carefreeblackkids2k16 – Manhattan Mombie

Emmeline Textiles Amelia Pearl

Lucky me! As yet unreleased Emmeline Textiles Amelia Pearl stopped in for a visit – in loomstate – and I had the pleasure of giving first ups!

Amelia Pearl arrived in the cute Emmeline Textiles packaging, including lace doily, ribbon, and stamped notebook.

Amelia Pearl is the second wrap in Emmeline Textiles’ “Ribbon Series” – the first was Eleanor Pearl, and it’s been a favorite here. Many of us in the Coterie (the fan group on Facebook) have been anxiously awaiting the next Ribbon release, and I am here to tell you: Y’all, it was worth the wait! Amelia Pearl is blowing me away, I don’t want to send it on!

There are a few similarities between Eleanor Pearl and Amelia Pearl: both come undyed in a beautiful natural color that definitely invokes their names – Pearl – and which gives nearly unlimited potential for Ali’s amazing in-house dye jobs at ET (I’m a huge fan!), as well as dye projects elsewhere (see photo below for my Tiny House Textiles-dyed EP). I remember reading that ET specifically chose thread for the rails and hems of Eleanor Pearl that would take dye , and I am hopeful that Amelia will be released with the same thread for equally amazing dye projects. Both Eleanor Pearl and Amelia Pearl also have the namesake “ribbons”, which are variations in weave that for stripes running the length of the wrap that add all kinds of interesting visual character and specific wrap qualities.

Emmeline Textiles Amelia Pearl rests against the first release in the Ribbon Series, Eleanor Pearl, dyed in a monochrome ombré by Tiny House Textiles.

It is obvious in the side-by-side photo above that there are differences in the ribbon-weaves. Most noticeably different is the thicker, rougher crepe weave “ribbon” on Amelia Pearl!

As I mentioned, Amelia Pearl arrived in loomstate, and it was definitely more crispy than was Eleanor Pearl’s loomstate, but it didn’t really convince me that Amelia Pearl would be much different. I was super jazzed to try out what I believe would be Eleanor Pearl part deux…I mean, how much could those ribbons really matter? (It turns out, a lot). So, I washed Amelia Pearl as instructed by ET – enough to get the “hay smell” out and dried it with dryer balls, but it was still pretty crispy. Not to worry, I love breaking in new, super dense/hefty/thick/hemp wraps, so this 100% cotton was no problem for me! I wavered about giving it a steam iron and decided to wrap first and then decide if it needed one.

After one a wash and dry, Amelia Pearl was not ready to submit!

I am glad I wrapped (a stuffed panda) with Amelia Pearl before ironing because it made the before-and-after difference much more striking. I remember thinking as I wrapped with it the first time “where is the ‘pearl’? the smoothness? the slight give that makes Eleanor Pearl so easy to use? why is my chest pass so baggy? why does my chest pass look like I wrapped with a giant tortilla?”

The different weaves clearly affect Amelia Pearl’s drape! The crepe weave ribbons hug the ironing board much more tightly.

So, obviously, a nice steamy iron was in order, and it made all the difference. After a steam iron, the smoother sections reminded me *exactly* of Eleanor Pearl, while the crepe woven sections were clearly something new, and overall, Amelia Pearl was really ready to wrap with.

Wrapping with Amelia Pearl

We used Amelia Pearl for several back carries. This tester is about a base-2 for us, so the first multilayer carry we did was Shepherd’s carry. I was right about the steam iron – Amelia Pearl made a delicious smooth and moldable chest pass with a beautifully hefty knot. The passes glided easily over each other, but there was just enough grip to keep them from sliding out of place while I adjusted the carry. As I walked with my giant LittlerHill about 3/4 of a mile to a local storytime, there was zero sagging in our carry, even though it was the first time really wrapping with Amelia Pearl. For me, this means a wrap that is super easy to wrap with right away! After the dryer and a steam iron, not much more breaking in is needed to get a good wrap job.

Amelia Pearl makes a moldable chest pass with a beautifully hefty knot in Shepherd’s carry.

I need to talk about the crepe weave. I didn’t notice much of a difference in the texture in hand between Amelia Pearl and Eleanor Pearl, but I think the crepe weave gives AP slightly less stretch and slightly more support. Like I said above, I was just hoping for EP-v2, but this. is. so. much. better.

The crepe weave “ribbon” on Amelia Pearl gives extra support and a bit less stretch to this wrap compared to Eleanor Pearl.

We also tried a single layer carry, Ruck with a candy cane chest belt. As expected from my experience/infatuation with Eleanor Pearl, Amelia Pearl shines in a single layer carry even with a giant wrappee. It gives an excellently solid and supportive carry with enough cush on my shoulders to comfortably meander through rainy, winter NYC streets with my cuddly wrappee. My Ruck wasn’t tied super well, but it did not seem to make a difference in either my or LittlerHill’s comfort.

Amelia Pearl makes a beautiful Ruck wrap!

Amelia Pearl in a single layer carry was perfect for a large wrappee and extra snuggles. Also, look at the pleats!

It is not easy to improve upon something that is already amazing (Eleanor Pearl), but Emmeline Textiles seems to be able to always go that extra distance. Amelia Pearl is a slam dunk/home run/touchdown! It is perfect for wrappees of any size, for short or long ups, for wrappers that enjoy a medium to thick wrap, is a gorgeous standalone neutral, and is perfect for limitless dye projects. I can’t wait to see Amelia Pearl out in the world when it releases later this month!

The Stats

weaver: Emmeline Textiles

weave: mixed

size: 4

soft tape in hand (STIH): 3.95 m

width: 25″

blend: 100% cotton

wrappee: 32 lbs toddler

carries tried: Double Hammock (DH), Shepherd’s carry, Ruck with Candy Cane Chest Belt (Ruck CCCB)

wrap qualities (WQs): dense, very cushy, slightly bouncy, dry-ish, medium grip/glide, moldable, solid, supportive, microtextured, easily pleats itself

RELEASING LATE JANUARY!

Bijou Wear Decadence Premiere

Bijou Wear’s Decadence lives up to its name! I am already a huge fan of Bijou Wear since I have really loved wrapping with their hefty Eco2cotton and low Tencel blends. Bijou Wear is a company that is conscious of inclusivity, and they offer most of their woven wraps and ring slings in longer lengths that make their products accessible to babywearers of all sizes. I’d heard many good things about Decadence as it has been traveling around the babywearing world, so when I was offered the opportunity to try it because it “fits my preferred wrap qualities” I was thrilled! Yes, it definitely does fit my preferred wrap qualities (WQs). In case you are unfamiliar with my preferred WQs, here they are: thick, cushy, thick, blankety, thick, toddler appropriate, and thick. But really, Decadence is more nuanced than that, please continue reading…

Bumshot of Decadence Premiere in Wendy's Double Hammock — Bumshot of Decadence Premiere in Wendy’s Double Hammock.

I received Decadence in the “Premiere” colorway, which is a black warp with lemon-lime-gold wefts that appear to change color depending on the light. I am a huge fan of black warps and monochrome everything right now, and the Premiere colorway goes well with the standard NYCBlack that we all don for winter, while adding an exciting bit of color to a otherwise dreary season.

Our first carry with Decadence Premiere was Wendy’s Double Hammock with a Candy Cane Chest Belt (Wendy’s DH CCCB), which is my favorite go-to back carry at the moment because it has a chest pass for extra support, two leg passes for a bouncy/leg straightening wrappee, and a candy cane chest belt (CCCB) to keep the ruck straps comfortably on my shoulders. As the weather has changed into to the cooler part of Autumn and the beginning of Winter, LittlerHill and I have begun to navigate wrapping on the outside of our winter clothes this year. I will cover what we have figured out with regards to winter babywearing in another post, but I want to say here that Decadence Premiere was very forgiving and patient with me while I took my time wrapping (LittlerHill was less so).

What made Decadence Premiere so patient was its texture – it is textured all over, but it does not have the same texture all over. Instead, each section of the pattern has a slightly different texture – it is smoother on the yellow areas and rougher on the black areas. I think that the texture differences are noticeable due to the large scale of the diamond-shaped geometric pattern. It is pretty cool and unique to be differently-textured throughout the pattern, and it makes Decadence Premiere not like any wraps I have wrapped with before. Decadence Premiere’s interesting texture made it super easy to slide my passes into place, and then held them there while I worked on tightening. Its ability to stay put means my Wendy’s DH CCCB was wrapped excellently (for a change!) and therefore it was super comfortable. LittlerHill even remarked, “this wrap is comfortable!” while we walked to preschool – there is no better endorsement than one from a picky toddler!

Decadence Premiere is textured differently in different areas of the pattern.

Decadence Premiere has little-to-no horizontal stretch, but has a good amount of diagonal stretch. This means that it has zero sag with a heavy wrappee, and can make a beautifully tight chest pass. LittlerHill felt super light on my shoulders, and I would have been happy to carry him in our Wendy’s DH CCCB for hours – I think any multilayer carry would have felt just as comfortable. Decadence Premiere is pretty thick, as I mentioned above, due to a double weft that gives it a nice cush for picky shoulders and makes it a perfect fall/winter wrap. Decadence Premiere also has a nice drapey feeling in-hand that makes its thickness feel manageable and not at all overwhelming.

I was intrigued with how Decadence Premiere felt so solid but also had beautiful diagonal stretch, so I wanted to try it in some single layer carries. We wrapped Decadence Premiere in Ruck tied Tibetan (Ruck TT) and in a Ruck tied in front (Ruck TIF), and as I suspected, Decadence Premiere shines in both multilayer and single-layer carries with my huge wrappee. LittlerHill didn’t budge at all, and all of the passes stayed in place even with the combination of a slippery coat and a bouncing wrappee. As amazingly comfortable and easy to wrap as Decadence Premiere was in Wendy’s DH, I ended up defaulting to various Ruck variations even with the super long tails, so I think I would pleased with Decadence Premiere in any size!

Decadence Premiere rocks a sloppy single-layer carry like Ruck TIF.

Summary

I think Decadence Premiere shines in any size – shorter for single-layer carries, and base or longer sizes for multilayer carries – and would be excellent with an infant through preschooler wrappee. Decadence Premiere is definitely on the thicker side and may be a lot to handle as a caregiver’s first wrap in a base/longer size, but I would otherwise recommend it to any wrapper and any sized wrappee, or to a newer wrapper in a shorter size if they were not yet used to handling the fabric. The Premiere colorway, lemon-lime-gold and black, is gorgeous for fall, goes well with neutrals, and gives the perfect pop of color without being overwhelming. Decadence Premiere would make a great first wrap for someone starting back carries, since the passes glide over each other easily but stay in place while the wrapper is tightening.

Decadence Premiere makes a beautiful chest pass and Candy Cane Chest Belt.

Decadence Premiere is a cozy wrap for Fall & Winter!

THE STATS

weaver: Bijou Wear

weave: double weft jacquard weave

size: 7 (5.2 m)

soft tape in hand (STIH): 5.32 m

width: 26″

blend: 100% Egyptian cotton

wrappee: 32 lbs toddler

carries tried: Wendy’s Double Hammock with Candy Cane Chest Belt (Wendy’s DH CCCB), Ruck tied in front (Ruck TIF), Ruck tied Tibetan (Ruck TT)

wrap qualities (WQs): cushy, thick, medium density, textured, dry, good balance of glide/grip, moldable, supportive, solid, good diagonal stretch but otherwise not stretchy, toddler worthy, no sag, no dig, medium-to-heavy weight

Social Justice Resources

I am very passionate about Social Justice. Several important discussions have recently been occurring on a large scale in the babywearing community, and a lot of online resources have been shared/posted on social media. I have posted a list of important online resources that is organized by major topics of discussion. I will continue to update this list as new material is shared with me. None of this material is authored by me, but it is original content so please give credit to all authors and contributors if you share these resources.

umbrella-kid — I advocate for Social Justice so that our children will grow up in a world with greater humanity.

Now on YouTube…

A collection of kids vids with PoC!

klee-square

I’ve started a YouTube Channel! Mainly, I wanted to make public the collection of videos that LittlerHill enjoys, featuring people of color (PoC). I will add to it frequently – feel free to follow the playlist Kids of Color, which features children’s videos that have all received LittlerHill’s approval, and are geared toward toddler/preschool aged kids! Please comment or email me to suggest additions! I would love to find out what your kids enjoy watching on YouTube.