cotton – Page 2 – Manhattan Mombie

Emmeline Textiles Sorbet

Introduction

Emmeline Textiles in-house dyed Partita no. 6, Sorbet.

I have been a fan of Emmeline Textiles since I first laid eyes on their dyed wraps in a babywearing Facebook group. I rarely see dyed wraps that catch my attention, but wraps that are dyed by Ali at ET are like no others – the dye jobs are vibrant, the colors are beautifully complementary, and they look absolutely flawless! The first dyed ET wraps I saw were Eleanore Pearls in some blue and blue-green grads – I will (hopefully) review and ET EP in the future. One great thing that I love about ET is that they weave so many undyed wraps! Each ET wrap that is dyed in-house is unique, so it has not been easy to get my hands on one…until now!

I received Sorbet, that is a pink to orange color gradation on a Partita no. 6 that was dyed in-house by the fabulous Ali at Emmeline Textiles. It is actually a size 3, not a size 4 as was listed on their website (they alerted me to the true size), but that was cool with me because I am basically doing the same carries with both sizes at this point – my toddler is huge! My first impression when I took it out of the box was that it glows, even in my dark apartment at night. I could tell that this dyed wrap was going to be special.

Emmeline Textiles Sorbet arrive in this very cute packaging. Even at night, the colors were striking.

Since in-house dyed wraps from ET come washed and ready to wear, we tried our first ups as soon as possible! Size 3 is Base-3 for us, so we first tried Kangaroo carry to have some milk on the way to dinner. The moldability impressed me right away especially before it’s been broken in, and Sorbet was super supportive with my giant guy, even in a single pass carry. Believe me when I say that that is quite a feat! We tied a double knot in the tiptails, and Partita no. 6 was up to the task – there was no slipping, and the whole carry was super solid.

Super supportive in a single layer carry. — Sorbet was very supportive in a single layer carry for some milk before dinner.

Sorbet must have been super comfortable for LittlerHill too, because the next morning he did not want to go in any other wrap for our walk to preschool! When I reached for a longer monochrome wrap, he said “Not THAT one! I want the ORANGE one!” and so it went…I have been hiding Sorbet from him in order to use any of my other wraps ever since!!

We did Shepherd's carry for our walk to preschool. This is the first time LittlerHill has ever demanded a specific wrap! — The first time LittlerHill has ever demanded a specific wrap, it was Sorbet!

We tried a Shepherd’s carry, which hasn’t previously been one of my favorite carries, but I want to learn to love it and this wrap was up to the task. The two-passes were super comfy and supportive with my big guy, and he seemed to really be able to relax and chill out on my back while we walked to preschool. Partita no. 6 is a modified herringbone pattern that gives the wrap the perfect amount of an even microtexture to allow the passes to slide and then stick right in place so it was almost like Sorbet wrapped itself in this carry.

This pink-to-orange gradation glows even indoors at night! — This pink-to-orange gradation glows in indoor NYC-apartment lighting!

Lastly, I tried a simple ruck tied in front (Ruck TIF) for a trip into the NYC subway, and – I kid you not – with just a single knot the carry felt very secure (*safety disclaimer: you should always tie a double knot to finish any carry with a woven wrap*). LittlerHill was in one of his bouncier moods, which usually requires a longer wrap tied with two leg passes, as in Wendy’s Double Hammock, but Sorbet in a ruck did better than I would have expected! My wrap job stayed very solid through the bouncing, wiggling, leaning, stairs, stairs, more stairs, and even a short wrapee-standing-up-while-wrapped episode when I took a seat on the C train (ahh…toddler wearing in the city, at its best). Every time I wrap with Sorbet I like it even more.

Sorbet's single knot looked delicious and didn't budge. — Sorbet’s single knot looked delicious and didn’t feel like it would budge.

The sturdy softness (and arriving ready to wear) combined with a superb one-of-a-kind dye job have made Sorbet one of my favorite wraps already! I can’t wait to try more from Emmeline Textiles, and I hope that a few more of Ali’s dyed wraps will make their way to us for a visit.

Ruck for the subway - a single pass carry with a huge toddler, and brilliant colors for fall. — Ruck for the subway – a single pass carry with a huge toddler, and brilliant colors for fall.

The stats

weaver: Emmeline Textiles

line: Partita no. 6 (dyed Sorbet – a pink to orange grad)

size: 3 (3.2-3.3 m from ET website)

width: 63 cm (25 in)

soft tape in hand: 3.42 m

blend: 100% cotton

wrappee: 30+ lbs of toddler

carries tried: Ruck tied in front (Ruck TIF), Kangaroo, Shepherd’s carry

wrap qualities: new wrapper friendly, medium thickness, medium density, good recoil, supportive, cushy, not diggy, moderately grippy, bouncey, very moldable, toddler worthy for single pass carries, ace bandagey, solid, microtextured, probably squish worthy once broken in, pleats itself, passes glide easily enough for multipass carries

Apple Blossom Wovens Simplicity Line Tester

Introduction

I hosted a tester for the new Simplicity Line that Apple Blossom Wovens will be released soon. It’s very exciting to get to share my opinions on a new wrap, and to possibly influence the final choices that a weaver is going to make about its production! The first release will be called Midnight Sky, and from the inspiration photo and mockup yarns, it is going to be incredibly gorgeous!

Midnight Sky inspiration photo for the first wrap in Apple Blossom Woven's new Simplicity Line. — Midnight Sky inspiration photo for the first wrap in Apple Blossom Woven’s new Simplicity Line.

Midnight Sky warp yarns for the first colorway in the new Simplicity Line by Apple Blossom Wovens.

You can read more about the Simplicity Line here.

The tester that I received was just simply blue and white, not a gorgeous gradient like the first release will be, but I was struck by the beauty of such a simple color choice.

The Simplicity Line tester was woven in simple blue and white, but even this simple choice give such a beautiful wrap! — The Simplicity Line tester was woven in blue and white, but even these basic colors give such a beautiful wrap!

My first impression of this wrap was that it might be too thin for me, a thick-wrap-lover, and my giant toddler…but when we wrapped with it I was blown away. I have never experienced anything like this – it was so thin and moldable, but was also super supportive in a multilayer carry. I talked briefly with Lisa at ABW about the thickness, and she said that the final version of the Simplicity Line may be woven with one extra thread per inch. I love thicker wraps so a slightly thicker wrap would definitely be fine with me! But really, even with an extra thread per inch this wrap is definitely going to be a great choice for a beginner wrapper, no matter what size the wrapee happens to be. This tester is on the wider side but was still very manageable because of how incredible floppy it is – I think width can make or break a mediocre wrap job, because every extra centimeter helps keep that seat from popping, especially for a beginner wrapper and/or a wrapper with a larger wrapee ! The wrap qualities are very similar to the other ABW traveler I hosted, Under The Sea, with just some small differences. Overall, both ABW wraps impressed me with their beauty, quality, and WQs! I can only imagine how amazing the Midnight Sky warp is going to look, and I am very excited to see that and future upcoming releases of the new Simplicity Line at ABW!

What a smooshy candy cane chest belt. — What a smooshy candy cane chest belt, and effortless shoulder pleats.

A single knot was sufficient for quick ups in a double hammock.

The stats

weaver: Apple Blossom Wovens

size: 6 (long)

width: 28″ (as listed by ABW for this wrap)

soft tape in hand: 5.11m

weight: 290 gsm (as listed by ABW for this wrap, may be 300 gsm when released)

blend: 100% cotton

wrappee: 30+ lbs of toddler

carries tried: Wendy’s double hammock tied with candy cane chest belt (Wendy’s DH with CCCB), double hammock tied in front (DH)

wrap qualities: new wrapper friendly, thin, stretchy (not saggy), moderate recoil, supportive, moderately cushy, not diggy, slightly grippy, bouncey, glidey, very moldable, toddler worthy for multipass carries, ace bandagey

Apple Blossom Wovens Under The Sea

INTRODUCTION

I was lucky enough to host two travellers from Apple Blossom Wovens! This is a review of the first – Under The Sea, 100% cotton. My first impression was *WOW* this wrap is seriously gorgeous! The colors are unbelievable – it is striking how smooth the gradient is, especially for a machine woven wrap. Also unlike most machine woven wraps, UTS has unhemmed rails, which I find easier to work with when sliding passes over each other.

Our first excursion was on one of our early morning walks to preschool. This requires a tired Mombie wrapping a tired LittlerHill quickly, to get out the door. We tried a double hammock variation, Wendy’s Double Hammock with a candy cane chest belt, and this wrap rocked in a multipass carry with my heavy toddler. UTS did great – the passes were easy to spread, but stayed in place while I took my time tightening. The stretch in this weave was excellent for creating a beautiful, tight chest pass, and offered great support without being diggy on my picky shoulders.

ABW UTS Sunny CCCB — The blue-turquoise-green gradient is especially beautiful in the sunlight !

Our walk was very comfortable. I usually prefer thick wraps with less stretch so that I do not have to retighten my carry, but UTS really impressed me. It definitely has a significant amount of stretch, but I didn’t feel like it needed to be retightened at all! Overall, I was pleasantly surprised at both the beauty and the wrap qualities of UTS. This would make an excellent beginner wrap, and the thickness and texture make it almost wrap itself! It is also a great wrap for more advanced wrappers because the passes glide by each other but stay in place for multipass carries. I hope to try more gorgeous wraps from ABW in the future!

ABW UTS Bum Shot — Bum shot of Apple Blossom Wovens Under The Sea Turquoise cotton weft.

ABW UTS with Lippie — Apple Blossom Wovens Under The Sea, turquoise cotton weft.

The stats

weaver: Apple Blossom Wovens

weave: machine woven point twill

size: 7 – 5.2m (as listed by ABW for this wrap)

width: 25.5″ (as listed by ABW for this wrap)

soft tape in hand: 5.41m

weight: 290 gsm (as listed by ABW for this wrap)

blend: 100% cotton

wrappee: 30+ lbs of toddler

carries tried: Wendy’s double hammock tied with candy cane chest belt (Wendy’s DH with CCCB)

wrap qualities: thin, stretchy (not saggy), supportive, moderately cushy, not diggy, flat, slightly grippy, bouncey, glidey, very moldable, toddler worthy, ace bandagey

Tekhni Delta Amethyst

Introduction

Tekhni Delta Amethyst was a pre-order that I jumped on after I fell in love with Delta Pewter 5. I chose a size 4 for the versatility of a non-shorty without the inconvenience of dragging tails that I get with my base size and I was 100% correct. We love this wrap. It arrived just in time to test it during the last few hot days of summer – Repreve really shines at temperatures above 85 ºF. Our first excursion took us on a 1 mile walk to the subway, a 45 minute ride downtown, and then to a bar for a wedding reception. Amethyst was cool and classy while offering lots of cush for my shoulders and support for my 25 pound toddler.

Delta Amethyst is the perfect shade of purple and perfect for the rare toddler wrap nap !

Amethyst arrived in loom state, wrapped in one of Tekhni’s beautiful scarves. One warm wash and air dry later it was 75% broken in. Tekhni’s Repreve blends require almost no work to get blankety soft. After a few wearings, I have found that it has stretched enough to eek out a double hammock tied in front.

Tekhni's wraps magically nail the middle marker every time ! — Tekhni’s wraps magically nail the middle marker every time !

I love a good bum shot ! The colors are really beautiful in this weave.

The stats

weaver: Tekhni Wovens

size: 4

soft tape in hand:

weight: 285 gsm (as listed by Tekhni for Deltas)

blend: 55% natural cotton warp, 45% dual color Lilac & Napa Repreve weft

wrappee: 25 lbs of toddler

carries tried: double hammock tied with candy cane chest belt (DH with CCCB), kangaroo, reinforced rear rebozo rucksack with candy cane chest belt (RRRR with CCCB)

wrap qualities: slight stretch, cushy, airy, wide, dry, solid, flat, toddler worthy