A touch of autumn in winter - Russet Pippin Review

Jan 9, 2016
4 min read

So here it is finally, my review of the Russet Pippin handwoven wrap by Feather and Hay.

Feather and Hay is an up and coming handweaver who makes a variety of handwoven goods that includes baby wraps. I have previously reviewed a blanket of hers (which I loved), but this has been my first chance to try out one of her woven wraps and I was understandably very excited.

Russet Pippin is a 100% cotton plain weave wrap with tassels that measures 380cm (approximately a size 4). It's a pretty wrap with colours evocative of autumn.

It came to stay with us for a few weeks which gave me the opportunity to give it a good workout and to try it with both Little Scribbler and Little Scribblers Apprentice providing a nice wide weight spectrum to assess. Size 4 is also one of my favoured sizes to use, so it got took everywhere to be used a lot.

First impressions were it was much thinner than I expected for a handwoven. It has a very tight weave too, which immediately gave me hope of its wrapping qualities with Little Scribbler (who weighs a hefty 17kg). First carry was a quick ruck with LSA and first impressions were favourable. It was easy to ruck with and had great grip and he felt lovely and secure once up. LSA obviously loved it as he was asleep very quickly.

The next time we used it we tried a fwcc tied at side. I loved the support and the tight plain weave really gives it grip. The thinness of the wrap was really evident here and created a great seat, however it was more noticeable that the wrap lacked cush. It was still comfortable and LSA was again asleep quickly, but it didn’t feel like something you would wrap your newborn in. It also meant it could feel diggy on the shoulders when doing a ruck with LSA unless I got the shoulders just so. I have a picky right shoulder due to an old injury so that probably made it more apparent.

Now here is where it gets interesting. When I used Russet with LS, it really came into its own. This wrap is made for toddler wearing. I did a ruck and was expecting the same issue or worse (due to increased weight) with digging on the shoulders that I experienced with LSA. Strangely I didn’t have that. The extra weight actually seemed to help settle it just so on my shoulders that it felt so comfortable. It was strong, supportive and held her effortlessly.

I also tried LS in a Kangeroo TUB and was blown away, she was practically weightless. It was a bit of a workout getting all the rails tightened and everything in place (tight grip made it tougher), but once it was it was rock solid. It's honestly the best thin toddler wrap I have tried and I loved it (as did little miss).

I had real fun with this wrap during our time together and used it out and about and all over the place. I was genuinely sad to say goodbye when I sent it back home and actually missed it, however all things must come to an end.

So positives and negatives.

Positives:

Very toddler worthy, one of the most toddler worthy wraps I have tried (approaching Sylvan levels)

Amazing grip, once in place this wasn’t shifting (did make tightening tough at times but worth it)

It was very comfortable overall and LSA loved having snuggles in it

Negatives:

The biggest was lack of cush. I will admit I like a bit of cush but I really do think this was an element missing from this wrap. A little bit of cush may have helped solve the digging when wearing in a ruck with LSA. It also means it's not really a great wrap for tiny squishies as you want something just a little bit softer. It's probably something that could be solved with the addition of some softer combed cotton, so a possibility for future weaves.

This next one is actually a very minor quibble and overall the plain, tight weave worked in its favour for stability and grip. However it did also mean it had no bounce (good or bad depending on preference) and there was no stretch to it meaning no way to eke an inch here and there. As I said though a minor quibble.

So in conclusion.

It's not a wrap I would recommend using with a young baby but overall this wrap was a winner for me. Yes there were some niggles and I would probably favour it for use with LS but I could see this wrap seeing you through from 6 months to toddlerhood, so you would definitely get your money's worth.

I’m looking forward to seeing what else Feather and Hay produce and having seen some previews I’m very excited. I am also going to be testing another of her wraps in a few months, which is a different pattern weave and cotton so am really interested to see how they compare.

Hope I didn’t bore you all too much. If you are interested in seeing more of Feather and Hay’s work, here is a link to her Facebook page and Website. You won’t be disappointed.

https://www.facebook.com/FeatherandHay/?fref=ts

http://www.featherandhay.com/