Arbor Low Birch Trees: Wrap Database

blue and green 100% organic cotton woven wrap

Weft Name: Arbor Low
Warp Name: Pink Moon
Design Name: Birch Trees
GSM: 315
Weave Structure: Synergy
Average Width: 68cm
Blend: 100% organic combed cotton
Related Wraps: Wilderswood Birch Trees is identical other than the hidden internal warp colour
Wrapping Qualities: Cloth isn’t prone to pulling, passes glide easily over each other. Smooth texture but not silky, thicker feel in hand, dense but good stretch and recoil. Ties with a large knot, wrap softens even more with us. Can be used from birth, but really excels in carrying heavier children!
Care Requirements: no special requirements, can be machine washed and tumble dried
Notes: Arbor Low is a stone circle site in Derbybshire. Jen went there on a university field trip in 1998!
Release Date: 25th March 2020
Label Identification Code: PIM003
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RRP: see table below


Arbor Low Birch Trees: Wrap Database

Arbor Low Birch Trees Tester Review
In brief: Superbly beautiful easy care all-rounder. Possibly wouldn’t recommend for a new-born, but this wrap would take you comfortably from small baby through to preschool and beyond without ever breaking a sweat. Medium thick in hand, dense, with a hint of cush and a nice glide, but enough grip to hold solid. This is an understated beauty with a bewitching iridescence that combines earthy beauty with superb practicality – this is a perfect beater wrap for every occasion. 
Wrap: 100% organic combed cotton synergy weave, size 6 (base +1 for me)
Wrappee: Large two and a half year old
Carries tested: Front Reinforced Traditional Sling with Pond Finish, Front Double Hammock, and Double Hammock Candy Cane Chest Belt. 
Wrapping Qualities: This reminded me very strongly of Bifrost Twilight Seafoam, the only other synergy weave that I’ve tried so far. Out of the bag, it’s very smooth with a fine micro texture, and feels ever so slightly stiff, but as with Bifrost a wash softened it up really nicely. This wrap will almost certainly improve over time, and take only a little use to break it in. I think of synergy as a denser weave than alchemy, and although it isn’t nearly as floppy and mouldable it has a hint of spongy-ness to the texture that’s hard to describe, which lends it a definite cush. 
Overall, this wrap was pleasant to use – thicker than my usual preference, but not hard work, passes glided easily enough, but carries were very solid. This weave feels super strong and supportive, and made light work of my toddler. I strongly feel that we didn’t do this tester justice, as a sudden burst of independence prevented me from really putting it through its paces. I suspect that this would make a great shortie, as its easily supportive enough and has that bit of cushiness that’s popular in a ruck wrap. 
Appearance: I could talk about how this wrap looks all day. The two birch trees wraps from this collection are woven using Firespiral’s hidden warp technique which hides most of the colours between two wefts, except for little cheeky peeks where the pattern allows a hint of colour to peek through. This gives the wrap a shimmery, colour changing iridescence that reminds me most strongly of a beetle’s wing. It’s quite magical. 
One side is a deep green that looks almost blue-ish viewed straight on, (not as blue looking as my photos suggest, it was tough to capture). Viewed from the side, this face glows a deep emerald colour that almost lifts of the fabric, and contrasts beautifully with the fresh, brighter greens of the other side. The warp however, is the stunningly subtle pink moon grad which runs from pink to lavender, so there’s a slight pinkish haze from the hints of colour peeking through – especially on the most highly patterned areas. At times it gives an almost silvery hue, but still matte.
The result is a gorgeously complex play of colours that changes constantly, and means this is definitely a wrap that looks at it best when wrapped rather than laid out, which I think is a marker of fabulous design. The final element in the appearance is the birch trees pattern, which I was fond of anyway, but I can safely say this wrap has given me a whole new appreciation. The weave definitely plays a part in the looks, as the fine, even synergy texture allows for a really crisp appearance on some of the finer details. 
The pink moon warp shows through the most on the abstract background pattern of the leaves and roots, whereas the more representational parts of the design stand out in the lighter green. The interplay of warp and weft is therefore most visible at the top and bottom of the wrap, giving these areas the most shimmer of pinks. This lends a depth to the design that I’ve never noticed before; so a curl of bracken or a waving fern stands forward in the crisper green, clearly delineated against the dreamier haze of the distant woods. The birches pattern is the perfect foil for this play of colour, and the result is a restrained, earthy beauty that is muted enough for a jeans wrap, yet elegant enough to hold its own at the fanciest occasion.
Pros: Pull proof, slightly cushy, incredible looks, easy care, strong and supportive, very little breaking in required, would shine as a shortie or a base wrap.
Cons: Not ideal for the new born stage, not sure how it would perform in very hot weather, not as soft or bandagy as alchemy.
Deserves a place in any collection.

Review by Alix

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