Happy Christmas!!

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas!!!!

We had a lovely Christmas Eve walk today, using my beautiful Artipoppe Two Birds Akka, which was so lovely and warm in this cold and windy weather. I hope you all have a lovely day tomorrow wherever you are in the world! More wrap reviews coming after Christmas!

Three pictures...

I thought I'd share this row of three pictures, each of which was taken on 18th December in 2011, 2012 and 2013. I love pictures like this, as it truly shows what a difference a year makes! I look back at the 2011 picture, and I wish I knew then what I know now, but I also remember how thrilled I was to have my son wrapped close to me, after an overwhelming few weeks. 
I wonder what the picture will look like in 2014...

Review: Baie Slings Magma Ebony/Crimson

Brand: Baie Slings
Type: Magma Ebony/Crimson (tester wrap)
Blend: 100% combed cotton
Size: 4

I am really delighted to have had the opportunity to try out Baie Sling's beautiful Magma tester wrap. I have very quickly become a fan of this relatively new company, and have really fallen for the softness and cush that their combed cotton Trowen wraps have in abundance. Before it arrived, I understood that Magma was woven in a slightly different way to the Trowen wraps, and had a slightly tighter weave. I was intrigued to find out how the tighter weave would affect the wrapping qualities of Baie Sling's newest wrap.
On opening the package, I was thrilled to find that Magma had Baie Sling's characteristic blankety softness, and yet the tighter weave gives this wrap a slightly denser feel. Magma is a slightly thicker wrap, but due to its immediate softness and drape, this does not make it a challenge to wrap with. It has a lovely amount of diagonal stretch, making it mouldable and the thickness gives it a lovely cush. I feel that the tighter weave gives this wrap a bit of extra support with my heavy toddler, and when wrapped in place, it held Joey's weight perfectly.
The colour and design are beautiful. The red is a deep earthy red, and the black feels like a very warm black when combined with the crimson colour. The rails are each neatly hemmed in a different direction, meaning that there is no wrong side, and I have to agree that I really couldn't decide which side I loved best! The pattern flows across the wrap in this bold yet detailed pattern, and I really loved the look of the spirals when wrapped. Magma really is the perfect name for this design!
Magma has a fair amount of grip, meaning it doesn't just slide into place, but it also didn't feel particularly difficult to pull across either, and when in place it stayed put amazingly well even with my very wriggly toddler.
Overall, I have really enjoyed this wrap on the few days I've had to play with it. I love the feel of the Trowen wraps so much, that I wasn't sure what I would make of the tighter weave, but I can honestly say that it slightly improves the support offered when carrying a heavier child, without compromising on the softness and cush that I love. This wrap would be lovely with a newborn baby and yet it would also last you right through to toddlerhood. I'm really impressed with Magma, and will be saving my Christmas money ready to bring home my own Magma wrap when they are released in the new year.

Magma with the Trowens

Colour comparison (top to bottom):
Magma Ebony/Crimson
Nouveau Ember
Eden Copper Beech
Roses Aphrodite
Firespirals Pomegranate Spirals
Eden Caprica

Review: Lir Slings Realt Aodh

Brand: Lir Slings
Type: Realt Aodh
Blend: 50% Irish linen, 50% cotton.
Size: Ring sling, gathered shoulder.

I am always intrigued when I hear about a new wrap company, so when I read about this new Irish company and saw their debut design, I couldn't resist ordering a ring sling from Lir Slings, especially as its pretty snowflake design is perfect for using during the winter/festive season.
Lir Slings are designed and woven in Ireland, and are cut and stitched to order, so I had to wait a few weeks for my ring sing to arrive. It was totally worth the wait! The design is really beautiful and the gentle grey and white colours are perfect for the snowflakes, and in some lights there is almost a slight shimmer, giving the grey a silvery look. The weave on these wraps is very dense and has just a little bit of diagonal stretch. The linen blend needs a bit of breaking-in, but my ring sling is already beginning to soften up. I wouldn't say Realt Aodh feels particularly thick, but with the dense weave and use of linen, it is incredibly supportive. The seams and ring sling conversion have been neatly stitched, and the whole things feels like a luxurious, quality item.
The only thing that I would change about this beautiful ring sling, is that the taper is incredibly steep, meaning that even though the long taper measures just over 2 metres, the short taper is only 1.55m. Once the ring sling is adjusted and in place, the shorter taper is absolutely fine, but I'm finding it slightly more difficult to adjust the shorter rail, as there is less fabric to grab hold of and pull. A parent who is bigger built, and carrying a larger child may struggle a little with this. However, this does not particularly detract from how much I am enjoying this beautiful ring sling, and the steeper tapers would not be a problem on a wrap. 
Overall, I am very impressed with Lir Slings' debut design, and have already received compliments when out and about wearing Realt Aodh. Having seen pictures of a couple of the beautiful and unique designs they have in the works, I would say that Lir Slings is going to go from strength to strength.

My new venture: Sling Solutions

I am really excited this week, as I've just signed up to do the Babywearing Consultancy training course in February! I can't wait! I've been working on a business name and logo this week, and after a lot of thought I have decided I will be 'Sling Solutions'. I've got lots of ideas of what I would like to do when I've qualified, but for now I've been working on my logo and Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/slingsolutions

Joey's 2nd birthday!

My little boy turned 2 last week! Its been a busy few days having a couple of family celebrations. I still can't believe Joey is 2 already - time has gone too quickly!

Even though he is gradually getting bigger and more independent, I'm hoping we still have lots of slingy cuddles to come, and I'm currently working on a couple of wrap reviews, plus I'm hoping to get the opportunity to try out a brand new tester wrap fairly soon - I can't wait!

Review: Baie Slings Trowen Ebony/Teal

Brand: Baie Slings
Type: Trowen Ebony/Teal
Blend: 100% combed cotton
Size: 5

I bought a beautiful Trowen ring sling from Baie Slings back in September from their debut release, and that beautiful ring sling has quickly become one of my most favourite, most used and comfortable ring slings. I adore the pattern and how snuggly soft it is. I was thrilled when I saw the preview pictures of this beautiful Trowen in ebony and teal, and couldn't resist adding a Trowen wrap to my collection. I was particularly excited about the fact that this one is a heavier weight fabric, at about 270gsm.
I must have been one of the first to order this wrap, as it arrived quickly a couple of days later, and I fell in love with it immediately. The black and teal colour combination is really beautiful and very striking, and I was thrilled to find it was just as soft and mouldable as Emerald Trowen. This wrap is also finished to the same high quality and is absolutely perfect. The scale of the Trowen pattern is slightly larger on this wrap, and the bigger scale works beautifully.
I love the fact that the rails are each hemmed in a different direction, meaning that there really isn't a 'wrong' side on this wrap. It wraps easily, and pulls into place nicely, and the softness and thickness are amazing on my shoulders! I don't find many wraps comfortable in a simple ruck, but this one definitely was. It is very mouldable and has the perfect amount of stretch, meaning it is very supportive with my heavy toddler.
I have to say that Baie Slings is fast becoming one of my favourite wrap companies. I've only tried two of their wraps so far, but I have been so pleased with both of them. These wraps have such a high quality, luxurious feel, and don't particularly require any breaking-in. I can't wait to see what Baie Slings comes up with next!

Colour comparison top to bottom:
Trowen Ebony/Teal, SN Marina, SN Maya, Okinami Sia,
W&W Jade Storm, Roses Scarista, Trowen Emerald/Ecru.

A bit of background information: Bebe Sachi Khadi

 I've been asked a few times about my beautiful Bebe Sachi Khadi wraps, and what 'khadi' actually means. I always tried my best to explain, but the lovely Rita from Bebe Sachi has provided this really interesting article to give everyone all the background information on their Khadi wraps. I really love the fact that these wraps have such a wonderful story behind them - it makes them even more special to me.
If you would like the opportunity to own a beautiful size 6 Twight Khadi wrap, there are two auctions that have just gone live, being run by Bebe Sachi themsleves which help to raise funds for their very worthwhile project. Good luck to those who decide to place a bid! Twilight Khadi is one of my favourite, most special wraps.

Review: Oscha Okinami Sia Ring Sling

Brand: Oscha
Type: Okinami Sia
Blend: 25% wild silk, 75% cotton
Size: Size 2 converted into a gathered-shoulder ring sling by me.

I missed the original release of Okinami Sia, and when I saw new owners' action pictures I really admired the beautiful shade of turquoise used in this colourway. A couple of extra wraps were released on the Oscha website on Friday, and I was lucky to get a size 2, which I decided to convert into a ring sling (leaving me with a lovely scrap to use for a craft project aswell).
The Okinami pattern is such a detailed, sophisticated design, and it suits the Sia colourway perfectly. The silk adds a lovely glide to this medium-weight wrap, which I'm finding really comfortable even in a one-shouldered ring sling with a toddler. 
Sia was easy to convert into a gathered-shoulder ring sling , as it has a lovely drape to it, which gathered easily and neatly. It pulls through the rings smoothly, making it easy to adjust. It is already pretty soft after a gentle wash and iron, and I can already feel it getting softer with a little bit of use. This wrap would be great for carrying a newborn, right up to toddlerhood. I'm really thrilled with it!

Colour comparison top to bottom:
SN Maya, Nouveau Tiree, SN Marina, Roses Scarista, W&W Jade Storm, Baie Slings Trowen, GHI and Okinami Skye.

Monkey Mei Tai wrap conversion

I received this beautiful Monkey Mei Tai wrap conversion a couple of weeks ago, but only just managed to get some good pictures of it. The conversion is made from Girasol Natural Mamas wrap, and is toddler size, featuring Infinity Straps and a flat hood. It is amazingly comfortable, and we've already used it such a lot! The beautiful feather details have been created using hand-directed free motion embroidery by Helen herself. I've done a full review of my other Monkey Mei Tai conversions, and this one is equally as amazing and beautiful. I think the picture speak for themselves!

Review: Firespiral Pomegrantate Twilight Fractal Spirals

Brand: Firespiral
Type: Pomegranate Twilight Fractal Spirals
Blend: 100% Combed Cotton
Size: 3

I really adore my other Firespiral wraps, and have always loved the Fractal Spirals pattern which was used in Firespiral's original tester wraps, so when these beautiful pink spirals were released last week, I couldn't resist snapping one up!
It arrived quickly, and as usual for Firespiral was amazingly soft straightaway. The colour is beautiful, but really difficult to photograph. It is on the redder side of pink, but it is definitely pink rather than red. It is really striking when teamed with the navy blue Twilight colour. After a quick wash I couldn't wait to try it out.
Pomegranate is totally soft, mouldable and cushy, and doesn't really require any breaking-in. It is easy to wrap with, and very comfortable. It has quite a lot of stretch to it, which makes it extra-mouldable, but may also make it better in a multi-layer carry when using it with an older/heavier child for an extended period of time. However the lovely cush means this wrap is comfortable on my shoulders even in a simple ruck with Joey for a shorter time.
Another beautiful wrap from Firespiral. If I wasn't having to save my pennies for Christmas I would be snapping up one of their wool blend Fractal Spirals aswell!

Colour comparison top to bottom:
Nouveau Ember, FHI, Roses Danna, Ellevill Jade Lady, Etini Fuchsia, Pavo Syzygy.

Growing up...

I hope you've all had a lovely weekend. I've got a couple more reviews in the works, which I'll hopefully be able to add to my blog over the next week.
This week has been a couple of 'firsts' with Joey. He said the word 'sling' for the first time, when asking to go in the sling for a sleep. He doesn't have a lot of words yet, so I was really excited to hear him ask for 'sling'! He also brought his teddy bear and toy sling to me, and asked me to put them on him for the first time this week. Of course, I quickly tied teddy in, and Joey ran around excitedly. He turns two years old this month, and seems more grown up every day. I'm so happy that he still loves to be wrapped and carried though - long may it last!

Review: Woven Wings Dark Feathers

Brand: Woven Wings
Type: Dark Feathers (tester wrap)
Blend: 73% cotton, 27% wool
Size: 6

I feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to try out this beautiful Woven Wings wrap. Woven Wings are a brand new company here in the UK, whose debut pre-order recently sold out within 24 hours. They have already released two different patterns, and the one that arrived on my doorstep at the end of last week was 'Dark Feathers'.
I was immediately surprised at how smooth this wrap was to touch, as the pictures I had seen had given me the impression it would be very textured. However, this wool blend wrap is smooth, soft and mouldable and on the thinner side of medium thickness. However, it has a dense weave, meaning that it feels like a strong and sturdy wrap despite not being particularly thick. I wouldn't have immediately known it contained wool, as there is none of the classic 'itchy' feeling often associated with wool wraps, and yet on further inspection the wool became apparent mainly due to the wonderful blankety softness.
The first carry I tried was a FWCC. I immediately noticed that the wrap felt a little bit narrower than some of the other wraps I've been using lately. However, Joey is very tall (the height of an average 3 year old at 23 months old), and the wrap comfortably came up to the level of his arm pits, and I could have adjusted it slightly to have come up higher (I'm used to using particularly wide wraps recently), so I can't see the width being a problem for the vast majority of people. I preferred the wrap with the cross passes spread, just to give me a little more support for Joey's weight. The wrap was incredibly easy to wrap with. It has the perfect amount of diagonal stretch, and moulded into shape perfectly. It was easy to pull into place and tighten due to its fairly smooth feel, and I found it comfortable to use whilst Joey had a nap.
I also tried a double hammock carry, and this is where this wrap entered another league! This wrap is the perfect double hammock wrap! It is so soft and pulls into place so easily. I was able to pull the cross passes across my back and tighten it all up with ease, so that the weight was distributed perfectly across the chest pass and shoulders. The slightly narrower width also made no difference to a double hammock. 
I've really enjoyed using this wrap and it is quite different to many other wraps I've tried. It reminded me slightly of Oscha's Alto Bluebell in that it was a slightly thinner wrap, but still very supportive with a lovely glide, and yet Feathers feels like it has a denser weave compared to Alto Bluebell (although not as dense a weave as a lot of the Pavo wraps). Woven Wings already has an enthusiastic following, and after trying this wrap I can see why! I'm really looking forward to receiving my preordered wrap now that this beautiful Dark Feathers is flying off to its next tester.

Comparisons:

Colour comparison top to bottom: Dark Feathers, Oscha SN Shona, Oscha Roses Scarista and Artipoppe Akka.

Width comparison top to bottom: Bebe Sachi Twilight is particularly wide, Pavo Etini Fuchsia and Artipoppe Akka are average width (many of my Oscha wraps are also this width) and Woven Wings Dark Feathers.