Janine's Place - Upcycled Wool and More {Etsy} - Review & Giveaway! (Closed)

A few months back when CJ started outgrowing his small wool diaper covers, I searched for a Canadian cloth diaper retailer specializing in wool so I could begin stocking up on the next size. In doing this, I stumbled upon Janine's Place, an Etsy shop selling wool covers (both soakers and longies), upcycled wool slippers (how cool!), carrier teething pads and other nifty hand-made goodies.

The shop is located very close to me in Woodstock, Ontario and the owner (Janine - you probably could've guessed that, huh? ;) is not only a talented seamstress but also a mama to a beautiful one-year-old daughter and a holistic nutritionist. That's quite the resume! :) Janine was eager to partner up with me on a blog review and giveaway, and provided me with my review package in person at a lovely store called Organic Oasis, which has since become one of my favourite places to shop.

My package consisted of two items, which Janine customized just for us - a pair of 100% upcycled merino wool night time longies (sewn from scratch to fulfill CJ's rise, waist and inseam measurements) and organic bamboo/flannel teething pads designed to coordinate with my Ergobaby carrier. Let's take a look at each one!

Here are the longies. Anyone else compelled to play tic tac toe on 'em? ;)

Merino wool is known for being soft, and these longies are no exception! They definitely feel nice & smooth against the skin. Since we went with night longies, Janine sewed a single layer of fabric on the legs and a double layer in the soaker area for added all-night protection (vs. day longies on which she sews a single layer throughout).

Janine definitely nailed the fit, dont'cha think?

At first I thought they were a tad on the small side, but Janine reassured me that they'd stretch a significant amount and thus give us a long period of wearing time. She was right!

Performance-wise, these guys have been bullet-proof! We generally outfit CJ with a fitted + doubler and the longies on top, and we haven't experienced a single leak in 20+ wearings. The inside does get damp after a full night of wear, but the moisture never makes it to the outside of the wool. When we change him in the morning, we just turn the longies inside out and they're generally dry enough to wear again the next night if we want.

When we received the longies, CJ was workin' the army crawl so he really put the leg material through the wringer for the first month or so. Happily, they held up quite well to all the punishment, ending up with the general integrity intact and just some superficial pilling around the knees.

In terms of maintenance, we've followed standard wool care procedures (lanolize and hand wash) and have had no issues! Note that Janine offers a wool lanolizing service for those who'd rather not deal with this part.

Next up - the teething pads! I hafta say pads are a must when using a soft-structured carrier. If your baby is teething, he/she will inevitably latch onto your carrier straps and could potentially damage them, especially once those chompers start coming through! It's also a heck of a lot quicker and easier to wash a pair of pads than the whole carrier itself.

Janine makes her teething pads with two layers of organic bamboo French terry fabric and one layer of printed flannel. Unlike many/most pads on the market (which have applix closures), she uses resin snaps on hers for a more secure fit and improved longevity.

When I first tried our pads out, CJ immediately began chomping on them so I eagerly snapped this pic.

 
....and then I realized I had them on inside out! The off-white terry side is supposed to be on the outside as this material feels nicer on baby's gums. Like this!

 

Either way, the pads fit perfectly (not too loose and not too tight!) and the pattern does, indeed, look nice with the "Sienna Sunset" style of my Ergo.

I've now worn the pads on many occasions, and they've proven themselves quite durable. CJ "uses" them a lot, I've washed them several times and they still look almost brand new.

The one critcism I have is that they tend to ride up so they're above baby's head. This is easy to adjust when front carrying, but a bit tougher when you're sporting baby on your back. That said, my other pair of pads do the same thing so this isn't a specific issue with the pads from Janine's store.


Overall, I'm happy with both items we got to try from Janine's Place. The longies are soft and comfy, fit well, perform great and have held up quite nicely over time, and the teething pads are lovely, durable and obviously enjoyed by our little guy! Now I'm eyeing up those wool slippers as potential stocking stuffers for a few folks on my list! ;)

Buy It

You can purchase Janine's upcycled wool products, teething pads and other goodies from her Etsy store or her Facebook page. She ships to both Canada and the United States.

 

 

Win It

One lucky Manager to Mom reader will win a $20 credit to spend at Janine's Place! (Note - shipping is not included.) Open to CAN/US.

To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Please follow all instructions within each entry option to ensure your entries are valid

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure:  The prize is being provided and shipped to the winner by Janine's Place.  I received no financial compensation for writing my review or offering this giveaway, although I did receive the sample items free of charge.  This is my completely honest opinion above and may be different from yours.