Category Archives: Other reviews

All the Small Things custom dyed Pops, Firespiral Slings Cirrus review

All the Small Things, Firespiral Slings, Other reviews, Reviews, Woven wrap reviews

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Manufacturer – All the Small Things with Firespiral Slings

Design – Base wrap is Cirrus

Colour – Dyed in the Pops design

Blend – 100% cotton

Weight – 250gsm

Width of wrap – 65cm

Size tested – 6

Retail price of tested design and size – £201

Provided to me by – All the Small Things

Website – All the Small Things and Firespiral Slings

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Lindsay from All the Small Things is an amazing dye artist, specialising in tie and ice dye. I’ve got several of her creations myself, and have also been lucky enough to try one of her dyed wraps previously – see my review of the Yaro La Vita dyed by All the Small Things here. So when I heard that Firespiral Slings (who are well known for being incredibly soft and lovely to wrap with), had woven some special plain wraps just for her to dye to her customers specifications I was very interested. The plain base wrap is called Cirrus and the specific dyed wrap that’s currently travelling around the country (along with it’s own little passport!), has been named Pops for the distinctive dye style which is one of Lindsay’s specialities (she’s very versatile so check out her page for other designs and inspiration). Pops took 10 hours to tie before dying, so there really is a lot of love and effort that goes into these wraps. When you order, the wraps are cut specifically to your requirements as well as being custom dyed to your specifications, giving you a truly personalised wrap and service. Prices start at £106 for a custom ice dyed size 2, and if you’re dreaming of one of these beauties but can’t afford it right now, payment plans can be arranged (contact All the Small Things for their terms and conditions on payment plans).

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So with all this in mind, I was really looking forward to Pops’ holiday with us. We were third in line for the travelling wrap itinerary and therefore Pops was pretty new when it arrived with us. This wrap is beautifully soft, so smooth and floppy and I can only imagine how dreamy it is by now with even more use. These really are soft out of the bag and practically wrap themselves, perfectly moulding to the contours of yours and your child’s bodies. Something I particularly liked with the weave structure of Cirrus is that it maintains the softness and floppiness that Firespiral are so well known for, but because the weave is a tighter structure and is uniform throughout (the designs being dyed on, rather than woven in which would lead to some longer threads to form the design), the fabric didn’t feel like it would pull very easily, if at all. I’ve got a couple of Firespirals in my personal stash and while I love them and they are wonderful to use, I have had to fix a few pulls from the more open weave structure. I feel the Cirrus weave gives you all the benefits which Firespiral are known for without the downsides.

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I enjoyed wrapping with Pops so much that it was the only wrap I used during its week holiday with us. We took it to a local Natural History Museum, to a local sling meet (where everyone who tried it loved it), shopping in town, to a consultation workshop (one of the attendees has subsequently ordered one for herself!), to Reu’s Hartbeeps class and used it for a lovely slingy nap while working at home. So we definitely put it to the test! It provided a lovely level of support for 2 year old Reu and I, and felt really soft and cushioned on my shoulders especially. The weave is lovely and supportive and I got some of the most supportive carries I can remember with it. At 250gsm it’s a medium weight wrap, making it a good all rounder. I also cannot praise enough the beauty and the complexity of the dye work. I’ve tried to show this in my photos but it really is a piece of art and the colours work beautifully together. This is definitely on my shopping list when funds allow!

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So if you’re looking for a super soft yet really supportive wrap which is a joy to use, Cirrus could answer your desires. I personally adore the pops design (and have ordered something very exciting featuring it), but if it’s not your cup of tea, you can pretty much let your imagination run wild and get your dream wrap design, with the wonderful Cirrus as the base wrap. And when your babywearing days are over (let’s pretend this won’t ever happen), your personal design could become a meaningful keepsake to remind you of that lovely close time carrying your little one.

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Tree of Opals European wrap scrap charms review

Other reviews, Reviews, Tree of Opals

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Manufacturer – Tree of Opals

Design – Wrap Scrap European Charm

Retail price of tested design and size – £30 per charm, bracelet £5

Provided to me by – Tree of Opals

Website – Tree of Opals

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Tree of Opals contacted me recently about their new Wrap Scrap European charms, and asked if I was interested in hosting a giveaway for them. I love supporting work at home Mums and all things wraps and wrap scraps so of course said yes! So that I could give a full and accurate review I have gone through their website and full order process.

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Firstly, when I started looking at the website I was really very impressed with the variety of options available. She makes a variety of keepsake jewellery such as European charms (like Pandora charms), rings, necklaces and earrings. And you can have a massive variety of things preserved for posterity, including wrap scraps, wedding dresses (part, not all!), cremation remains, breast milk, placenta, hair, pet fur, umbilical cord, menstrual blood and teeth! And why not ask if you have something else you’d like preserved? There are also some crochet babaywearing necklaces available from the lovely Coastal Path Creations (I have one of her necklaces and it’s lovely and very well made).

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So having looked through the website and finding several items to add to my Christmas list, I then progressed with my wrap scrap charm order. The website was easy to navigate and there is a very comprehensive document detailing how to send the various items, which is linked to at many different points, so that you can’t miss it. I also decided to have some of Reu’s hair added to the charms so he got his first (very small) trim, we packed our scraps and hair and sent it off. I should at this point say that Tree of Opals have a wide variety of wrap scraps available or you can send your own if it’s something they don’t have in stock but you do. They are also building a library of wrap scraps to further meet people’s desires, so if you are a wrap scrapper and end up with those tiny bits that aren’t much use for anything other than jewellery making, consider sending them to Tree of Opals (I sent her a variety as a thank you). Communication throughout was great, and from start to finish was very quick for such a bespoke service.

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When the charms and bracelet arrived I was very impressed with them. They arrived in their own little wrap scrap bag, and with lovely packing material, so much nicer than just a ziplock bag! And I wasn’t disappointed with the quality either. I can clearly see my wrap scraps and despite the pieces used being so small I can clearly identify them thanks to the skillful positioning (Firespiral Driftwood cyano seafoam and Shire Slings Love Geek if you’re wondering), and having Reu’s hair in two of them makes them really special keepsakes, and so personal to us (the wrap choices were for sentimental reasons too). They are rather difficult to photograph well, but Tree of Opals have taken some more professional photographs of the ones available for giveaway (see Sling Sally for details), so I’ve included these here as they show the detailing much clearer than any I managed to take! I would definitely recommend these to anyone who wants a beautiful way to preserve their memories of carrying their children, or other aspects of their lives.

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Yaro La Vita custom dyed by All the Small Things review

All the Small Things, Other reviews, Reviews, Woven wrap reviews, Yaro

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Manufacturer – Yaro slings

Design – La Vita

Colour – White initially, dyed by All the Small Things

Blend – 40% linen 60% cotton

Weight – 230 gsm

Size tested – 7

Retail price of tested design and size – £77 plus dying costs

Provided to me by – Pour La Bebe and All the Small Things

Website – Pour La Bebe and All the Small Things

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A quick review on the Yaro La Vita linen blend that briefly visited us recently as part of a giveaway (now ended but check out the page  for more), on Sling Sally in conjunction with Pour La Bebe who stock a range of baby carriers and accessories, and All the Small things who expertly dyed the wrap.

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Despite being a brand new linen blend wrap which could have made it a little stiff to use I actually found the wrap really nice to wrap with. It was nice and sturdy but still flexible for use and was plenty supportive enough for toddler Reu. It’s not a thick wrap so would be nice to use any time of the year. I don’t think it would take much use at all to be fully broken in.

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As for the dye job, it was quite simply beautiful. Lindsay at All the Small Things is a true master of her craft, and had created a stunning design with wrap width rainbows at each end and a lovely lotus design marking the centre point of the wrap. I have got some of Lindsay’s other tie dye work and can vouch that it’s all to a very high standard. She offers a custom service including dying both stretchy and woven wraps as well as many other items.

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We loved this wraps brief visit with us, both for its wrapping qualities and the beauty of the dye design.

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TigerPig hip bag review

Other reviews, Reviews, TigerPig

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Manufacturer – Wrap Scrap Goodies by TigerPig

Design – Prototype hip bag

Colour – Made from Natibaby foxes wrap scrap

Retail price of tested design and size – Prices starting from £25 – speak to TigerPig for further details

Provided to me by – Wrap Scrap Goodies by TigerPig

Website – Wrap Scrap Goodies by TigerPig

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For the last couple of weeks I’ve had this prototype design hip bag here for testing from Wrap Scrap Goodies by TigerPig. If you haven’t heard of TigerPig before, she’s an up and coming work at home mum, wrap scrap seamstress and makes some really stunning and unusual items to a very high standard, and with excellent customer service so you get a truly bespoke experience on a custom order.

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I’m not someone who likes to carry a big bag and we always travel light, so I’d been looking for a solution for a little while (having bought a very ‘cool’ bumbag from eBay), so when Hilary from TigerPig asked me to test her new design hip bag I jumped at the chance.

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My first impressions were with the high quality of the design and production, you can really tell that Hilary has a keen eye for detail. The stitching is perfect (as with other items I’ve seen of hers), and she has matched the lining fabric and zip colours beautifully. It has a wide band to go around you with two small sling rings to fasten, just like on a ring sling. The bag section has two smaller pockets within and the front is cleverly pleated to allow more space without being bulky when that extra space isn’t in use. Although it is called a hip bag, you could wear it anywhere around your waist, on the front, back or side, whatever is most comfortable for you. I’m a size 14 UK and had approximately 6 inches of spare waist band after fastening through the rings, so people of different sizes may wish to adjust the waist band length according to their size and how much tail they were happy with (TigerPig are very good with bespoke orders so just discuss the length required when you contact her).I felt this was just the right length for me as the tail wasn’t too long but there was space for any future expansions!

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Over the two weeks that I tested the bag out I used it almost daily and found it really comfortable throughout (much better than the eBay purchase!). I took Reu to a busy Tumble Tots class with lots of getting up and down and never felt it was in the way. We went to a local science discovery centre for the afternoon and again, it was comfortable throughout. We also went on walks, to Reu’s swimming class and to shops, as well as wearing it around the house. The ring finish was really secure; it was easy to put on and adjust but never loosened by itself, and I think it looks much nicer than a buckle. I also used it while carrying 19 month old Reu in the sling, both with front and back carries, and I found it ideal for this as I could still easily access the bag but there were no straps over Reu and I, or the wrap, so it didn’t impact at all on my wrap job at all.

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I generally carried my phone (medium smartphone size), purse and house and car keys in the bag, and there was plenty of room to spare. I also popped a size 4 disposable nappy in there with the other items and with a little planning I could have fitted much more in thanks to the front pleating. I found it easy to get to the stuff in the bag (something I’d struggled with with the eBay purchase), and the extra pockets within were handy for loose items such as change.

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Overall this is a great bag when used with or without a sling. It’s surprisingly spacious and very comfortable. I’ve enjoyed it so much I’m ordering one for myself! And the lovely thing about TigerPig is that with such a personal service, if you were to order one for yourself, you could choose your own wrap scrap from her large supplies (or provide your own if you had something particularly special), and have a lovely custom bag to meet your needs and tastes.

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