Apple Blossom Wovens just released their newest wrap in the Soul shine series: Soulshine Magenta! It’s a cotton/linen blend and it’s oh so beautiful. This is my first ever wrap from Apple Blossom Wovens, as well as my first Linen blend wrap (I’ve tested a linen onbuhimo and a linen meh dai, but never a linen wrap). Ready to come down the rabbit hole with me?
How Does It Look?
Dear sweet wrap gods. My friend Theresa of Wraps, Slings, and Harmony and I have been talking about finding a wrap that incorporates our favorite colors, mine being orange and hers being purple. So, when I got the opportunity to host this wrap, I’m pretty sure I audibly gasped. Soulshine Magenta consists of a purple, and orange gradient warp with hints of yellow and pink along with a magenta weft. The colors are rich and vibrant without being overpowering. This wrap makes me happy every time I look at it. The orange-lover in me would love to see the orange highlighted a bit more, as it leans more toward a pinkish orange than my favorite fall orange, but that’s just me being picky about my oranges. The wrap creates that perfect feeling of violet-orange sunset over the beach at the end of summer. Absolutely gorgeous.
How Does It Feel?
Linen! This wrap is 75% cotton and 25% linen. Having never dealt with a linen blend before, I was not sure what to expect when I opened the package. Soulshine was floppy and soft after having been broken in by its previous host. It’s moderately thick in hand but easily molds to my and my baby’s body and is not at all a difficult to maneuver. It’s definitely dry to the touch as opposed to having that cool, “soapy,” silky feeling, but it has a certain smoothness in it due to the weave pattern. It is so interesting to run my hands across because it is soft and snuggly, but also has a little something extra. What I can only call a bit of sass, which I’m assuming is residual crunch from the linen. It’s not prickly like wool can be, and it’s not kitten belly soft like tencel. It’s difficult to describe. It feels like it should be scratchy, but it’s not. It’s just got this micro texture that lets you know that while it’s soft enough to snuggle your newborn, it will also hold up to your 30lb toddler.
Is it Comfortable?
Did I mention it can stand up to my 30lb toddler? It’s hard to believe that Nerdy Mixed Baby is 30lbs now and starting to look more like a kid and less like a baby. (::sigh:: I digress) Because of NMB’s increased weight we’ve been defaulting to the double hammock rather than our usual ruck variations more and more. In a double hammock Soulshine definitely… well… shines! The chest pass molds to my chest. The second hammock pass is relatively easy to get into place (just takes a wee bit of working to combat that “sass” I was talking about above). And it holds. Man does it hold. It’s got some serious strength without being as bulky and beastly as an Eco2Cotton wrap, (which as I’ve mentioned before could tow a truck and still somehow remain in pristine condition.)
It’s got a bit of diagonal stretch which is what helps it to mold to our bodies rather than holding it’s own shape, and it holds firm while NMB plays around on my back. I wouldn’t say it bounces with him, but I also wouldn’t say it’s a rock-solid prison either. It’s a nice mixture of give and hold. How does it fare on my super picky shoulders? Very very well. It’s super soft and cushy and I don’t feel many pressure points while wearing, even in a hastily done sloppy double hammock. I tried a few ruck variations for the sake of science and it was divine in a reinforced ruck. In a standard ruck or ruck TUB, I feel it would have been lovely a few months ago before NMB had this massive growth spurt. It would still hold in a pinch now with some precision tightening.
Oh! And how does it stand up temperature wise? With how thick it feels in hand, you expect it to be a hot wrap, but it is surprisingly breathable. The weather has finally shifted to being cool, so I can’t say how well it holds up to 90 degree weather, but it definitely kept me and NMB relatively cool during my ultimate test of vacuuming the house.
What About Care and Keeping?
This wrap is machine washable and you can even tumble dry it on low!!! That’s my kind of wrap. I can’t say I’ve washed it on my own yet, but when I do, I’ll report back. It doesn’t appear to pull easily and I’ve wrapped in my fair share of parking lots with it!
The Verdict (aka TL;DR)
Pros:
Strong and durable without being overpowering
Molds to your and your baby’s bodies
Soft and easy to maneuver
Interesting micro texture
Beautiful!!!
Cons:
Very dry, (This is only a con if you don’t like dry wraps)
Interesting micro texture (yes I put this under both categories. Because that tiny bit of linen crunch might not be for everybody)
Apple Blossom Wovens has done a phenomenal job making a gorgeous wrap with the strength and beauty of linen but the wrapping ease of cotton. It’s definitely worth a try to see if it suits your needs.
(Image of a bespectacled black mom with locs wearing a light brown toddler in a purple/orange gradient wrap. The are outside in front of a wooden picket fence. The mom is smiling and the toddler is peeking over her shoulder in typical toddler fashion.)
Disclaimer: I received this wrap as part of Apple Blossom Woven’s tester program. The opinions expressed are my own.
Nerdy Black Mom 