The Color in the Weft - A Babywearing Journey: My First Custom Handwoven Wrap: Zatgebo Purple Kauai

As I am sure it is no secret from reading this blog, I love babywearing and woven wraps. Handwoven wraps take things to a whole new level of awesomeness! And custom handwoven wraps up the ante even more.

There are several woven wrap makers that I follow on Facebook. A few of my favorites are Zatgebo, KHR, Stewed Rhubarb, ETLA and Uppymama. Well a few months ago Zatgebo announced a wrap inspiration contest on her Facebook page. You could submit a photo along with the style of wrap you would like made from the photo. Her fourteen year old daughter would be selecting the winner. So, I tried to think, what did I like when I was fourteen? What would I have found inspiration worthy all those years ago? For me, one of the most inspirational scenes in the world both then and now is a beautiful sunset by the ocean. I looked through lots of beach sunset pictures, until I found the perfect one. It is from a beach that my husband and I visited on a trip to Kauai several years ago called Poipu. When I sent in my email for the contest, I explained how much I loved the ocean and how I hoped to return to this beach with my daughter, Zoey, and would love to have a wrap inspired by this beach to wear her in on that return trip. Imagine my surprise a few days later, when Wendi (the owner of Zatgebo) posted my picture on her page! I was the winner! I was going to get my first Zatgebo and it was going to be my very own custom designed wrap!

The process of working with Wendi was awesome. She mocked up the wrap from my inspiration photo. She did a few different versions and I selected my favorite. This was difficult because they were all gorgeous! She helped explain the differences that the different weft colors would make in the appearance of the wrap. Wendi made five pieces of my custom wrap. I purchased three pieces of it. I originally selected a 4.8 meter piece with a black cottolin weft in plain weave. The warp is Egyptian cotton and amazingly soft. Wendi selected the other weft colors and she did a great job. I also had a 4.3 meter piece in twill weave with navy American mercerized cotton weft and a 3.4 meter piece in twill weave with pink Egyptian cotton weft. Wendi also made a piece with periwinkle weft for her personal stash and a ring sling piece with a gray weft. To say that I love these wraps would be a bit of an understatement.

The inspiration picture.

The mock-up

Okay, so now that I have went on and on about how gorgeous these wraps are, you’d probably like to hear something about the wrapping qualities right? Well, okay, I can do that because these wraps do not disappoint on that front either. Zatgebos do not have tapered ends. This was my first experience with a wrap with blunt ends. I think this does make it wrap a touch shorter, but this is something that I have quickly gotten used to. The 100% Egyptian cotton shorty with the pink weft is the softest wrap that I have ever felt, yet it is still a very solid wrap. I have mainly used it for a ruck tied in front and various hip carries. The ruck stays in place even with just a single knot in the front. It is very cushy on my shoulders and very supportive. The long wrap with the black cottolin weft is just amazing. This wrap makes the most comfortable double hammock of any of my current wraps. It is very cushy on my shoulders and has just the right amount of grip for me. I find it easy to wrap with, my passes will glide into place, but it has enough grip that it holds even if I tie off with a single knot. I wore my 19 pound, 9 month old for over an hour on a hike with our two dogs and she felt weightless. I'm definitely smitten with this wrap! I just recently parted with the gorgeous navy twill weft in a trade to another awesome handwoven wrap. Before I let it leave, my husband did a photo shoot of me and Zoey in it. I mainly wore her in a FWCC for the shoot. This wrap is truly amazing. This is the thickest of the pieces that I owned and is extremely cushy. I wore my daughter for over an hour in a FWCC and we were both happy in it. By the end of the photo shoot, she had settled in for a nap. This rarely ever happens for us in front carries anymore.