The Honeycomb Loom is a collaboration between two amazing UK brands - Firespiral and Baie, both of whom are known for high quality wraps in their own rights. Their aim is simple to make affordable, high quality fabric designed for carrying. You'll notice I say the word fabric here... yep thats right, fabric... not a wrap... but fabric you can buy by the meter. What you then make with it is entirely up to you!
Currently, their fabric is available in 11 colour ways. Each has their distinctive 'honeycomb' weave pattern and is two toned with two colours woven together to give the pattern and make the fabric reversible with a darker and a lighter side respectively.
As many of you know, sewing is one of my other passions/hobbies.... so I have been dying to learn more about this fabric (and have a think on maybe how I can use it!). The kind people at the Honeycomb Loom sent me a size 6 woven wrap made up from their fabric in the 'Sea' colour way. The first thing that really impressed me, and surprised me about this fabric is how the two tones and the weave pattern seem to combine to give a really shimmery effect. I'd expected the colour to be flatter, but no it almost seems iridescent ... almost like a kingfisher! It is absolutely beautiful, and on a purely personal note just my colour!
So how does it feel to wear? To me its a perfect all rounder. I can see this wrap working really well all the way from a newborn to a heavy toddler. Its 100% cotton so very easy to care for and the weave doesn't seem at all prone to pulls so this wrap can really be thrown in a bag, thrown down as a picnic rug etc and really used without worrying about it. The tester is well broken in by the time it got to me and was plenty soft enough for me to be happy using with Rachel (who is 5 months), but plenty supportive enough that I'd happily put Tom in too. Its a medium-thick wrap weighing in at 275 gsm (see here for more on gsm). The really lovely thing about this wrap is the patterned weave - it gives the wrap a lovely texture that gives the wrap grip, strength and a pleasing amount of stretch - just enough stretch that the wrap seems to move with you as you move.
All in all I am very impressed by the Honeycomb Loom fabric and would really recommend to anyone. Particularly to anyone who sews and wants to get a very high quality wrap at an absolutely bargainous price in exchange for simply hemming it themselves! Although a lack of sewing skills shouldn't put you off as there are plenty of seamstress etc, and plenty of wrap conversion makers and companies who will happily make you a wrap or carrier of your dreams with this fabric.
-Madeleine