Review: Baie Slings Wild Roses Dew Drop

Brand: Baie Slings
Type: Wild Roses Dew Drop
Blend: 80% combed cotton, 20% merino wool
Size: 5

I was delighted to be asked to try out a wrap using Baie Slings' latest new blend, and having been hoping they might come up with a wool blend in time for winter, was excited to learn that this particular wrap is 80% combed cotton and 20% merino wool.
Wild Roses Dew Drop (named after one of the fairies in the Nutcracker) uses the same grad warp as Baie's previous release 'Pumpkin Patch'. The warp blends from a bright burgundy colour to black across the width of the wrap, and the weft is a beautiful periwinkle blue colour. On close examination I can see this is actually created using two different blue/grey colours in the weft, which blend together to create the pretty periwinkle colour, and give the colours added depth. The two different sides almost look like two different wraps, and the grad looks equally good on each side. 
As expected from Baie Slings by now, the wrap arrived feeling extremely soft and mouldable. In fact, when the postman handed over the parcel, I could feel how cushy it was through the packaging! Dew Drop isn't overly thick, and is extremely easy to handle. It has an amazing glide to it, and it easily moulds around you both. Despite not being overly thick (weighing in at 254gsm), Dew Drop has an amazing amount of cush. It uses Baie Sling's plush weave (meaning it is a slightly looser weave), and is totally comfortable and supportive with my tall almost-3-year-old. This wrap really excels in a double hammock, as the passes glide across so easily, making it easy to tighten, and the cush on the shoulders adds to the comfort. Dew Drop has also been 'daddy tested', and during an afternoon stroll, Joey stayed nice and high on my husband's back, and both were happy and comfortable.
Dew Drop has none of the itchy feeling often associated with wool blends - it simply feels soft and snuggly, and would make a lovely snuggly blanket when babywearing days are over. 
Wild Roses Dew Drop will be released in early to mid November, although anyone heading to the Carry On London event this weekend will have the opportunity to give this wrap a test run for themselves!

Review: Baie Slings Filigree Autumn Leaves

Brand: Baie Slings
Type: Filigree Autumn Leaves
Blend: 100% combed cotton
Size: Ring sling, gathered shoulder.

The weather has suddenly turned colder here in the UK this week, reminding us that autumn has arrived and winter is on its way. I have always loved the rich colours in autumn, and we have a small collection of Japanese Maples in our garden, which at this time of year are vivid shades of red, pink and orange. When I saw the preview of this beautiful Baie Slings wrap, it immediately reminded me of the colours I love in autumn. I couldn't resist adding a ring sling to my collection!
When it arrived, I immediately loved the colours even more than I did in the pictures. The red is a deep red, combined with the orange colour, and a gentle shimmer when it catches the light, giving it an amazing warm glow.
As is usual for Baie Slings, Autumn Leaves arrived feeling soft and cushy, and very sturdy. It is soft and mouldable, and is continuing to soften with use. The Filigree pattern is slightly textured, but this doesn't stop the wrap adjusting through the rings easily. The weave is tight enough to prevent any sag, even with my large almost-3-year-old, and feels very secure. I've found it very comfortable on a couple of lovely autumn strolls, and my son seems happy in it as well.
Comparing it to a couple of Baie Slings' previous Filigree releases, it feels slightly sturdier than Persica, but more mouldable than Limerick. It works beautifully as a ring sling!
At the time of writing, there are still some Autumn Leaves available on Baie Sling's website, including some of their matching accessories:
 http://www.baieslings.com/#!shop/cup6

Quick Review: Baie Slings Autumn Leaves Bag

I thought it was worth mentioning the beautiful handmade bag I bought from Baie Slings, also made out of the Autumn Leaves wrap fabric, as I am really impressed with the quality. It is the perfect size for a few baby essentials, without being over-big. It has a zip along the top to keep your belongings safe, and the inside is fully lined. It is very professionally made, and I wouldn't hesitate to order a bag again. It is very practical and sturdy at the same time as being really beautiful.


Colour: due to the shimmer on this wrap, I have struggled to get a perfectly accurate picture of the colours. The pictures on Baie Sling's own website are more true to life than my pictures here.

Review: Baie Slings Trowen Scarlett

Brand: Baie Slings
Type: Trowen Scarlett
Blend: 100% combed cotton
Size: 3

This elegant wrap arrived a few weeks ago, and we've been using it regularly since then. A combination of red and purple, Scarlett is a beautiful wrap, with enough contrast to see the intricate Trowen pattern, whilst remaining subtle and elegant. 
Scarlett is one of Baie Slings' tighter 'snug' weave wraps, making it smoother and denser than my other Trowen wraps (apart from Trowen Nightingale, which is also a 'snug' weave). It has a small amount of texture to hold the wrap in place, but also has a lot of glide making it easy to wrap with. It arrived feeling soft and ready to wrap with, and has continued to soften with use. Scarlett is mouldable yet sturdy, and supports my toddler's weight beautifully with no sag.
We are really enjoying Scarlett, as it is so quick and easy to use. I've been using it mainly in a hip-cross-carry, which is a one shouldered carry with a slip knot. Scarlett works really well with a slip-knot, as it adjusts easily, and is very comfortable in a one-shouldered carry. The rich colour of Scarlett is going to be perfect during the Christmas season, although we won't be saving it just for then - we will be using it all year round!

Brasserie Blanc Flashmob

 A few weeks ago, the Brasserie Blanc cafe in Cheltenham became famous around the world after hanging a sign outside its door, welcoming breastfeeding mothers to use them as a pit stop to feed, and have a free cup of tea. As last week was World Breastfeeding Week, Sling Beat (our local sling dance classes in Cheltenham) and Gloucestershire Breastfeeding Supporters Network teamed up to surprise staff and customers with a sling dance flash mob. We had a lot of fun rehearsing over the last week, and it was wonderful to be part of such a celebration.
I will always be grateful for the invaluable help we received from Gloucestershire Breastfeeding Supporters Network during the difficult early days of breastfeeding, and Joey and I have been regulars at Sling Beat classes for the last year, so it felt very special to be part of such an event. We were asked to wear pink, so I used my Artipoppe Two Birds Silvester wrap, which was perfect for the occasion. We had a really positive reaction from everyone watching the flashmob, and the video of the flash mob has since been shared around the world! Here it is if you haven't seen it yet!

Review: Baie Slings Filigree Persica

Brand: Baie Slings
Type: Filigree Persica
Blend: 100% combed cotton
Size: 5

After having the genuine pleasure of meeting the lovely family behind Baie Slings last weekend at Sling Dads Camp, I was lucky enough to come away with this beautiful wrap. It is the second Filigree wrap that I have tried, and this one is totally different from the first! 
This beautiful Filigree is a combination of a fresh peachy colour and a very pale pink. They combine to make this beautiful summery wrap.
In comparison to Filigree Limerick (the green Filigree wrap) which is quite a tight weave, and requires a fair amount of breaking in, this peachy coloured Filigree is beautifully soft straight out of the bag and is a delight to wrap with straightaway. Filigree Persica is a looser weave compared to Limerick, and Juliette from Baie Slings compared it to the weave of Element Calypso.
I have used this wrap a lot this week, including a couple of walks in the woods whilst still at Sling Dads Camp and an hour long babywearing dance class! It is easy to tighten and very mouldable, and even after an hour of dancing, Joey and I were still very comfortable. We also didn't feel over-heated, which in the current humid climate, is fantastic! At approx 240gsm, it is thinner than Limerick, but I found it equally supportive, partially due to the fact that it is easy to tighten and wrap accurately. Filigree Persica is fairly textured, and holds in place beautifully.
I have enjoyed all of the Baie Slings that I have been lucky enough to try, but I have to admit, I'm particularly enjoying this one :)

Showing the 'pale' side of the wrap.

At a babywearing dance class
(wrap colour not shown quite as accurately).

Review: Baie Slings Filigree Limerick

Brand: Baie Slings
Type: Filigree Limerick (tester)
Blend: 100% combed cotton
Size: 6

Filigree Limerick arrived along with the Trowen Jasper tester wrap a couple of weeks ago, and we have been thoroughly enjoying trying it out! Its interesting to see what effect a different weft can have on the same coloured warp, as the overall colours of Jasper and Limerick are really different, despite having the same deep green coloured warp. Limerick is actually made up of three different green colours, which combine to make this very fresh and striking colourway.
This is the first time I have seen and felt the Filigree pattern in person. It is a really intricate, delicate pattern, and I really feel that Limerick looks equally good on either side.
Limerick is a very tight weave, meaning it didn't arrive with the same 'fluffiness' as some of the looser weave Baie Slings. However, after a little bit of use, it is really softening up. I don't feel that its tight weave makes it difficult to use, and it is still lovely and mouldable. The Filigree pattern is quite grippy, so needs pulling across on a back carry slightly more carefully, but I honestly didn't struggle to get it tightened at all. The grippiness does help everything to stay in place, and produced a really solid and supportive carry. It has less overall cush compared to some of the looser weave Baie Slings, but I didn't feel it digging on my shoulders at all. I also settled my son for his nap in a FWCC, and found it very supportive, even with such a large child. It was very easy pull into place, and the grippiness meant that the wrap staying in place whilst tightening, making it quick and easy to get into place.
I can see Limerick getting softer with use, and I wouldn't hesitate to use with with a small baby, but it also worked beautifully with my toddler. I would probably choose it in a multi-layer carry for a very large toddler, but it is supportive enough to also work in a single-layer carry for a smaller child.
Another beautiful wrap from Baie Slings, which are being released this coming Monday. Take a look at Baie Slings website for more details!

Vey close-up, showing the three different green colours that make up Limerick.

Little Fellows 'Cloudy with a Chance of Rainbows'

Brand: Little Fellows
Type: Cloudy with a Chance of Rainbows.
Blend: 30% cotton, 20% linen, 50% mercerised cotton.
Size: 5

I was very lucky to win a Little Fellows 'golden ticket' a couple of months ago, meaning I had a stalk-free-pass to purchase an in stock wrap. Little Fellows wraps are woven by a lovely friend just down the road from me in Gloucester. I am already lucky enough to own one Little Fellows wrap, and when I saw the first pictures of the 'Cloudy' wraps, I knew this would be the perfect wrap to fill the rainbow gap in my stash.
Cloudy is stunning! The colours are perfectly balanced and the streaks of grey throughout the design add detail and interest to a classic rainbow pattern. I love how there are several shades of each colour used in each section adding depth to the design. My wrap has half periwinkle weft and half a silvery blue/grey. The change in weft is subtle, and reminds me of the changes in shadows on a cloudy day.
Cloudy is soft and cushy, with the mercerised cotton giving it a very gentle sheen. It already feels blankety soft. It has a nice amount of stretch, but without being saggy. The linen content adds the perfect amount of support without compromising the softness.
This beautiful wrap is a pleasure to wrap with. It glides into place, and has an amazing amount of cush, without being overly thick. It works equally well in a single layer ruck as it does in a multi-layer carry. I used it today in a 'Robin's Hip Carry' for quite some time, and found it perfectly comfortable with my large toddler. Unlike the hemp-blend Little Fellows that I already own (and love), Cloudy doesn't need any breaking in, and would work equally well with a newborn as it does with my toddler.
I'm enjoying this wrap so much! Its such a fun, colourful design, and it obviously appeals to my little boy aswell!

The weft change.