machine woven – Page 2 – Manhattan Mombie

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