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The Different Types of Woven Wrap Weaves
by Beth Beaney, Executive Babywearing Consultant at LTBN
What’s in a weave?, I hear you ask. Everything, and, well, nothing. In a nutshell, are you all about the texture, or the colour? If texture & design are your wheelhouse then weave is everything.
Babywearing with a wrap is special; the journey is fun, the destination is more than worth it and it is exceptionally rewarding, much more so than if you were to carry your baby in a buckle carrier. Plus with wraps, there will always be new weaves and designs to try!
Wrapping is as much about the journey as the destination.
Oh yes, of course you'll drag your tails in a muddy puddle, more than once.
You'll forget that wearing a tunic and tights is a bad idea (but only when you've actually finished wrapping and you realise your tunic is tucked into the wrap). But the satisfaction you get from the wrapping process itself and the joy you get from carrying your baby in a wrap is more than worth it.
Jacquard Weaves
The Jacquard weave - this process of weaving produces some of the most intricate, delicate and boldest designs that you'll find. This process enables the weaver to produce designs whereby the pattern is woven into the fabric producing detailed images or patterns.
Jacquard wraps can be a little firmer in hand to begin with, but when wrapped with, produce the most stunning effects - for example, flipped shoulders, or seeing both the top side and reverse in one carry. Jacquard wraps can be very thin or very thick. But that’s for another day!
Some of our favourite jacquard weaves are from Little Frog who make stunning jacquard design wraps at superb prices.
Handwovens - Nahui Coconi
In order to create the traditional weaves, a special loom was manufactured, mounted at a double-width, for which a total of 2100 threads make up the skeleton of the main base for weaving.
The weaving technique used is called "full account" and double review, which guarantees that the thread does not break and in case of accidental breakage there is no tear in the fabric.
The unique fabric used in each of their pieces is called "labrado". Once finished the weaving fabrics, they are sent to the "Tórculo", a huge press with wooden rollers lined in leather, which iron them to make them softer in hand.
Handwovens tend to be soft-in-hand without the firm density that is sometimes found with machine woven wraps. They are often described as 'blankety'.
Nahui Coconi wraps are not just handwoven. They are a product of ancestry, of skills kept alive, creative, innovative and artisanal.
Woven by skilled artisans in Oaxaca, the wraps proudly reflect Mexican culture, tradition and the world around us.
The Diamond Weave
The Diamond Weave offers something different. They tend to be light to medium-weight wraps. The relief-like texture and the diamond shape weave offer a wrap that is immediately soft to the touch. There is very little softening or ‘breaking-in’ required with a diamond weave wrap.
The relief-like texture and the diamond shape weave offer a wrap that is immediately soft to the touch.
Although soft-from-the-beginning, the diamond weave offers just the right amount of grip when wrapping and tying (it doesn’t slide or slip). It’s a fantastic option for newborns in a single-layer carry, and the softness-in-hand makes for easy and fluid multi-layer carries with a bigger baby or toddler.
If you’d love to try a diamond weave, our top pick would be Girasol - their handwoven diamond weaves are smooshy soft, and a treat to wrap with.
The Herringbone Weave
The Herringbone Weave is a beautiful, interlocking weave. The characteristic ‘V’ shape is very distinctive and often striking.
The interlocking weave gives incredible depth and texture, lending itself to monochromatic tones that give an overall grey hue, to 3 different colours, woven together to give a completely different colour.
The interlocking weave of herringbone gives incredible depth and texture.
Take Didymos Lisca Minos - it has 3 colours, anthracite, turquoise and pink but the overall colour is a purple tone.
Herringbone weave wraps tend to be airy and smooshy soft; the weave offers just the right amount of grip when wrapping and tying (it doesn’t slide or slip). It’s a fantastic option for newborns in a single-layer carry, and the softness makes for easy and fluid multi-layer carries with a bigger baby.
You’ll find herringbone weaves available in lighter-weight wraps, medium-weight and heavier-weight. There’s a fantastic selection.
If you’d love to try a herringbone weave, our top-pick would be Didymos - their Lisca weaves are smooshy soft, and an absolute treat to wrap with!
We hope you found this article helpful. Please get in touch or email me - beth@lovetobenatural.co.uk - if you'd like any further info or just a chat about woven wrap weaves, babywearing in general, or advice on any other products at all.
Beth Beaney is the Founder of and Executive Babywearing Consultant at LTBN. She's been a qualified babywearing consultant for 12 years, and has helped hundreds of families of all needs carry their babies safely and comfortably. Find her on Twitter @lovetobenatural_LTBN
