Bijou Wear Abstract Mirage Review

Bijou Wear Abstract Mirage
66 % Egyptian mercerized cotton / 33% standard cotton / 240 GSM
23 months and 28 pounds


Abstract Mirage is the third Bijou Wear I've had the pleasure of trying. Upon opening the package I was sure it was a shorty because of how compact the wrap folds up, but in fact it was not. Out fell a long, deliciously shimmery silver/white wrap in a modern and fresh feeling design. There is just a hint of sea glass blue/green in the shimmer that plays up differently in different lighting. Letting the wrap fall across my lap and moving it around in the light, the name Mirage seems at once apt.

 

In hand this wrap is textured with a very lovely sheen, due to the mercerized cotton, but it is also a dry wrap. The kind of dry that will make that slight creaky sound while wearing if you know what I mean. I would be curious to see how it breaks in, I imagine some of the dryness in hand will go away. Abstract Mirage is also exceptionally thin in hand with a medium-high diagonal only stretch.

The name suggests modern abstract paintings and the design shows a brush stoke effect. Looking at the wrap the texture is very evident and the mix of sheen and matte do well to further enhance the look of texture. That said this is a flat texture, the weave is smoother and on the denser side. You will find no nubs or slubs here. There is an airiness in the design, if you hold the wrap up to the light, it is not see thru, even for the thinness of the wrap, but light shines in along certain lines of the design. Style wise, if higher end fashion appeals to you, but you don't get to partake in real life, this is the wrap for you. It will elevate your look anytime you wear it.

 

While wrapping the diagonal stretch isn't very apparent at all. There is zero sag once wrapped when wearing, and the wrap moulds quite nicely. The texture of Abstract Mirage translates to a grippy wrap, the type of grip that can hold a single knot, but the level of grippiness won't hold much of a challenge for more experienced wearers. In multi pass carries such as a double hammock a newer wrapper may need to put in more work, but the results are worth it. I am currently not a typical wearer due to a back injury and a toddler - I need a lot from a wrap, cush usually and a great deal of strength and support. There is not a lot of cush, nor bounce with Abstract, but no dig at all, and amazing strength and support. I also really enjoyed the lack of bulkiness on my shoulders and the easy and numerous pleats! Trying to think of what this wraps similarly too, and I think of Almitra Tattva Phirozi, which is a woolie, but equally thin in hand and also equally astonishing for the amount of strength and support.

 

 

I really enjoyed using this wrap in my base (ish) size and that would be my personal preference for this wrap, but it will perform well in a shorty. The lack of bulkiness, plus softness and smoothness makes this a good choice for a newborn wrap and it will work well beyond the newborn phase. This is a toddler worthy wrap, especially if you are looking for a thin toddler worthy wrap, you will find those are harder to come by. If you enjoy thin, denser wraps, with flatter texture, no nubby fibres, this is one to check out. Lovers of a lot of stretch, or very cushy, or blankety wraps may want to sit this one out. Though it may be one that surprises you too. My own wrap qualities that I love have certainly changed and evolved a bit the more I try.

Thank you Jaime for letting Abstract Mirage visit us!

Find Bijou Wear's chatter group on Facebook here.

Pavo Textiles Love Birds Vespertine

Pavo Love Birds Vespertine

SilverSpun™ 85% Egyptian cotton / 8% silver / 7% nylon

21 months and 28 pounds

Wrapping up International Babywearing Week 2016 I've decided to review one of my most favorite wraps ever. The wrap that gives my wrappee the best seat in the house. When I love a wrap so much, and instantly, it feels like a good idea to take my time and see how I feel about it after a couple of months of wearing. This is not usually possible with testers, but I am fortunate with Vespertine.
 

 

When Love Birds Vespertine first arrived back in July I took it out of the tote and it was so soft I couldn't believe it was a loom state wrap. I even wore it once before washing! Oopsie! The other thing that struck me is how lovely and shimmery the wrap is, like a warm liquid metal, this natty just glows! I've often said no one does cotton like Pavo, with their complex weaves, but no one does natty like Pavo either, there is magic woven into the process somehow. Vespertine already reminded me of another classic Pavo natty, Acanthus, and it may just end up ranking right up there with it.

  

Vespertine is thinner in hand than previous Love Birds, such as Socorro. Also for how soft the wrap is, the texture is still very pronounced, grooved and spongy between my fingers. Soapy is a term that took me awhile to figure out when I first started babywearing. This wrap is textbook soapy, the fabric glides easily thru my fingers, never catching and glides nicely against itself too, but it is not slippery. There is very high amount of diagonal stretch, which is a long standing favorite wrap quality of mine. Though Love Birds in general is a denser weave, this version is airier than others. Squeezing the wrap in my hands the airiness and sponginess is evident.

 

 

From the Pavo Customer Appreciation group, "Love Birds is based on a historical document. It is our signature design for Guild, it represents our relationship with the Oriole Mill and the revival of American textile manufacturing through the babywearing community.

Pavo is a bird, Oriole is a bird. We make a Guild." - Erinea Arnason.

The design of Love Birds is classic and timeless. Truly a babywearing textile that you can hand down to your children to wear their children in and it will still look elegant all those years later. The contour binding in the negative space between the birds and other smooth elements of the weave adds a dimension and complexity in the appearance and will translate well to wrapping and wearing experience. Love Birds as a natty takes the design to the next level in my opinion. I was long DISO (desperately in search of) a long Dove Birds, everything about those natty birds looked like perfection to me. Add in SilverSpun™ by the Feel Good Yarn Company and these birds take flight. The shine to me resembles liquid metal, just luxurious and lovely. The drape and how the wrap puddles further looks like liquid metal. This woven wrap will fit in with many style aesthetics because really you can't go wrong with a natty.

 

Love Birds Socorro was the first wrap were double hammock finally clicked for me and was enjoyable and easy, so I had high expectations for Vespertine. I've also been very curious about silver in wraps, I mean what sounds more unicorn like than silver yarn? Best wraps are so subjective. My own favorite wrap qualities are thin in hand, high amount of stretch, soapy, cushy, I also need amazing support for a toddler - in short I don't ask for a lot, haha! Love Birds Vespertine delivers solid 10s on all my favorite wrap qualities. I've used Vespertine in many double hammock and ruck variations as well as FWCC and it is solid in all carries. Wrapping with it is close to effortless, moulds to you and baby perfectly and hugs tightly. Recoil here is also a 10! Pleating and tightening also happens ease. The most important thing for me is how cushy the wrap is. There is zero dig and solid support for my toddler wrappee, but the cush is just unbelievable for me. I am currently dealing with a back injury and this is one of the few wraps that doesn't cause me pain and I can wear for more than 10-20 minutes at a time. How Vespertine moulds to my baby and creates a solid perfect seat that bounces along as we move, is a revelation. I've often had to adjust seats with other wraps as my wrappee is in that leg straightening, seat popping stage, but this wrap is surprisingly a bit of a toddler prison, even though it is thinner than what one would expect a toddler prison wrap to be.

 

 

If you are a Pavo Love Birds fan you will need to add this one to your babywearing bucket list. It's very similar to previous Lovebirds, but Vespertine feels airier yet heavier in a weird way - like wrapping with a cool, dense cloud. So soft, thin in hand, soapy, floppy, mouldable, with great bounce and recoil. If any of that appeals to you, look no further. Love Birds Vesperine is a wrap I would recommend wholeheartedly for a newborn and all the way up to a heavy toddler. Normally a wrap that is as soft as this for new squishes I wouldn't think would be toddler worthy too, but this one really, really is. If you have an issue with pull prone wraps, well, run away. Vespertine in my experience has been very, very pull prone, to the point I can wear no jewelry while wrapping with it, but the weave structure is such that pulls don't stand out too badly and because there are long floats they are relatively easy to fix. Additionally if you like dry, grippy, or blankety wraps, you are going to want to pass as well.

 

 

Thank you so much to Jennifer and Erin at Pavo for letting me experience this epic wrap!

 

Moth and Moon Fibreworks Fickle Nature of Faeries Review

Moth and Moon Fibreworks Fickle Nature of Faeries

50% Egyptian cotton/50% cotton / 5.2 metres

1 year and 25 pounds

*Note tested and photographed in February 2016.

Upon opening the package I was immediately taken with the rich colors, more vibrant and bold than I was expecting from photos I had seen of the wrap. My eye is drawn to the magentas, purples, deep reds, flowing into marine blues, but the colors of the deep forest are well represented with earthy greens evoking bracken and moss, and clay browns with the chocolate weft woven thru. Fickle Fae arrived with a red cedar wood chip engraved in detail with the Moth and Moon Fibreworks logo. I appreciated this additional token with the scent of the forest and the power to transport one to the magic of a woodland scene with one sniff.

The texture of the wrap feels lush and fairly smooth running my hands over it, but the look of broken point tabby twill conveys there will be some grip while wrapping and provides an extra depth of beauty with the rich colors.

If ever there was a wrap for an earth mama this is it. If you dream of homesteading on the edge of the woods, tramping through the underbrush, carrying your little one and searching for mushrooms and berries, this is the wrap for you. For those that appreciate the work and effort that goes into creating handwoven wraps there is plenty to appreciate here. You can tell Fickle Fae was woven with love and great care to details. I found no irregularities, but neat and beautiful weaving.

In hand Fickle Fae is weighty and substantial. While wrapping it is smooth and glidey, passes move and tighten easily, and chest passes hug close. There is grip evident in how passes and carries are held tightly as you are working to wrap, and lock snugly into place. The standout quality of this wrap for me was the cush. I wore my little in FWCC, double hammock, and ruck for long periods of time and it was so cushy and comfortable on my shoulders, even after a few hours. There is an airiness in the weave, tho it was one of the heavier handwoven wraps I've used, so I suspect Fickle Fae would perform well in warmer weather, but for me it was a perfectly lovely cooler weather wrap, cozy and soft.

Lovers of handwoven wraps would do well to take note of the weaver behind Moth and Moon Fibreworks, Brianna Getz, her love of the craft and skill shines in Fickle Fae. I recommend this wrap from newborn to toddlerhood. There is softness for newborns, but it's a real standout for heavier babies and toddlers with how cushy and supportive it is.

Thank you Brianna for the opportunity to test this beautiful and well made wrap!

Website: https://www.mothandmoon.ca

Chatter group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/680534515381967/

Huberine Matilda Lise Review

Hubertine Matilda Lise
75% Egyptian cotton 25% merino wool / 320 GSM
1 year and 24 pounds

I received a size 6 Matilda Lise tester and noted with surprise how small the wrap folds up for being 320 GSM and the size. I was immediately taken with the color combination of soft moody blue and slightly pinkish nude. I had no expectations for what wrap I would receive to test and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved the color combination and the delicate brush strokes.

My first feel proved the wrap not to be fluffy and fuzzy as I was expecting from the merino wool content, but thin and very dense with a crispy texture. Both sides of the wrap felt the same to me. Pulling diagonally I felt an amazing amount of stretch. I anticipated there would be some stickiness with the texture when wrapping and that the stretch would be a delight as I am a lover of stretch.

Back to the design, the brush stroke pattern manages to be both delicate and bold, as the brush strokes look soft, but the layout of the pattern dominates the wrap. The Lise colorway will appeal to those looking for modern and unexpected color combinations. If you have an artsy, boho, or earth mama vibe I can see Matilda Lisa appealing to those sensibilities. Hubertine also incorporates thoughtful details, such as their logo woven into the tail end of the wrap as well as middle markers that are discreet and placed so there is no feel of right or wrong side.

I tried both single and multi pass carries with Matilda Lise. With the high amount of texture I found pulling passes tight where the wrap moved against itself required some skill and patience, especially in double hammock, but with a little extra work passes did still manage to glide and tighten surprisingly well. The stretch here has great recoil and bounce back, no sagging at all. After putting this wrap thru a few different carries and wearing for a couple of hours at a time I will confidently describe it as thin and very dense with high texture and grip, and amazing stretch and cush. Matilda Lise wraps similarly to Pavo texture series with nice elasticity and support and very mouldable like the wraps in that series. Also reminds me of Pavo Otomí Fuchsia for the surprising amount of support and the cushy feeling with a thin wrap and both are also very textured. On my shoulders even in a simple ruck there was so much comfort and cush, truly impressive for 320 GSM and especially for how thin in hand the wrap feels.

Matilda Lise confounded me a bit. The merino isn't fluffy or fuzzy at all, and while there is a great amount of texture, with some attention and a little extra work the wrap still glides surprisingly well, plus there is so much cush! Definitely a pleasure to wrap with and wear. This is a special wrap that is thin in hand and not bulky, but delivers an amazing amount of support. I think Matilda Lise would most shine in a shorty and would recommend it to those who want a shorty that is toddlerworthy, but not bulky. This wrap is suitable for newborn to toddler and will appeal to those who like thin and dense wraps, stretch, texture and grip. You may want to pass if none of those qualities appeal to you, or if you are looking for easy care or super soft. Really though Matilda is a unique wrap in that it is thin in hand, but also very cushy and if you have the chance to try wrapping with it I highly recommend you do.

Thank you Hubertine for allowing me the wonderful opportunity of testing such a beautiful and unique wrap.

For more information on Hubertine please visit their Facebook page here. As well there is a chatter group on Facebook here.