February’s custom was for a 500cm baby wrap. It was important to create natural but vibrant colours for Sian’s fabric. She also requested a textile that would be soft on the shoulders when carrying her small person! As with the other custom made baby wraps the width was 30 inches wide giving a baby wrap of approximately 70cm in width.
Some inspiration for February’s Custom
The inspiration came from local British landscapes
Sian choose a Cotton & Hemp yarn dyed by hand painting the measured chains (see warp dyeing techniques) for the warp. Cotton & Hemp is strong and soft. The weft yarn – Merino & Bamboo provided give and extra softness on the shoulder. It was hand dyed in subtle variations of golden to dark brown.
Hand Painted Cotton & Hemp Yarn being warped
Sian wanted a vibrant but natural set of colours
The weave pattern was a pretty square lay out Crackle weave
Featuring 5 different colours of Merino wool inlays with a Merino and Bamboo yarn weft.
The finished piece – ‘The Great Wood’
500cm Baby wrap with tassels
40% Merino 30% Cotton 20% Hemp 10% Bamboo
Sian’s Review
“I’ve been baby-wearing for almost 2 years, and having tried (and then sold!) a lot of machine woven wraps, I fell into the handwoven rabbit hole after hearing about Feather and Hay from a friend. I was lucky to be able to test two fabulous wraps and was then convinced that I wanted Georgina to make something for me and my son.
My inspiration was the natural world, and having followed Georgina for a while I knew she would be able to translate my random ideas into some woven magic. My husband and I met in Scotland, and lived there for a long time. The pine woods and the highlands were where we found our breathing space from stressful careers, and when we moved to Yorkshire for work we found there was a huge Scotland shaped hole in our hearts.
Georgina encouraged me to start looking at pictures and ideas on Pinterest, and I created a mood board that I shared with her. She was so receptive to my ideas and really thoughtfully put together colours and textures that would reflect what I was trying to emulate – an earthy, natural vibrancy that reflected the colours of the highlands and the forests. I was quite specific about the wrap qualities I needed – gentle on my shoulders, with a bit of give, but lots of support – and Georgina knew exactly what yarns would work.
There was quite a long lead time before my slot – around 5 months – but it passed really quickly, especially as Georgina was great at keeping in touch and letting me know the decision points (yarn types, length etc.). When the time came – and she’s right, it comes around really quickly! – she sent regular photos and was so helpful when decisions had to be made; she gave the right level of information so I knew what I was choosing between, but didn’t feel overwhelmed.
When my wrap arrived (along with a scarf – would have been rude not to!) I was absolutely in love with it instantly. I had no idea it would be possible to create a piece of fabric that represented everything I’d been trying to communicate with my one creative braincell, but Georgina managed it. The quality is exceptional, every strand is in the right place and it is finished perfectly. Also, I am a sucker for packaging, and Georgina wrapped it so nicely, I really enjoyed unboxing it!
A few months in, my 21 month old is getting over his wrap strike (helped by snack bribery) and we are loving it. It’s so easy to wrap with, and is becoming softer and more malleable by the second, never losing the strength.
With the strange world we live in currently, it’s unlikely we’ll get to take our son to Scotland for the foreseeable future. We still miss the highlands, but we have our fabric talisman to comfort us until we can return!”
Sian chose to call her piece ‘The Great Wood’ in honour of the Caledonian Forests. Here it is in action!
