Little Fellows Jolly Good Winter Sunrise
The Basics
Little Fellows 'Jolly Good' Winter Sunrise
Winter Sunrise from Little Fellows is 100% cotton and woven in their 'Jolly Good' machine woven plain weave. At approximately 257 GSM it's a medium weight wrap.
The Brand
Little Fellows 'Jolly Good' Winter Sunrise
Little Fellows was founded in 2013 by Lisa, a babywearing mum, and was the first UK based hand-weaver of baby wraps. They introduced their jacquard (machine) woven plain weave wraps in 2016 and I understand that some exciting jacquard patterns will be coming soon.
Little Fellows 'Jolly Good' Winter Sunrise
Little Fellows describe their aesthetic as "Finding inspiration in some unlikely places whilst channeling the inner geek" and have produced wraps inspired by things including G.R.R. Martin's 'Game of Thrones' books, Harry Potter and a collection of starships. Now, this is an ethos both my husband and I can get behind!
I recently had the pleasure of reviewing a Little Fellows handwoven wrap from the 'After Autumn Must Come...' cloth, and fell in love with both the beauty and wrapping qualities. I was keen to see how their machine woven wraps compared with others on the market.
The Looks
Little Fellows 'Jolly Good' Winter Sunrise
Winter Sunrise has an ecru warp with alternating blocks of blush pink and pastel blue weft. Despite the inspiration behind its name, the fresh colourway is definitely just as suited to spring and summer as to the frosty months. We don't adhere to gender-colour stereotypes here, but the blue and pink colourway makes this a classic 'boy / girl' wrap and a perfect baby shower gift.
It makes a change to have the colour gradient running along the length of the wrap rather than the width. The rather pleasing effect is that you get either a more blue or pink look depending on how the colours fall, rather than seeing both colours above each other. Both sides of the wrap look the same.
Close up of the acorn middle marker on Little Fellows 'Jolly Good' Winter Sunrise
Little Fellows Jolly Good wraps have acorn middle markers. They may not be hand-stamped like the middle markers on Little Fellows handwoven wraps, but they're still one of the prettiest out there (excuse my middle marker fetish!).
I find the miniature checkerboard effect of the plain weave rather appealing. It gives a uniformity both in terms of looks and wrapping qualities, and helps make the transition from blue to pink a gentle fade instead of an abrupt change.
Jolly Good wraps are hemmed with blunt (non-tapered) tails. Both edges of the wrap are hemmed to the same side, and both middle markers are therefore also on the same face of the wrap. The wrap has a large safe usage label attached to one end which, frankly, doesn't look great. However, if you're nervous about removing it, you can roll the label up and sew it into the seam relatively easily. I understand that Little Fellows are in the process of redesigning the labels to make them less ostentatious.
The Wrapping Qualities
Little Fellows 'Jolly Good' Winter Sunrise
Instead of the 'standard' wrap sizes used by many companies, Little Fellows wraps are available in 50cm increments from 3m - 6.5m (plus ring Slings). This sizing is probably simpler for new wrappers to get their heads around, and I love that they sell longer wraps as standard. I was reviewing a 5m wrap, which makes it a long 6 / short 7 in the standardised wrap sizes. I could do everything I'd normally do with a size 7 so Winter Sunrise definitely doesn't wrap short.
The wrap was pretty floppy even in loom state, and didn't need any breaking in before use. After a quick wash to set the weave and an iron, it was ready to go. In hand, Winter Sunrise feels light and soft, although it doesn't have the kitten belly finish of combed cotton. Instead, the plain weave gives the wrap a tactile, fine, uniform texture.
Winter Sunrise was easy to wrap with and has a good balance of grip and glide. It's mouldable with a little bit of stretch and the passes ease into place.
I tested Winter Sunrise first with my (37lb ish) toddler. It was surprisingly comfortable and supportive in multi-layer carries like a Double Hammock, with the weave structure providing a little bit of waffle-like cush. I did find that I had to do some re-tightening after carrying my heavy, wriggly (he knew we were heading to the park on the day of the photos!), little man for a while, especially in single layer carries. However, this was a small niggle for an otherwise toddler-worthy, comfy wrap.
Little Fellows 'Jolly Good' Winter Sunrise with a newborn on a blustery day!
That stretch made for lovely mouldable wrapping of my newborn little one. Winter Sunrise is totally squish-worthy, and would make a great first wrap.
There's no need to be worried about the paler colours getting dirty as, being 100% cotton, it's super easy to wash, dry & iron. Thanks to my excited toddler, Winter Sunrise got a bit of a baptism of mud in the park, and came out completely unscathed. Not a pull in sight either.
Summary
Little Fellows 'Jolly Good' Winter Sunrise
Winter Sunrise is indeed a jolly good all rounder of a wrap at an accessible, competitive price. It would be a great first wrap for a new wrapper, and will see you through from birth to toddlerhood, although I recommend buying your base size rather than a shortie if you're planning on carrying a heavy wrappee over long distances. A Little Fellows 'Jolly Good' wrap would also make a nice addition to an experienced wrapper's stash as an easy care work horse. There are a range of colourways available, with new ones being added regularly.
Winter Sunrise, along with all of Little Fellows in-stock wraps can be found on their website. It's always a good idea to follow them on their Facebook page for news of their projects and releases.
Little Fellows 'Jolly Good' Winter Sunrise
