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Do you know I have a Facebook Fanpage?

I am not very good at keeping up with the Blog, as you can see, but I am better with the Fanpage.

Please find me on Facebook and follow me THERE, for more up to date goings on with Oma's Patch.

If you are having trouble clicking on the hyperlinks above, just search for Oma's Patch on facebook, or copy and paste this address http://www.facebook.com/pages/Omas-Patch/142246132715

See you there  =)

My Favorite Things

One of my favorite things is learning new techniques,.

Be it by a Class, Book, Magazine, Internet, or with another person,

learning a new way of doing something adds to your mental toolbox.

Last year I picked up "mixed and stitched" by Jen Osborn

Great Book!  I have been following her work on Flickr for a while and was excited to see what she would share with us.  She did not disappoint!  She has a playful style that I really enjoy.

I have a Love for Bags, satchels to be specific, and Jen included a tutorial for a bag in her book that will help anyone use up some of the saved pieces of fabric in our stash.  You know, those pieces that are to big to toss, but not big enough for anything on its own.  Then again, why not find some fabrics you just enjoy seeing together and make it happen.

I tend to get fabric handed to me by co-workers (at the day job) and friends, and this is a playful way to put some of them together.  

 Bag #1 - using fabric given to me by my friend Lynn with a couple from my stash, So Koi =)

When I got up the next morning I found Fergus had decided it would make a nice sleeping bag.

Plushies will get into almost anything around this house and then claim it for themselves.

Bag #2 - I loved these fabric, had to get some, but haven't found a use for them yet, here is a start for them.

Bag #3 - Vintage Holly Hobbie

Bag #4 - Vintage Fairy, with a bell.

I didn't take a picture of the inside pocket, but that is one of my favorite techniques in this project, along with how the body of the bag is folded to reduce how much lining up is needed.  I'm not telling you the tricks, check out her book for yourself  ;-)

Fairy Tale Poppets

What is your favorite Fairy Tale?

I grew up with Grimm Fairy tales, the German versions that don't always have a happy ending, and I loved to listen to them being read to me as a kid.  There are other fairy tales and fables that have meanings hidden in the playfulness and/or adventure.  I don't know if I can pick a favorite, they tend to change depending on what my mood is.  Lately I have really drawn to Alice in Wonderland, I love the oddness in Wonderland and how off-beat the characters there are.  Accepting you do not fit into societies norms can be difficult and take time.

At the fabric store over the weekend I spotted some pink terry cloth...Perfect for pigs.  I decided to start the Fairy tale series with The Three Little Pigs.

I am making another set of ears just a bit bigger to see which size looks better.

The back is all in the pink terry cloth so that it will look like the poppet is wearing an hooded jumper (like the bunnies I made).  I am going to crochet a pink curly tail  =)

I am going dark (mostly black) for the eyes, a quirky smile, and maybe a felt piggy nose that will tie on around their head (working on that idea).

The hair is some of my handspun yarn.  The yarn is one of the batts I first spun when I got my spinning wheel.  It is a purple-ish brown.  The batts were from cjkoho designs, it was a kettle dyed set of different fibers, dyed together they produced various shades depending on the fiber.  She used a brown dye on the batch, but it produced a wonderful earthy purple.

I'm excited to see how these guys turn out, then on to the Big Bad Wolf ... Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Oma's Patch is STUFFED

Oma's Patch is in the upcoming July 2012 issue of STUFFED magazine

Available July 1

I am REALLY EXCITED !!!!!!

I am finally getting published!

What will you see from Oma's Patch?

SOCK PIGGIES !!!
These cute guys have a two page article

An elusive Mermaid !
Only six mermaids have been spotted so far and one of them is in the gallery section.
Ainsley took a trip to California to audition and was excited to show the sparkle of her tail.


How can you get one of the really sweet toys from Oma's Patch?

At the Oma's Patch shop with Etsy!
There are a selection of Piggies available
There is only one Mermaid available right now, Periweather, since her sisters have found homes.

You can also find a selection of Peculiar Poppets.  The mermaids were a spin off of the Poppets as I started playing with my hand dyed fabrics to see how I could use them with Poppets.  Adding the texture of paints inspired the mermaids.

My Favorite Things

Peculiar Poppets Playing

They love to Giggle  =)

Since I was little I loved my stuffed toys.  I didn't have barbie dolls, just wasn't my thing, but give me a plushie and I can have a blast.  

When I made clothing and costumes years ago I would make plush bunnies for gifts that were themed for the recipients.  When I started getting away from costuming I started to explore making toys.  I love to share smiles and laughter, I could not think of any better way to do that then though toys.

My latest creations have been the Peculiar Poppets.  There is no pattern so each one is a one-of-a-kind toy, even if they have the same jumper on their shape, expressions and accessories are always different.  If I use a found object or vintage item for the accessory it becomes even more unique.  Once the toy is complete they get a few sentences to describe their personality.  You can see Heinrick above, he like butterflies.  He visits botanical gardens to enjoy the plants at look for butterflies.

My Favorite Things

I have not been keeping up with my blog well, I will be trying to do better in the future.  I have hit a health hiccup that is hindering my creating for a few weeks, so I thought I would share some of my favorite things with you.

Let us start with Melanie:

She is my Great Niece and will be turning two in May.  She is amazingly smart (and I'm not just saying that because she is related to me), she will try to puzzle things out to understand them and is very observant.  She is of course a sweetheart and a doll.  Many of her expressions remind me of my niece when she was little.  Such great fun to see little ones discover the world.

Fiberlishous Weekend

Wool and Wine Tasting... mmmmmm

Sounds delish in soooo many ways,

let me count the loveliness.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

I was on the hunt for color this time and I did rather well, with a couple warmer tones of burgundy and dark orange for to sooth my love of autumn colors.

I have been all out of fibers and really wanting to spin, so I wasted no time and got to work on this beautiful blue and green superwash merino called Henrietta.  She is in a ball right now just to stretch out the fibers a bit more, she will be wrapped as a skein and put into my luulla shop soon  =)

Isn't she lovely?

I have been working hard to make sure I am not over-spinning the yarn and I am really happy with the outcome.  Once I get her wrapped back up as a skein I will show her off again.

Kettle dyed roving

I just couldn't stop spinning.... except when I went to eat.

After the core spinning with the Bricolage Batt this morning I just couldn't stop, I wanted to see what this amazing Kettle Dyed yarn would do.  My friend Carla hand dyes and spins, so of course I had to buy some of the lovely fibers from cjkoho designs.  It was so exciting to see the colors of this kettle dyed pack, it is fascinating to me that different fibers can be put into the same dye batch and how differently they respond.
I'm not sure if I want to use this for doll hair or a scarf.... I still have more to spin so maybe a both  =)

Let the show begin

Testing the new iPhone and blogger app while I finish setting up for the show today.
Stop on by and find some goodies!

Peculiar Poppet Progress v.4

Bringing them to life!

With right sides together I pin and stitch around the body with arms and hair on the inside.  Pinning and stitching around the hairline is a bit tricky, the more hair the more patience.  I leave a small opening on one  side under the arm to turn and stuff and while stitching around I add my small red Oma patch around the hip area of the other side.   I stitch over the hair yarn a few times to make sure everything is secure.
I trim the hair yarn across the top and the fabric around the curved areas then turn the doll right side out.  They are a bit flat without their plush, but with hair and arms in place the personalities are really starting to come out.
Next is time to Stuff the doll, tack down the hands and add embellishments.

Peculiar Poppet Progress v.3

Time to start adding some personality to these happy little ones  =)

During this step of the process I add the hand-stitching to the faces, that starts with a quirky little smile.

I then choose buttons for their eyes, I love to use ones that are different sizes and don't match, makes them a bit more curious.  I choose a color of embroidery floss and stitch around one of the white area (inside, on, or around the edge) and add the smaller button for that eye, then I stitch the bigger button into the other white area.  I try to place the buttons in their eye area to look somewhat random, to add to the playful nature of their expression.

Their face is now complete so I move on to the hair selection.  I LOVE to use handspun and art yarns for this, it really makes them unique and draws your attention to the details within the yarn.  I look at the body fabric and facial expression and try to pair up a yarn then will bring out the next level of personality for them.

Next process includes adding the hair, and stitching together

When Pigs Fly

Special Order: Crocheted Pig with Wings

It took me a long time to find wings that I liked for this request, but they turned out to be magical.  Who would have know just the right wings could make a pig fly.
This little piggy has been buzzing around the house since he got his wings.  I think he keeps doing it because the other plushies find it so funny.
I am working on the second one for the pair and that one will have wings and a halo, a special angel pig.

Oink Oink!

Excitement in the Giraffe cube

The exhibit at the University Hospital is going well, all the Giraffes have sold.  Looks like one of them was trying to give a kiss to one of the kids in the area.

I is great to be able to visit the exhibit on random days during lunch.  I feels really rewarding to have people walk by and smile, or stop to take a closer look.  One day an employee was talking on her cell phone and pacing in the center area of the cubes, almost like it was giving her a big hug of comfort.
Life is Good !!
=)

Trip to the Fiber Expo

It is very rare that I spend less then an hour to drive to a fiber expo, sometime only a half hour if it is the somewhat local spinning group that does shows a few times a year.  This weekend there was the Fiber Expo at the Washtenaw County Fairgrounds, Yippie!  Only and 8 minute drive, it is almost as fast as running to the market!  I wish I could have justified spending more money on the soft, lovely fibers, but I was able to get some goodies that made me Very Happy.

Earlier this year Lynn and I were at a fiber show and she asked a vendor what the Lucet was and received an impromptu lesson.  I found some itty bitty teeny tiny ones and thought they would be a wonderful accessory for some of the Peculiar Poppets, they do know how to knit after all, so why not making I-cords with the lucet.   Hee hee, aren't they cute:

My main objective was to hunt down Emily from Bricolage Studios for an orifus hook and soft goodness.  I found her busy carding new batts and picked one up with the hook, along with some soft textures to add to the spinning, Oooooooo, Aaaaaaaaaa :

I think I am going to play a bit more with my spinning before I grab onto the Bricolage goodness, I want to do the fibers justice in the end result.
Well I am off to the wheel to spin!!!

I'm still here

I will be posting again soon. I have been busy setting up an exhibit, taking a class, adjusting to northern temperature changes and general craziness.
While you wait feel free to check out my friend Lynn's Blog . I took her class over the weekend and had a lot of fun and inspiration.

Have a Happy Wednesday !!

Peculiar Poppet Progress v.2

Eye see you... well almost =)

Heads are attached to bodies and eyes are started. Now on to the hand stitching to finish the eyes and add a playful little smile.

Once that is added I can match up hair and sew up the bodies.... the little ones are coming together... hee hee

Then the details.

Step by Step they come together. Each one matched with yarns, ribbons and embellishments that bring out their character.

See you soon ! :-)

Peculiar Poppet Progress

Work in Progress... The Process

I'm working on another batch of Peculiar Poppets, so I thought I would share part of my process with you.
I don't use a pattern for the doll, just my playful sketch with notes written around the image. I did create an arm pattern since I want those to be a bit more consistent. The rest is all a general shape.
I love tea dyed fabric for the flesh-tone, so after cooking up a batch, drying and ironing I am ready to go.
I cut the rectangles for the bodies and head sections and trace the arm pattern along a strip of the tea dyed fabric.
Now off to the sewing machine to stitch the arms, trim and turn.

Arts & Craft show season is coming up!

Can you believe it is October already !!
Only five weeks until my first show:
Time has flown by this year and we have to start thinking of the holidays already. I always loved giving handmade goods to friends and family over the years. There is something special about a gift made by a person, not a machine. If you make it yourself, or buy it from another artist, it just seems to really say "I am thinking of you". Granted I am always happy with a gift card to my favorite coffee shop or a bag of coffee (just pick the bag of choice with care because roasters are artists too).

As you start to think of who you want to give gifts to this year, make them special and buy handmade, they will love you for it. I try to support my artist friends and locals first, then I hit Etsy, sometimes it depends on what I am looking for. Does your friend have an etsy account, look to see what they have marked as their favorite shops and items for ideas (I've used that trick already for a friend), then you know they will truly Love it.

Happy Holiday Art Shopping !!!

Ninja Giveaway

The weather is getting a bit chilly and plushies need some people to snuggle up to, even ninjas.

This Ninja Whabbler is looking for a fun home to play in, he promises not to hurt you with his throwing stars when he gives you a hug.

He is made from sturdy poplin fabric to hold up to lots of play. His face panel felt, hand sewn on with safety eyes so that children can play with him. Poly pellets are used to weigh the bottom down and then polyfill for the remaining stuffing. His bottom closure is covered with felt hand sewn into place, while his top closure is covered with a hat made from the toe section of a black tube sock, hand sewn into place.

His approximate size is 6 1/2 inches tall and 3 inches wide.

He was made in a smoke-free, pet-free home.

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DO YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW TO WIN HIM ?!?

just leave a comment here by 7pm EST October 5

Winner will be chosen randomly, please make sure you leave a way for me to contact you for shipping information.

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Are you on facebook?

Swing by my fanpage and become a fan, I will be having another giveaway there when I reach 200 fans.

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While the Love Train is passing by visit with artist Jen Osborn to check out more giveaways and her really cool stuff. Just click HERE

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WANT ANOTHER CHANCE TO WIN THE NINJA ?

If you keep the love going and post a comment below about a giveaway you are having before this giveaway ends, you get a second chance to win.

Spread the Love !!

Become a FAN !!

Are you on Facebook?
come help me get to 200 fans!
Once we get to 200 I will be having a giveaway =) But you have to be a fan of my page on facebook to win.... so go on, get over there!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Omas-Patch/142246132715?ref=mf