Journey into the past...

Whilst I believe it's important to live in the moment and dream for the future, I can't deny how much the past provides me with inspiration. 

A couple of weeks ago, the littles and I ventured up for a three day trip to North Yorkshire - my old neck of the woods, the place I grew up. I'd felt drawn back to the Howardian Hills and the North Yorkshire Moors for a while until it got to the point where I could no longer ignore the pull. 

We stayed in a delightful B&B nestled in the tiny hamlet of Ganthorpe. Driving those lanes gave me wonderful flashbacks of cycling them as a child, riding ponies through the grounds of Castle Howard estate and the great sense of freedom and innocence that came with my childhood.

I took two woven wraps with me from the latest collection, due for release on Friday 14th August. Seeing my children playing with them in the wind on the top of the Moors was absolutely magical. 

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There's always the possibility of something going slightly awry when Lucy is involved, however, and indeed it did - the beautiful 10 week old Border Collie puppy at the B&B got so excited in Lucy's presence that it took a chunk out of her lip on the evening with the most beautiful sunset; instead of my hoped-for camera session snapping the kids in some glorious field of grasses, I spent 4 hours in York A&E. Best laid plans and all that...

But I did get this photo of Lucy the following morning, with her head stuck in Wildling magazine (a fantastic new magazine with beautiful photography and features - there's even some flow of consciousness in there from me - eek!). Thank you Wildling for providing her cover ;)

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So, a bit of drama, a bit of an adventure and a pull so strong, I'm going back again tomorrow for more inspiration from the past. This time without the small people, just in case...

- Pure and Breeze - releasing 14 August at 20:00 BST -

-Ali x

Simplify...

"Our life is frittered away by detail...

Simplify. Simplify. Simplify!

Simplicity of life and elevation of purpose."

   --  Henry David Thoreau

I don't know about you, but I'm always trying to find ways to simplify my life, to slow down and ease the stresses of modern daily living. There is so much thrown at us every minute, every day; such demands on our time and our energy that we can get bogged down in the minutiae of life leaving very little 'us' left to engage in why we might be here in the first place. 

In the same vein, when I began thinking about the stripes for my woven wraps, I put much thought into how to make the designs as uncomplicated as possible to help those new to wrapping - so they could hopefully spend less time trying to work out how to wrap and more time carrying. Recently, it occurred to me that the many different sizes traditionally available might be a barrier to potential new wrappers (I certainly remember being bamboozled by them all) and I wondered if there were some way to simplify this too.

So, from this next collection, I'd like to offer just three sizes: Short (3m), Medium (4m) and Long (5m).

But realising that this won't suit everyone, and to ease the transition, there will be five slots available at shop.alidover.com (at 8.30pm BST on Wednesday 15th July) for bespoke sizes. These will be made to order and despatched ahead of the general release.

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Which leads me onto the designs themselves and their names, quite simply: Pure - the colours of nature across the hills as far as our eye can see. And Breeze - that simple, delicious feeling of warm summer winds and the sand between our toes...

Release date TBC ;)

Do you have any thoughts or comments? I'd love to read them!

- Ali

x

Gift of Faith...

Uncovering names for my woven wraps is a fun part of the process of seeing the designs come to life. Inspiration for the names can come prior to and thus be instrumental in the colourways that I choose; or they can come to me after I see the fabric woven. Sometimes I need some help - the colours have been an instinctive choice, but the names remain a mere jumble of letters in the sky. However they come to be, those names always provide a connection to something much bigger than the wraps themselves,  a fact never truer than for this third collection...

'Gift' is a bold and contemporary wrap in shades of turquoise and purple; so named by, and in honour of, my dear friend Lorette who is due to birth her baby later this month. It is also in honour of all our babies, who bring us such unimaginable gifts every day of their lives.

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'Faith' is a soft, muted collection of blues and greens... Sometimes, the gift of motherhood proves much more elusive. Not long ago I was contacted by a wonderful lady full of joy at the imminent birth of the baby she was due to adopt. She and her husband were within days of flying out to see their adoptive child when the process fell through. It made me reflect deeply on how strong the urge to become a mother can be - overwhelmingly so at times. I wish this lady - and all those of us for whom motherhood has yet to find a place called home - the faith to believe in miracles, however small...

Gift and Faith - two new wraps releasing on Friday 8 May at 8.30pm BST

- Ali

x

Lucy's cosy cushion...

One of the hardest things about putting my heart and soul into designing the colourways for my woven wraps is knowing that, without a very small little in my brood, my chance of actually using them for their main purpose is rather slim. But knowing that a woven wrap is so much more than a tool for carrying a baby gives me and my children the opportunity to connect closely with my creations in other ways. 

Here, I turned the middle three stripes of a Boheme wrap scrap into a cushion cover - the colours mingle perfectly with the vintage Liberty fabric of the childrens's window blind and cushion, as well as Cold at Night's blanket. And, according to Lucy it's so soft, it's just like cuddling a teddy. That's plenty good enough to keep my heart happy... :)

Bringing an idea to life

Four years ago almost to the day, I had an idea, an idea that wouldn't go away... An idea that was borne from a life-long love of textiles, of style, of iconic stripes, of freedom - and a newfound love of carrying my young children close, of parenting epiphanies, of necessity...

And here I am, four years later, bringing that idea to life with a range of modern and enduring woven wraps in uncomplicated designs, with drape and soft texture to form gently around you and your child...

The folklore of Ali Dover Wovens is one of the great outdoors. It is a love of good literature, good food and great friendships. It is the whistling wind and the crashing waves; a great roaring fire and wood piles. It is stripped back floorboards, and a history revealed through chipping paint. It is cosy knitwear and the joy of the morning frost; the celebration of a free unfettered lifestyle -  creative, and entrepreneurial in spirit and mind, in sync with the seasons, yet timeless. It is seeing life as a work in progress, mucking in, growing and giving back...

My first collection reflects aspects of this journey, with honest earthy colour ways and an enticing aesthetic.

Elements - the petrol hues were inspired by the land, sky, wind and rain. It offers depth and mystery, yet a sense of calm and surety. Grounded by a true green the blue takes flight with our senses and allows us to dream.

Studio - with an enchanting palette inspired by an artist in her studio. With a splash of yellow, maybe dappled sunshine on canvas, smudged charcoal, and the soft hue of pink petals in a vase as she is inspired to create. It is at once whimsical and soft, yet vibrant and unashamed. 

Voyage - the inspiration came from a journey across the ocean. Travel and adventure, the undone charm and honesty of sea-salted hair, and sun kissed skin.

Heathers - with its mineral purple hues and earthy tones this wrap pays homage to the Yorkshire moorland. Wild and unrestrained, luxurious in its minimalism.

- Ali xx