, then this wrap is for you. If you are wrapping a heavy toddler and doing something active over a period of time, then this probably isn’t the best option.

Different wraps are good for different reasons over time.  In a base size with multiple pass carries, this may be a good option. If you do primarily quick ups on front or on the hip, then this wrap could really shine as a shorty as well. I hesitate to give a bad review on this wrap because we are all different and we all value different things when wrapping. I didn’t like the wrap quality of this wrap, but I am only one person with one opinion based on my own body, my own child, and my own experiences.

[image: Peter and Autumn selfie in Tulipa Rosso. The carry is half jordan’s back carry]

Shepherds Carry: A Love/Hate Relationship

[image: shepherds carry chest pass on Autumn. The wrap is Bijou wear Windmills High Plains, and it is oatmeal colored (grey/brown) and the large windmills are white.]

Shepherds carry is the back carry that I love to hate, yet cannot stop using. I use a base -3 for this carry, but I can do it with a base -4 depending on the wrap. My base is a 7, so I use a 4 or 3, which translates to 3.1m-3.6m

The premise of the carry is simple. (I’ll link my favorite tutorial at the bottom)
1. Start off center
2.Get baby on your back
3. Make a seat
4. Rebozo pass
5. Chest pass over the other rail
6. Spread back pass
7. Reinforce the seat
8. Pull that rail up over your shoulder
9. tie the two tails in a knot with the chest pass between them

That’s a pretty simplified description, but if you have experience, then it’ll make sense.

I love this carry because it is fast, secure, and Peter loves it. I hate this carry because of the chest pass and sideways boob knot. Try as I might, I just cannot get my boobs to look right on this carry. If I get the pass tight enough to feel “locked and loaded” I end up with quad boob. If I get the chest pass looking perfect, then there seems to be slack enough for my leaner to practice his perfect back dive technique.
Quad Boob:

[image: chest pass in shepherds carry selfie. The wrap is Tekhni Delta Koinonia (Babywearers of Color Exclusive): a grad color of raspberry red fading into cream to grey to black. The delta design is connected triangles. In this photo, it shows that the chest pass on this carry has split my boobs in half, giving the “quad boob” effect]

AND let’s talk about that knot. Seriously. It makes a fantastic photograph, sure. But I never feel like I’m doing it right, and tying a sideways knot between my giant breasts is at least both ridiculous and hilarious to behold and at most frustrating and turns me into a cursing-under-my-breath, sweaty, irritable monster.

[Image: shepherds knot shot with Fairy River Textiles “Istanbul Sunset,” a gradient of orange to yellow to several shades of increasingly darker blue with intermittent white and navy pinstriping and a broken twill weave]

[image: shepherds knot shot with Tekhni Delta Pax, a Paxbaby exclusive, with a rainbow gradient that goes from purple to pink to orange, yello, teal, violet, and pink. The delta design is connected triangles.]

There are choruses of helpful people chanting “use a ring finish” and “tie with a slipknot.” Well, ring finishes are wonderful for thick wraps as are slipknots. For mid to thin wraps these two finishes I feel are not as secure nor as comfortable.
Alongside those are the few who suggest Double Hammock Rebozo as an alternative to the wonky boob situation. I love a good double hammock rebozo, but the chest pass that pins the bottom rail gives a sense of security to me. Also, it discourages the floating knot that always seems to want to wedge itself in my neck, no matter what measures I take to avoid it, it still happens.

After all of this, I say with absolute certainty that I will still be using Shepherds carry on a daily basis. I love this carry, Peter loves this carry, and the size of wrap required to do it is small enough to fit into my bag. I always choose comfort and ease over aesthetics, but that wonky boob and awkward side knotting between my boobs will forever irritate me.

Girasol and the Issue with Rainbows

[pictured: Autumn wearing Peter in front cross carry. She is a slightly tan and slightly overweight woman with tied up brown hair, glasses, and a black shirt, and he is a baby of around 6 months with curly hair on the top of his head and is wearing a tie dyed shirt. Walter, a white and orange tabby cat is in the foreground perched on a sink. The wrap is Girasol Black Delicious cuervo weft diamond weave with fringe size 6]

Weave and Fiber

Girasol baby wraps are 100% cotton, handwoven in Guatemala, and come in diamond weave, twill, double twill (toddler twill, double weft), thick diamond weave, and herringbone weave. They also come with either fringe (as pictured) or without, and have a moderate taper on either end.

[image: flat shot of Girasol Fire Rainbow 7 twill, a rainbow wrap that is 2 shades of purple followed by 2 shades of blue, 2 shades of green, 2 shades of yellow, 2 shades of orange, and 4 shades of pink/red. The weft of the wrap is red]

Price

The price range for a Girasol is $100-200 retail and $80-$300+ resale on the second hand market. The second hand market is dependent on the retailer where the design originated, scarcity, etc. The most budget friendly girasol are the rewoven general stock and not exclusives from specific retailers.

 

Wrap Quality

Girasol twill have great diagonal stretch and are very easy to use. Additionally, the stripes are very good for beginners because it is easier to focus on strand by strand tightening and knowing which rail to tighten, when, and how much. Diamond weave are light in hand with great stretch and have a similar wrap quality to regular twill. Both twill and diamond weave are nice and light and great for new babies. I found that as Peter got bigger and started packing on the pounds that twill and diamond weave did not suit my support needs. He was about 20 lbs when I started to become uncomfortable. I wouldn’t feel comfortable using single pass carries in twill or diamonds above that weight, but in multiple pass carries the support is better. However, I know many mothers who swear by twill and diamonds for their bigger babies and in the heat, so on this there is a little room for interpretation.

[image: flat shot of Girasol La Chica Bonita Capitan weft thick twill. Capitan is the name of deep navy in the girasol color spectrum. This wrap is a rainbow of equally thick stripes divided by golden pinstripes. Teal, turquoise blue, pale blue, white, lavender, medium purple, dark purple, violet, deep navy, medium blue, sky blue, offwhite, grass green, camo green, and deep teal]

Thick Twill/Toddler Twill/Double Twill/Double Weft are all synonymous when referring to Girasol wraps. Each weft thread is doubled throughout the wrap, which translates to a thick in hand and more supportive wrap. Brand new this wrap feels like denim and wraps similar to wrapping with new denim. It requires a lot of breaking in to become soft and easy to wrap with in my experience.

The Company

“We started selecting cloth, textiles and handicrafts on the markets of the Guatemalan highlands to sell them in Mexico and later in Germany.
Our shop in Berlin opened 1984.
Through our continous[sic] stays in Mexico and Guatemala, we developed friendly relations to the families of the weaver and artisans.
The collaboration with the artisans is based on fair trade with the guarantee of continous[sic] orders.” (http://www.girasol.de/)

There are articles and pdf files on the girasol page about the cotton and dying and pesticide residuals that affect the production, the wraps, and materials. They make a statement that their wraps are not treated with chemicals.

Conclusion

I have a difficult time making a decision about Girasol wraps. When I have this issue, I find that pro and con lists help.

Pros:
price
easy to use
learner friendly
easy care

Cons:
tentative resale market
not as supportive as baby grows
lack of variety color wise
“fair trade” and the possible exploitation of indigenous peoples of Guatemala

Okay, here is the deal. I have a problem with the price of Girasol. I want to know how much these weavers are making. After factoring in the price of running the factory, shipping hundreds of yards of woven wraps to Germany, paying corporate, and paying the managers, how much money do the weavers in Guatemala actually net? What do the German people running Girasol believe is a “living wage” and “fair trade”? I would love to support the weavers and would happily buy from indigenous weavers in Guatemala. I’m not sure if I can reconcile the not knowing with the owning of their wraps.

Conclusion

Conclusions? Based on how I weight the importance of the cons, I choose not to use Girasol wraps. I don’t personally care about resale value, but wrap quality and ethics make this a “no go” for me. I believe there are other budget friendly options that deliver more effectively in the wrap quality and ethics department, which makes me a little sad. Girasol Fire Rainbow was my first woven wrap and I loved it a lot, but I can’t in good conscience buy a Girasol without knowing more about the company and weavers. As I learn more or as more information is given, I will update this with any news.

 

 

To Everything There is a Season

When I was asked about starting a blog, I laughed with hesitation. I, of course, had the same self deprecating responses with which most people are familiar, but beyond that I began to have a dialogue with my family and myself about what I could contribute to both our lives and others by starting a blog about my journey as a parent.

This all began with a simple request: would you or could you make a comprehensive site for all of your woven wrap reviews?

For the past year, I have been testing wraps, buying wraps, selling wraps, trading wraps, and writing comprehensive reviews about wrap quality, price point, fibers, and companies.

I’ve researched companies, read thousands of comments and threads in geekery groups and on official pages, and studied design, pattern, and fiber in order to judge for myself, personally, if I am comfortable supporting the company. Social justice and cultural appropriation are very high on my radar as are ethically sourced materials, fair trade and wages, as well as the marketing and advertising for these companies in regards to diversity and appropriation.

I try to keep my focus on budget at all times. I am on a strict budget, and my reviews began as an effort to help local babywearers make decisions on wraps without having to shell out all the money on something that would not suit their needs. I have tried several mid range and high end wraps on the market as well and reviews of those wraps will be included.

This page will likely transform into several things over time, but I hope to keep my intent true. I begin this journey in the season of wearing my baby. I was encouraged to start this journey because of the baby on my back, so while I may veer off topic from time to time, the focus in this season is babywearing. I hope you will join me on my journey. Message me, comment, find me on facebook. Let’s geek out on wraps and babywearing–share with me what you find. I’ll share with you what I find and hopefully we can meet together in the middle.