Review: Pretty Paisley Productions' Georgiana

Wrap: Pretty Paisley Productions Georgiana by Wood-N-Woven
Size: 4.6m (measures 4.9m post wear)
Width: a little over 76 cm
Fiber content: 100% cotton, 8/2 warp and 10/2 weft
Weave: 2/2 Twill
GSM: 285
The short version:  If you like wide, thick, but floppy handwovens with plenty of support and stretch, you will like Georgiana.  Would be overwhelming with a squish, but the snuggle factor is amazing.

Full version:  I was very excited to try this handwoven from a local company!  Pretty Paisley Productions has been dying baby wraps and is now expanding their realm to offer gorgeous handwovens.  She's offered some truly lovely work and this is no exception!

First impressions are always important and Georgiana did not disappoint.  The black weft twill really catches your eye and give the wrap tons of dimension, it is a visual chameleon.  It almost moves if you look to hard at it.  I am not a fan of rainbow, but the weave makes the colours pop without it being too flashy.  At first touch, I was very impressed by the softness and cuddle factor.  This is definitely a wrap that could be tossed on the couch after use and it would quickly be snatched up for a blanket.  Some twills I've handled had a bit of a rougher feel, but not Georgiana!

 I have petite children and I will say that I am preferring more narrow wraps recently.  The thickness and width would be ideal for toddlers, I feel that it would be overwhelming with a infant (especially the leg passes and knot).  You don't need a pillow for wrap naps here!  Almost like padded shoulders, the width really enhances the cush factor.  Even a good ruck was comfortable on my shoulders while I made dinner with a sleeping baby.  The stretch also makes it seem wider than it truly is.


 Even though there is a ton of stretch, I did not experience any sagging!  It gives a fabulous chest pass that really conforms to your body, very ace bandagey.  My carries were all high and snug, even over long periods.  The twill provides some lovely grip, but it wasn't difficult to wrap with and the passes went into place easily.  I am a big fan of candy cane chest belts and it was easy to thread through the opposite ruck strap, but holds a half knot beautifully.    

I have very high standards when it comes to weaving and Georgiana is well woven.  The selveges could stand to be a little neater, but evenly tensioned.  Bobbin changes are unnoticable and I did not see any weavers knots or stray ends poking out.  There is a small skip near the tail, but this is a handwoven item and I like to know real people were lovingly crafting it for babies to be cuddled in!

Why I Wear

As we close International Babywearing Week, I thought it would be a great time to reflect on my first year of wrapping.  I've worn each of my three children, but didn't really "get it" til my second was about 8 months old.  Since then I've truly embraced the wearing lifestyle and LOVE it!  There are many facets to my babywearing addiction and I would love to share them with you!

I originally started wearing as a convenience.  I have some physical limitations that make carrying a child in my arms very tiring and my children aren't even that big!  Thanks to the local La Leche League and my friend, I found the wearing love with a ring sling and Ergo soft structured carrier.  They were both wonderful options at the time, but just not quite what I was looking for as my needs changed.  I'm so grateful they were available to start our obsession!

I remember my first experience with a woven, before I even had children.  A neighbor used one to back carry her youngest while we made  goat cheese.  I didn't think anything of it until several years later when I started wrapping my our children.  Oh how I wish I had remembered and asked her for help when I had my first!  She gifted me a homemade stretchy wrap at my shower and I was an epic failure with it as there were no instructions.  Following some Moby wrap tutorials resulted in me feeling like it wasn't safe at all (cradle hold...) and I was overwhelmed by all the fabric.  Ironically, it was only the length of a size 4...  Oh how things change! 

My first time wearing our oldest

When E was about 8 months old, I realised I needed something different.  She didn't fit well in the Ergo due to her tiny size as a failure to thrive child and it was so difficult to look around her wiggly self while cooking.  My friend Kristin often posted pictures of her woven wraps and I knew that was what I needed!  I placed an order through her coop for a Little Frog wrap and was having such a hard time waiting.  So I convinced DH to buy me a more immediate option!  We looked and looked for the PERFECT wrap.  We finally settled on KoKaDi Erna im Wunderland and not so patiently waited for it to arrive from Canada.  

It was LOVE!!!  Cuddly soft, easy to wrap with, I still hold my gold standard to how it made me feel.  I've tried different blends, different weaves, different amounts of texture and grip... But whenever I try a new carry, I bring good old Erna out.  We quickly mastered back carries and that opened a whole new world of adventure!

Our first back carry!

Wearing (particularly in a woven wrap) allows me to care for my children more easily.  I can wear a needy toddler or nurse the baby while I cook dinner!  Let the baby nap while I play with the older children and take them for walks.  It's easier for me to take them shopping without worrying my runner is going to take off in the parking lot.  It keeps them calm when they're overtired or anxious.  If they're sick, I can keep them close and comforted!

Wraps keep us happy during testing at the children's hospital (yay, no cystic fibrosis!)

There are so many different carries to learn, I feel like you're never done learning when it comes to wrapping.  I made it an effort to learn as many different carries as I could during my third pregnancy.  It was so fun to compare the differences and similarities of various carries and I found a lot of great new options!  It helped me understand the different wrapping qualities of various brands and blends. I want to try them all!!!

Part of my obsession with woven wraps is my love of textiles.  I love to feel them, rub them between my fingers, test the stretch in various directions, feel the changes after a first wash.  Cotton alone can feel so different depending on the weave, if it's mercerized or unmercerized, if it's dyed... So far I've tried unmercerized and mercerized cotton, combed cotton and Egyptian cotton, wild silk, hemp, linen, baby camel, Repreve, wool, and more.  The varying dynamics in how the fibers play together is fascinating!  My goal is to try as much as I can and I am looking forward to the many years of wearing I still have!

Our first and latest stash shots

Just a little Introduction!

My husband keeps encouraging me to start writing and keep a blog for the adventures of our busy little girls!  I finally decided that he is probably right as usual, so here we are!  I want to keep memories of our little escapades, share information that is important to me, and have a better way of keeping myself accountable with my goals.

*wave* Hi!  I'm Anna, work at home mom to a very energetic pair of princesses.  I have a little hobby business making cloth diapers and am addicted to wrapping.  If it involves fabric, I'm probably obsessed with it!  My business started as an innocent way to save money while pregnant with my first and has definitely evolved into a much larger project than I ever intended.  I now have my own space at home to work in and my own machines, so much easier than going over to my mother's house.  Luckily she still comes and watches the girls while I work!  They really enjoy seeing her frequently and I enjoy having a few quiet moments to myself.  I recently got into the wickedly addicting world of woven wrap as well.  I have always tried to maintain a natural way of parenting my girls and wearing them was always something I did.  We've had the carrier my mom carried me in, an Ergo, a ring sling...  I even tried the Moby and was an epic failure!  But since having my second baby grow up and needing the use of both hands, woven wraps really intrigued me.  I finally took the plunge and have been loving every minute!

The biggest influences behind my blog and, of course, the biggest stars are P and E.  P is a Christmas Eve baby and one of the smartest kids I know!  She was born a month early due to pre-eclampsia and has been a wonderful addition to our family.  Because of her, I am learning that life never goes how I plan it!  We had planned a homebirth with her and instead got a preterm induction, she was also tongue tied and has food allergies.  Amazingly enough, she "nursed" til 20 months and was totally on donor milk from 8 weeks on.  E was my healing natural birth, it was truly an enjoyable experience!  This time we were armed with knowledge of ties and we were able to make it 8 weeks bottle and paci free.  After visiting a highly recommended pediatric dentist in NY, I finally had the breastfeeding relationship I had longed for until her food allergies became too severe to continue.  She is now on elemental formula and thriving for the first time in her life.  As the younger sibling, E is very determined to keep up with big sister P!  This tiny little mite is always on the go and met every milestone very early.  She is a joy to be around and such a funny little creature!  We hope to see our family grow and continue to be AWESOME!