size 4 – 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!

Pavo Sparkleberry Noir

Introduction

Pavo SB Noir detail

Every wrap I try from Pavo Textiles impresses me, and it’s never for the reasons I expect it to. As soon as I saw Sparkleberry Noir in a preview for their Spring 2016 Subscription Box, I was in love – monochrome gets me every time. One hint that made me think this wrap was made for me was the description given by Pavo: “…Sparkleberry is a heavyweight wrap and is not suitable for infants or inexperienced wrappers.” I love thick, heavy wraps – so much that I joke that I would wrap with a carpet if I could! In addition to the enticing description, I’d heard wonderful things about Sparkleberry’s wrap qualities, and I had even gotten to play with a Sparkleberry Veronica that visited briefly, but it was a short visit at a time that we weren’t wrapping much, so I really missed out on learning just how much I would love wrapping with SB Noir.

Big toddler snuggles in FWCC TUB. I didn't think it was possible for this carry to be comfortable with my big kid, and I was so wrong! — Big toddler snuggles in FWCC TUB. I didn’t think it was possible for this carry to be comfortable with my big kid, and I was so wrong!

I jumped on the opportunity to get SB Noir, and I am so glad I did because it has become one of my favorite wraps. Pavo’s description of its weight is absolutely correct – it is dense and heavy. Mine arrived in loomstate, and it has definitely taken some work to break in, but SB Noir can become very moldable and blankety with thorough use & love.

Once my toddler reached around 27 pounds, I pretty much gave up on front wrap cross carry (FWCC) unless I spread the reinforcing passes so that it was a multilayer carry, since I couldn’t get it quite comfortable enough otherwise. That was ok, but it made front wrapping take a little longer while I figured out how to spread all of the passes evenly. We switched to Kangaroo carry because it was easier to tie and tighten properly than FWCC with spread passes. Then when SB Noir arrived, the density and thickness made it difficult to get a nice flipped shoulder in Kangaroo carry, so I tried FWCC tied under bum (TUB) – that means I couldn’t spread out the reinforcing passes, but I gave it a try anyway. For a wrap to really fulfill its destiny here, I need it to have at least one comfortable front carry and one good solid (unpoppable) back carry. Much to my surprise, FWCC TUB with SB Noir was a cozy, snuggly success! This carry has become our go-to front carry with SB Noir, and I am thrilled to have a FWCC variation back in my rotation since I used this carry so many times earlier in our babywearing days that it’s almost like second nature to tie.

Since I got SB Noir in a shorter size, and because of it’s heaftiness, I tried it in what became our first easy and comfortable Ruck carry! I think the texture helps a lot to keep the ruck straps from slipping off my shoulders, which is usually a problem for me with a regular Ruck carry using other woven wraps.

SB Noir shines in a short size for a Ruck carry.

A wrap that does a comfortable and quick single layer carry well, both in front and in back, is unusual in my experience, and is likely to get more use in our wrap rotation, especially if I can easily throw it in my bag. SB Noir is all of those things, and is beautiful in addition to having great wrap qualities. I love monochrome wraps – no so much because I worry about matching, but because I don’t want the colors I am wearing to clash with my wrap! SB Noir is a perfect monochrome since it’s woven with black threads, but the weave gives it a charcoal look that I love.

Black, white, and natural threads give SB Noir a classy charcoal appearance.

I really wanted to try a chest pass with SB Noir, so I wrapped my big guy in a double hammock tied at the side (DH TAS). Since we have moved up into a size 5 for this carry, I was barely able to eek it out with a size 4, and I used a ring to finish. As predicted, the chest pass felt great, and the color & pattern on the chest pass made me feel very chic (the red lippie helped too). I have definitely noticed that as SB Noir breaks in more, the chest pass has increased in moldability. This wrap just keeps getting better and better!

DH TAS with a ring finish, and a gorgeous monochrome wrap requires some red lippie.

If you have a chance to try this wrap, I recommend it in any size! A short can do an a amazing Ruck, FWCC, or DH TAS, while a base would be fabulous in any DH variation that requires a longer wrap, or a full FWCC. The dark grey color of SB Noir reminds me of a casual and classy “little black dress” that goes with everything, and its sturdy wrap qualities make it great for even very big kids that like to be up for a long time.

The stats

weaver: Pavo Textiles Guild

size: 4 (3.6 m as listed by Pavo)

width: 69 cm (27 in)

soft tape in hand: 3.64 m

weight: 340 gsm (as listed by Pavo for this wrap)

blend: 100% cotton

wrappee: 25-30+ lbs of toddler

carries tried: Ruck tied in front (TIF), a Ruck variation with twisted straps, Double Hammock tied at side (DH TAS) with and without a ring finish, Front Wrap Cross Carry tied under bum (FWCC TUB), Double Hammock tied under bum (DH TUB)

wrap qualities: sturdy, moderate recoil, supportive, cushy, not diggy, slightly grippy, slightly moldable and becomes more so with regular use, toddler worthy for single pass carries

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