A Middle-Earth pattern, based on the original drawings of J.R.R. Tolkien.
Throws
Oscha throws have been specially woven to make thick, cosy blankets, they feature our exclusively adapted patterns and are made from premium quality yarns. Our elegant throws are the perfect addition to any home.
Why choose an Oscha Throw or Baby Blanket?
- Cosy & snuggly, perfect for any home.
- Feature iconic Oscha designs.
- Woven in Great Britain from the finest yarns.
- Finished without the use of any nasties.
Throws – approx. 190cm x 135cm
Baby Blankets – approx. 90cm x 55 cm
Lotus
A lotus flower pattern, designed by Oscha customer, Eugenia who is an illustrator and mother of two kids from Ukraine.
A little note from the designer: “I love children, plants and draw patterns, especially patterns with plants. It is incredibly happy and proud that Oscha wove my pattern and now mothers around the world will wrap their little ones in wraps with my pattern.”
The first release of the pattern was Lotus Paige, released in 2020.
Realm of Middle-Earth
Formerly known as Map of Middle-Earth, “Realm” depicts just that, a map of Middle-Earth.
Andaluz
More information to follow.
Purple Reign preorder
The names of the wraps/colourways are based on mythology and fairy tales – some might know them mostly from Disney movies. The names represent Dark (weft, villains) and Light (weft, princesses/maidens). Additionally the whole collection’s name (Purple Reign) is a nod to the song ‘Purple Rain’ by artist Prince who passed away on April 21st 2016, around the time the collection was completed. The definitive names were chosen by the admin team.
Purple pantone used is 2607C.
Meander
21 March 2013:
“Here are some pics of the final test weave of Meander (this is in black and ecru so obviously the pre-order colours will be different).
This design is an exclusive for the Finnish Babywearing Community, designed by Annamaria Mitchell and woven by Oscha.
The pre-order closes on Saturday 23rd March at 11pm GMT.
A 10% non-refundable deposit is required to secure your order. An invoice for the balance will be sent once the wraps are ready. Orders cannot be changed or altered once placed. Please allow 3-4 months for the items to be completed.”
Comment by Annamaria Mitchell:
“The linen ones are 50% medium weight linen, aiko will be probably comparable to JK aiko chiisai for example (or at least I’m guessing so?). the cotton one I’m sure will be as supportive as all of oschas very toddler proof cottons, and the pattern would probably make the wrap quite grippy.”
Phaise
This pattern was first introduced as part of the 2013 Deep Forest Collection. Phaise Juniper was het first run, although (of course) a tester had been woven.
“Introducing a new pattern, here a fade of colour is created using subtle patterns in the weave. The first few images are of Phaise Juniper, which is part of the Deep Forest Collection, this is in 100% cotton. The last few pictures are of a tester wrap, we’ve included these because the close up images show the small weave patterns nicely. Please note the ecru/grey version is not currently for sale.”
15 March 2013
As requested, here’s a review of Phaise, kindly written by Leigh:
“I was really interested in the Phaise design since I first saw a test swatch and felt the weave. It felt quite different in-hand from other wraps due to the texture present in the weave, it felt like there were lots of mini ridges and troughs in the areas where the stripes come through. These very textured areas are interspersed by areas of flat ground. I was curious how this would feel to wrap with – would… there be too much texture? So I was excited when I got a full sized wrap to play around with. I found that after a wash, dry and steam iron, the highly textured areas felt much less defined, they softened up and the ridges were less pronounced. I’ve found that this provides a good amount of grip but it certainly doesn’t go overboard, especially combined with the smoother areas.
In terms of wrapping qualities, like other 100% cotton Oschas I’ve used, this feels very supportive. I would say it is a relatively thick cotton wrap, thicker than my JKZO. It softened up very quickly and is pretty easy to wrap with – passes slide with ease but the wrap isn’t slippery. It feels cushy with some stretch and a small amount of bounce. No sagging at all, once wrapped everything stays where I put it. I really enjoy using this wrap, it was great when Ben was a newborn as it was nice and soft and squidgy for him, and it continues to be great as he grows. A friend of mine borrowed this for a month or so to use with her toddler and she also fell in love with it so it is toddler-worthy as well.
It is probably worth mentioning that the ecru cotton Oscha uses often breaks in more quickly than some of the dyed cottons so it is possible that other colourways of this design might require a bit more breaking in to get to the same state, but they will be well worth it!”
Hemming
15 February 2013: “When Eros was woven we loved the red on ecru as well as the ecru on red, because of that we never reached a clear decision about hemming before it went to the machinists and therefore it was made up both ways. Since we thought this one looked so good on either side we figured this wasn’t too much of an issue, however we did mean to point it out. Unfortunately, it was quite some time ago, and well, we just clean forgot! We do apologise that this wasn’t stated and we hope this isn’t too much of a problem as the wrap really is lovely on both sides and can be worn with either side out, however you’re welcome to get in touch to discuss this further.”
Following user comments: “I have several that is hemmed the other way than some of the others. That is totally ok for me.”
“One example is my SL Caprica”
Flipped rails were suggested then too by a customer: “You know what kind of hemming would be cool? One rail the hemmed one side and the other hemmed the other side. That way you can just turn the wrap around and inside out and have a completely different wrap, with the upper rail hemmed “right”. A true reversable wrap.”
Winter Solstice/Valentine Preorder
21 February 2013:
Starry Night and Valentine Roses Pre-order
The following items will be available to pre-order:
- Starry Night Nebula (25% wild silk, 75% cotton)
- Starry Night Midnight (100% cotton)
- Starry Night Raven (50% linen, 50% cotton, medium weight)
- Roses Vanilla (25% wild silk, 75% cotton)
- Roses Vanilla (25% wild silk, 20% linen, 55% cotton)
- Roses Eros (50% combed cotton warp, 50% cotton weft, heavy weight; 270/280 gsm)
- Roses Aphrodite (50% combed cotton warp, 50% linen, heavy weight; 275gsm/285gsm)
Please note that Vanilla Roses does have small dark flecks, hence the name Vanilla, the version with linen will have more of these as they are also in the 20% linen warp thread.
Please note that the red thread for Roses Eros and Aphrodite is only available to us in a limited quantity, and whilst the quantity is quite large we will have to close that aspect of the pre-order once we reach that limit.
A 10% non-refundable deposit is required to secure your order, this does not include any shipping costs. You will receive an invoice for the balance when your sling(s) are ready, once this has been paid we will ship your item(s) to you.
All orders are non-transferable and we cannot combine or separate different orders. If you wish to save on shipping by purchasing a group order with your friends, please arrange this between yourselves prior to order, thank you.
Purchases will be sent to the shipping address entered at the time of ordering. If you have placed one order for several items you will pay a combined shipping rate and they will all be sent together.
We aim to send out all of the orders within 3-4 months, however this may be subject to change.
The pre-order will be listed on our website within the next couple of days, we’ll update as soon as we can on this.
We’ll try to answer some of the questions below. First I want to correct a bit of info – the shipping address you enter when you pay the final invoice (when the wraps are ready) is the one your wraps will be sent to.
- Eros will be hemmed with red background and white roses.
- Ring slings, toy slings and size 8 wraps will be available.
- Payment can only be made through credit and debit cards.
- Unless otherwise stated the weight of the wraps is about 240gsm.
- There are currently no plans to place limits on no. of wraps ordered.
- The pre-order should be open for around 3 days.
- We are still working through some technical issues and will give firm time slots for this as soon as we possibly can.
- Combed cotton has been ‘carded’ so all the fibres are aligned in one direction, shorter fibres and impurities are also removed in this process, it makes for a softer, stronger and more high quality yarn.
- Will add prices tomorrow
Hope that covers everything!
22 February 2013:
The pre-order will be on our website from Saturday 23rd February at around 10.30am GMT until Monday 25th February at around 11pm GMT.
Some good news – we have sourced more of the combed cotton used for Eros and Aphrodite, it is a teeny, tiny bit different in shade, but it means we will no longer need to limit quantities. So please take your time to order over the period the pre-order is up.
We are not doing scarves this time.
25 February 2013:
We are allowing a period of grace of 1 week in which you can cancel your pre-order and your deposit will be refunded. After March 4th we can cancel your order but deposits will not be refunded.
Please note that we are UNABLE TO ALTER ANY ORDERS and you cannot cancel and re-order preferred items after the close of the pre-order at 11pm GMT tonight (this includes changing items as well as sizes).
Kai
Kai is a name. It has different meanings in different languages. In Japanese, kai has a number of meanings, including “ocean” (海), “shell” (貝), “restoration” and “recovery”. Source: Wikipedia.
Okinami is the first pattern in the ‘Kai’ colourway. It features a dragonfly blue-green weft on an ecru warp. Another ‘Kai’ colourway release is Tian Ma. Oscha did a ‘rerun’ of Okinami Kai with Sea Island Cotton. Furthermore they did a variation on ‘Okinami Kai’ called Okinami Kaio.
Okinami
Oscha introduced the Okinami pattern as a teaser on 12 December 2012. It’s inspired by ukiyo artist Katsushika Hokusai’s woodblock print “The Great wave off Kanagawa“.
Oscha hinted at the introduction introduction on 16 November 2012: “We also have a new design coming, which has been in the works since Oscha was first conceived so we’re really looking forward to sharing that with you all soon.”
After a few teaser close-up pics, Oscha posted more pictures in an album on Facebook on 12 December 2012: “Presenting a new pattern, 20% linen.” A more elaborate description about the development followed. “It’s really lovely to read your comments about Okinami – this was the first design I wanted to make when we started Oscha but couldn’t quite get it to work – then one morning I woke up and saw how it could come together! This Okinami is in the new ‘Kai’ colourway. It is not part of a collection so will be listed under ‘Solos’. We are currently planning to list it tomorrow afternoon – we’ll update with a time soon.”
A fan posted: “Aah, see how the Fades have been central in the design development for this gorgeous wrap? 
“
Okinami immediately had a lot of fans and it has remained a firm favorite with Oscha’s customers for years. Oscha ‘paused’ the pattern for a while but then re-introduced it again, eventually making it available for preorders again too.
A Juliet prototype piece was made into an Obimama carrier for Zoe, paired with Roses Juliet. Made before 2013: “This half-buckle wrap conversion is made by Jenn of Obimama from a Roses Juliet in cotton and wild silk and 100% cotton tester piece in Okinami Juliet. It is a tall stage 3 with zen straps measuring approx 70”. It has a 25″ extended waistband, buckle waist, internal linen/cotton layer, adjustable hood, neck roll and knee pads. “
Chambray
Roses is the only pattern to date (2020) in this particular colourway.
There was a teaser on Oscha’s Facebook page on 4 December 2012: “Just for fun – what would a special edition Oscha ‘Kate’ wrap look like? 
“. There was a link included in the post, mentioning that William and Kate (Duke and Duchess of Cambridge) are expecting a baby. There were quite a lot of comments mentioning blue and white roses in that thread.
Meaning: “A smooth light fabric of cotton, linen, etc, with white weft and a coloured warp”. Source: Collins Dictionary
(Un)familiar faces
12 October 2012: “Hi there – I’ve been here a few weeks now and thought it was about time I introduced myself to you all! My name is Cathy and I am the new Office Manager at Oscha. I will be helping out with orders, mail, the Facebook page and e-mails (among other things!) to take some of the pressure off Zoe and Mike. Getting to grips with the mailout has been a little bumpy, and I apologise to any of you who have had any issues as a result of this! Settling in now and getting used to the busy and buzzing atmosphere here in the office. It is a pleasure to work for a company so passionate about its products and with a genuine devotion to customer satisfaction. I look forward to getting to know you all 
“
“Wow! Thanks for the warmest welcome! I hope you can all bear with me this week – I will be working on the pre-order mailout and trying to keep on top of e-mails too – so if there is a period of silence you know I am busy mailing… but will always do my best to get back to you ASAP “
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External giveaways and competitions
5 December 2012: “North Somerset Slings http://www.facebook.com/NorthSomersetSlings are having a raffle on Thursday Dec 6th with over £1200 worth of slingy and non-slingy prizes Visit www.ns-slings.co.uk and click the raffle 2012 tab for details of how to buy tickets.”
3 September 2012: “South East Slings is currently running a competition to raise funds for the library, they are offering a Roses Pimpernel wrap size 6.”
Reply: “Thank you so much for posting this, and thanks also to everyone who has found their way to us to buy numbers and like our page. I have to confess I’m mildly devastated that the beautiful pimpernel roses will be leaving us next week, I’ve enjoyed looking at them sat on my table 
“
Babywearing consultants
8 August 2012: “Bwing Consultants and Sling Libraries: what makes an ideal demo wrap, what would your dream demo wrap look like?”
Random notes
26 July 2012: “Things have been quite hectic recently with the end of the Collection, the pre-order and ToL, plus we’ve been moving to new premises. So we’ve been slow to respond to emails and we’d like to apologise about this. Now that things are a bit more settled we’ll be setting about getting through them all!”
Customer gestures
22 July 2012: “A big thank you to everyone from ‘Project Thankyou’ who’s been sending in photos and postcards of you using your Oscha’s ! We very much appreciate the gesture and its lovely seeing your pics and reading your lovely messages, its given us a great boost 
“
Eden
A teaser went out for this pattern on 5 January 2012: “So is anyone ready to see the third new design?”. Eden marked the third new design of the Winter Solstice Collection, after Strato and Roses.
A post on 6 January 2012 contained both Eden Caprica and Eden Blue Ice. Eden Caprica was a 50% linen blend; Eden Blue Ice was an all cotton release.
Oscha’s different blends
Oscha started out with 100% linen, 100% cotton, 20% linen/80% cotton and 50% cotton/50% linen wraps.
The end of 2011 saw the first wool blend releases as well as the first triblend releases: 46% lambswool/20% linen/34% cotton (JKO Polaris and JKC Mistletoe) and 46% lambswool/54% cotton (Roses Noel, Nouveau Aurora, Strato Polaris). JKC Yuki (2012) was a similar blend, 50% wool 20% linen 30% cotton. JKO Yuki was similar too, only heavier.
Silk was introduced in 2012, with a first teaser on 14 June (“Is anyone feeling, erm….silky?”). The first release was Strato Adhar – 40% tussah silk, 60% cotton.
Islay & Coll preorder
7 September 2011: We have enough yarn left over to do a short run of Coll and Islay – these can be done in any of our patterns (Japanese Knot ooki or chiisai, Nouveau or Starry Night). What would everyone like to see?
8 September 2011: Thanks for everyone’s input on what do do with our spare yarn! – we’re now planning to do Starry Night & JK chiisai in Islay, and Starry Night & JK Ooki in Coll (both 20% linen). If you want one of these then please email us (info@oschaslings.com) specifying which one and the size you would like. If too many people want the same type then we’ll pull names out a hat. The There will only be about 10 wraps available in each pattern/colourway. Anything left over we’ll list on the site.
10 September 2011: To those of you who have pre-ordered one of the new Islay or Coll – just to make you aware it will be approx 1 month before they are ready. Its possible it will be before that but I’ve found its better to add extra to my estimate! Please let me know if this is going to be an issue for you. I’m going to send out confirmation emails/invoices this evening or tomorrow.
13 September 2011: If anyone who ordered a Starry Night Coll has changed their mind or would like to swap to another colour/pattern then please get in touch. There’s a mama who is really keen to get one. There’s a small chance that there will be fabric left over, but just in case someone isn’t too sure about their order it would be nice to have something firmed up for her x
2 December 2011: A bit of news for our extremely patient customers who are waiting for Japanese Knot Coll Ooki – it is being made up into your wraps right now so I’ll be in touch next week to sort out payment of the balance. I’ll also add some pictures, hopefully later today to keep you going in the meantime!
Some quick pictures – hopefully you can see the lovely shimmer in some of them. It feels nice and soft too.
7 December 2011: Everyone should have received their second invoice for JK Coll Ooki now. We’ll list any that are left over on the website later today or tomorrow
Celandine
Celandine (/ˈsɛləndaɪn/ or /-iːn/ is a common name for three species of flowers:
- Chelidonium majus, greater celandine, in the poppy family
- Ficaria verna, Lesser celandine (formerly Ranunculus ficaria), in the buttercup family
- Stylophorum diphyllum, celandine-poppy, in the poppy family
Source: Wikipedia.
Zorro
Zorro is the second pattern designed by Yehrin Tong that was added to the Oscha portfolio. The first pattern, Raja, was quite a success and Zorro was received with equal enthusiasm.
Zorro Bordeaux was the first release of this pattern:
“A collaboration with Yehrin Tong, Oscha’s newest pattern, Zorro, marks the beginning of our current additions to the Autumn Equinox Collection. Bordeaux is woven in deep burgundy organic combed cotton and ecru wild silk/cotton, it weighs approx 260gsm.”
Zorro Amera: 143GBP for a size 6.
Victoriana
First released as ‘Victoriana Nahua’, this pattern was originally considered a ‘group exclusive’ pattern but was later released to Oscha for general use and could thus be used for preorders too. Victoriana Nahua was a small preorder of 19 items and a few extras.
Designed by Jaiken O’Dowd, this is what she says about the design: “I’ve always loved traditional English style and so the design was inspired by original Victorian tiles I once came across somewhere. Thanks everyone who has posted babywearing pics of the wrap – it is so lovely to see other mamas and their little ones enjoying it!”
My Oscha… throws preorder
The second preorder of the My Oscha preorder group that first did a mug preorder. This preorder features throws and baby blankets on the “Frost” grad, with selected patterns Misty Mountains, Ancients of Gondor, Starry Night and Victoriana. Blend: 65% bamboo viscose, 35% tencel.
First throw was sent out in time for the group admin’s birthday on January 22nd 2018. The big batch went out on January 25th. It was then discovered that because the throws and baby blankets are woven to order, and different yarns have different shrink rates, the final products turned out to be longer than expected, but also narrower. Sometimes by as much as 20cm either way. Average dimensions should have been: approx 190cm x 135cm, about 400 gsm for the throws and approx 90cm x 70 cm, 400gsm for the baby blankets.
Disappointed customers could return their items for a full refund. Oscha promised to make it clearer for future preorders that the sizes would be approximate and could vary.
Orion
Released after the successful Starry Night Pattern, Orion has remained something of an underdog compared to Starry Night. However it has gained its own fanbase and remains a steady presence in Oscha’s diverse range of patterns. A few have gained something of a unicorn status, mostly due to the blend, like Orion Argentum (Sea Island cotton, wool, silk and cashmere). The first Orion released was Orion Reef… maybe… but that needs verification.
Noosa/Victoria preorder
A group was started with the single aim of re-creating the Noosa/Victoria warp that was part of Oscha’s Oceania II collection.
Blend and pattern voting took place in April 2017; shortly after ordering commenced. Orders closed on May 4th and it then became clear that wetspun linen Orion, Kiku Noosa and Matrix Victoria did not make the cut with too few orders made to justify weaving them. Laerad and Kiku changed to an Egyptian cotton weft instead of hemp to make it. Orders were reopened for a few days until May 7th. In the end Kiku had to be cancelled. Eight items survived the cut: Orion Noosa with Egyptian cotton, Matrix Noosa with Egyptian cotton, Rei Noosa with wetspun linen, Laerad Noosa with Egyptian cotton and Starry Night, Kasumi, Hanna and Braid Victoria with wetspun linen.
14 October, update:
“We heard from Vicki, and our fabric is leaving the weavers and heading to Oscha HQ. Unfortunately, there was an mistake with yarn thickness with our EGYPTIAN COTTON patterns Matrix, Laerad, and Orion. It was supposed to be: 60% Organic Combed Cotton, 40% organic Egyptian cotton and approx 280-290gsm. But now it will be: 71% Organic Combed Cotton, 29% organic Egyptian cotton and approx 230gsm.”
Compensation was offered: receive a 10% discount for items in those patterns OR 15% discount voucher off a future order and a full refund. This was met with dissatisfaction and Oscha answered with a good offer on October 26th:
“After further consideration around the incorrect blend of Laerad, Matrix and Orion Noosa, we have decided to offer those affected the opportunity to receive a 15% discount if you wish to keep your order, if you wish to return the order we will send you a 15% off discount code that you can use for a future purchase, by way of an apology. Unfortunately this particular issue was outwith our control as it was an error made by our weavers and we’d like to reassure you that this is extremely unusual. We have spoken with our mill and they are fully aware of how disappointed you all are with the composition of your order.
Furthermore, we have noticed a small variation between the ‘maroon’ colour and the original Noosa colourway. The colour has turned out slightly lighter due to a change from the old TPX dying system and our new environmentally friendly TPG system which tends to run a little less bright than the old dyes. Unfortunately the variation in colours was not preempted at our end, where an alteration to the Pantone colours could have been selected to make them closer to the original colourway of Noosa.
For this oversight, we are sorry and believe that while the warp looks very similar to the original Noosa, colourways it does look slightly altered in the red section. It is less apparent in the Victoria colourway as it’s darkened by the black weft. Please see images attached. For this reason, we would like to offer 5% off to anyone who wishes to keep their purchase, or a full refund & 5% discount code that they can use on a future item.
As you can see there are two issues here, therefore those who have ordered a Laerad, Matrix & Orion wrap, will receive 20% off their item if they wish to keep it and 20% off a future order if they wish to receive a full refund.”
Shipping started on November 1st 2017.
Mayura
Nov 14, 2017: “We see Pavonis as a development of the design and we would prefer to weave it as Pavonis- however we could weave Mayura on request.”
Pavonis
Nov 14, 2017: “We see Pavonis as a development of the design and we would prefer to weave it as Pavonis- however we could weave Mayura on request.”
Celebration Custom Collection
On December 11th 2017, a special announcement was made in Clan Oscha:
“We have a special announcement today:
**Celebration Custom Collection**
We’d like you to help us design a bespoke Collection featuring patterns chosen by Mike & Vicki ahead of their semi-retirement.
Over the next few days we will be running polls to quickly whittle down to your most loved items that we will list for sale on the site by the end of the week, these items will be woven to order.
The original list of patterns you will select are from Mike & Vicki’s favourites. As our two esteemed Oscha Directors are moving on to pastures new we want to celebrate all the work and energy they have put into Oscha by featuring their favourite patterns for you to choose from.
It would take too long to list all the jobs Mike & Vicki have done at Oscha (there has been literal blood sweat and tears!) so let’s just go with the main headlines – Mike is the co-founder and creator of many loved patterns and colourways, with a great eye for colour, fastidious with detail and a lover of many artistic periods, most notably for us, the Art Nouveau movement. Vicki wrote many of our blog posts, ran our custom dyeing operation, coordinated preorders and managed all things wrap scrap!
We would love you to help us design some brand new wraps over the next week to celebrate their work with Oscha.
We are hoping for a speedy turnaround after the orders are placed, as we are using pre-dyed yarns, this means they could arrive in as little as 3 months time, however this can’t be fully guaranteed so please still allow the normal 4-6 months to see pre-ordered items being shipped.”
That same day a pattern poll was set up with Mike and Vicki’s favorite patterns: Okinami, Sundara, Roses, Rei, Orion, Ivy, Libero, Pavonis, Supernova and Lyra. Okinami, Sundara and Roses ended up being the top 3 most popular patterns (even though it was a very close call between Roses and Rei).
The next day, December 12th, a grad vote was set up to vote for a warp grad. One of the six specially designed grads would be chosen to be included into the collection. The Storm grad was the most popular grad. A blend poll was launched too, to be used as a guideline in creating the definitive mockups for the celebration collection.
Friday the 15th, on Secret Santa Stash Friday, the collection was launched as a preorder for ordering; ordering closed on Monday 18th.
Final products for ordering:
- Okinami Stirling
- Okinami Maida Vale
- Okinami Nydie
- Sundara Sailing
- Sundara Michael
- Roses Michael
- Roses Vicki
Products were available as wraps, RS’s, cairis, nook, strap protector, scarf, shawl and 1m scrap pieces.
Matrix
12 April 2013:
“1st prize: Matrix prototype grey/ecru 100% cotton, size 4. This is a new design that has so far only been woven as a prototype. It is made up of small detailed lines of pattern that are interupted and then re-emerge.”
The wrap that went up as the prize for a charity draw was the first presentation of this pattern.
First released as ‘Matrix Satori’, Matrix wasn’t a very popular pattern, until the release of preorder wrap Matrix Adara (black weft on a blue-purple warp). It was suggested that the popularity of Matrix was then increased by the popularity of striped handwoven wraps. Whatever the reason, Matrix has since become a popular pattern, both as regular releases and part of preorders.
Inspired by the movie ‘The Matrix‘ where green numbers flow vertically across a black screen, the release of Matrix Satori was accompanied by a fun photoshoot that featured clothes and accessories (sunglasses!) reminiscent of the movie.
Sekai
First introduced in the hugely popular Oceania Part One collection, Sekai has since become a steady favorite. Sekai, believed to be derived from the word ‘seigaiha’ (meaning ‘wave’, source: Immortal Geisha) is often also interpreted as ‘dragon scales’ or ‘WiFi signals’. It was first seen on the border of the Okinami and Kasumi patterns. A variation on this pattern is SekaiLove.
Ithildin
“Named for the substance made from Mithril, Ithildin is used to create magical inscriptions which are only revealed when the correct incantation is said in the reflected light of the Moon and stars.”
A colourway unique to the Middle Earth Collection, the first pattern released in this colourway was Ancients of Gondor. Woven with black and silver, Ithildin is a colourway very suitable to the silvery White Trees.
A substance devised by the Noldor Elves for special outdoor inscriptions. It was derived from the rare metal mithril. Ithildin means moon-star, for it gleamed in response to starlight and moonlight, but only when touched by those speaking the right incantation. The inscriptions on the Doors of Durin were wrought of ithildin. Source: Wikipedia.
Ancients of Gondor
“Our first Middle-earth design, Ancients of Gondor, is inspired by the lineage of White Trees. The original White Tree was much beloved by the Elves. Emanating silver light, it is said the Moon was formed from its last silver flower. Each tree thereafter is seen to symbolise divine qualities of goodness, wisdom and purity.
These gorgeously intricate trees are representative of a line starting with Celeborn – the last White Tree to grow in the original dwelling place of the Elves, leading to Nimloth – a sapling of Celeborn that was planted in the land of Númenor, and finally to a sapling of Nimloth that became the first of the line to be found in Middle Earth – the White Tree of Gondor.”
In J. R. R. Tolkien’s high fantasy universe of Middle-earth, the White Tree of Gondor stood as a symbol of Gondor in the Court of the Fountain in Minas Tirith. The White Tree also appears as a motif upon Gondor’s flag and throughout its heraldry combined with the seven stars of the House of Elendil and the crown of the King. Source: Wikipedia
Middle Earth collection
Long anticipated, teased a few times and now finally there: Wovens from Middle Earth, the official collection, inspired by the world of Tolkien, designed by Oscha.
From Oscha’s blog:
“We are proud to present The Middle-Earth Collection, the official collection of baby wraps and ring slings inspired by the world of J.R.R Tolkien.
This collection is the result of a long-held desire here at Oscha to create a collection inspired by the world set out in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Drawing inspiration from the rich tales in the works of Tolkien, and with exclusive rights from Middle-earth Enterprises, we have created a series of gorgeous designs steeped in a mythology that has enthralled generations of children and adults.
[…]
Our official Lord of the Rings collection features two lines: Middle-Earth and MithrilTM. The Mithril Collection is a Tolkien-take on our regular Boutique range: named for the rare & precious metal from the tales, this Collection reflects the coveted nature of its namesake, featuring wraps and ring slings made from luxurious yarns, in limited numbers, with exclusive design/colour combinations.”
9 August 2017, Clan Oscha, by designer Evonne:
“Oakenshield was one of the first designs I worked on here at Oscha – so different from anything else I’d ever done before!”
Tiree
Source: Wikipedia
Botanical collection
Botanical Collection
“Taking inspiration from the colours, shapes and forms of plantlife. The first additions to this Collection are woven on a dazzling purple to magenta fade reminiscent of beautiful & abundant fuchsia flowers.”
Roesse
Roesse
Sundara Roesse gets its name from Roesse fuchsias, a type of fuchsia hybridised by Carel Roes (The Netherlands). Fuchsia’s are known for their vibrant magenta/pink/purple flowers. This makes it a fitting name for a wrap of the Fuchsia Edition of the Botanical Collection. Source: Roessefuchsia.com
Sundara
Sundara
Sundara is a mehndi inspired pattern. Mehndi or henna is the application of as a temporary form of skin decoration. It is practiced mainly in India and the Arab world (source: Wikipedia).
Sundara Roesse is the third colourway in which Sundara is released. First was Sundara Bonie Bell (Northern Isles Collection) and second Sundara Pearl, a Boutique item.
Midnight
Midnight
Midnight is the transition time period from one day to the next: the moment when the date changes. In ancient Roman timekeeping, midnight was halfway between sunset and sunrise, varying according to the seasons. Source: Wikipedia. Shui Long Midnight continues a colourway first started with the release of Starry Night Midnight (released in a 100% cotton and a bamboo/cotton blend).
The original ‘Midnight’ was a Dyed Grad, that has since been renamed to Midnite. I think it was renamed so as to avoid confusion regarding colourways between the jacquard woven range (black warp and ecru weft) and the dyed gradations on linen (dyed white or natural linen).
Shui Lóng
Shuǐ Lóng
“Presenting our new design, Shuǐ Lóng (Water Dragon) the divine mythical being possessing wisdom, protection and power. The dragon’s power is intimately linked with the natural world, the symbol and source of this being the pearls held in its claws. We have first woven it in the Caprica and Ember colourways as we wanted to take the opportunity with the red warp reweaving. However as we didn’t want to go into red overload, and also considering the season, we have only made a few in these colours. Shuǐ Lóng will be available in the next collection in some other colours and blends.”
The Tibetan Water Dragon – Shui Long was among the first patterns released by Oscha. The design has been especially popular with parents whose children were born in the Chinese Year of the Dragon (February 2012 – February 2013) but it has attracted other fans as well. It’s not a pattern for everybody and thus has a relatively small (but dedicated) fanbase.
There was an early teaser for the pattern hidden in the comments on Facebook on January 17, 2012: “Funnily enough (…) we have been looking at creating an Asian-style dragon, still very early stages with that design though.” Followed by another comment in the same thread: “Hhmmm, good point that it is the year of the Dragon! I actually quite like the scary dragons, but I guess they might need to be tamed a little considering the purpose 
” to which someone commented “If you want to be really colour and element specific, this year’s Dragon is a Black Water Dragon.”
Dragons were requested in a February thread in the comments on a post asking “If you could pick 3 Oscha wraps, real or imagined, for in-stock wraps, what would you choose?“.
A short poem was posted as a teaser on 13 April 2012:
Vast and majestic,
I am every hue of the rainbow
I may eat you, I may heat you,
I hide within your stories.
Shui Long Ember was the first SL pattern introduced/teased on Facebook on 21 April 2012. The official introduction followed on 22 April 2012:
“Presenting our new design, shuǐ Lóng (Water Dragon) the divine mythical being possessing wisdom, protection and power. The dragon’s power is intimately linked with the natural world, the symbol and source of this being the pearls held in its claws. We have first woven it in the Caprica and Ember colourways as we wanted to take the opportunity with the red warp reweaving. However as we didn’t want to go into red overload, and also considering the season, we have only made a few in these colours. Shuǐ Lóng will be available in the next collection in some other colours and blends.”
“They’ll be listed next week sometime. The red is the same on both but possibly darkened slightly by the black thread on Ember, not a huge amount in it so far as the red goes, overall look is darker on Ember though. The linen is the same as in Aiko but its the ecru cotton that makes it so fluffy! Ring slings to come in both colours as well.“
Ismay
Ismay
Ismay is a name, meaning ‘esteemed’ or ‘beloved’. It is said to be derived from ‘aestimatus’ meaning esteemed, or ‘amatus’ meaning loved. It may be derived from the name ‘Esme’. However one reference has been found that says otherwise: Unusual old germanic compound name possibly meaning ice or iron maiden. In use since the 13th cntury in England (spelled variously Ysemay, Isemay, Ysmay and Isamaya), Ismay is possibly related to the name Ismenia. Source: Babynamewizard.com.
Amity
Amity
Amity means ‘friendship’. Derived from the Latin ‘amicitas’ and ‘amicus’ which means ‘friend’. For a long time, the other wrap named Amity was the first Starry Night, then called ‘green-ecru’, made in the very early days of Oscha Slings. Of the SN Amity, only 3 wraps and 1 ring sling were made.
In 2016, Amity returned in the Silent Night pattern as part of a Christmas stocking.
Islay
Islay
Islay (aɪljə/ eye-lə; Scottish Gaelic: Ìle, pronounced [ˈiːlə]) is the southernmost island of theInner Hebrides of Scotland. Known as “The Queen of the Hebrides”, it lies in Argyll just south west of Jura and around 40 kilometres (25 mi) north of the Irish coast. Islay is the fifth-largest Scottish island and the seventh-largest island surrounding Great Britain, with a total area of almost 620 square kilometres (239 sq mi).
Its landscapes have been celebrated through various art forms and there is a growing interest in renewable energy. Islay is home to many bird species such as the wintering populations of Greenland white-fronted and barnacle goose, and is a popular destination throughout the year for birdwatchers. The climate is mild and ameliorated by the Gulf Stream. The fractal coast has numerous bays and sea lochs, including Loch an t-Sailein, Aros Bay and Claggain Bay. Source: Wikipedia.
Ecru
Ecru
No poetic names yet, just a simple colour description of the warp and weft colours used for this wrap.
Ecru describes the shade greyish-pale yellow or a light greyish-yellowish brown. It is often used to describe such fabrics as silk and linen in their unbleached state. Ecru comes from the French word écru, which means literally ‘raw’ or ‘unbleached’. Source: Wikipedia.
Nouveau
Nouveau
An Art Nouveau pattern designed by Mike Masters, co-owner of Oscha Slings (Zoe’s father). The Nouveau pattern was later further developed into the Liberty and Libero patterns and it’s a true Oscha classic.
“Nouveau is inspired by the Art Nouveau movement of the 1890- 1910. It was a time of harmonising with the natural environment and the belief that art should be a way of life. At Oscha, we truly believe in this ethos and it is always at the heart of our designs.”
Japanese Knot, Nouveau, Starry Night, Strato and Roses were the first jacquard woven patterns released in 2011.
Fiend Angelical
Fiend Angelical
The 2016 additions to the Romeo and Juliet collection are all named by phrases from Shakespeare’s play. The term Fiend Angelical appears to be an oxymoron, both devil and angel, referring to Romeo whom she loves but cannot love.
JULIET
O serpent heart hid with a flowering face!
Did ever dragon keep so fair a cave?
Beautiful tyrant! Fiend angelical!
Dove-feathered raven, wolvish-ravening lamb!
Despisèd substance of divinest show,
Just opposite to what thou justly seem’st.
A damnèd saint, an honorable villain!
O nature, what hadst thou to do in hell
When thou didst bower the spirit of a fiend
In moral paradise of such sweet flesh?
Was ever book containing such vile matter
So fairly bound? Oh, that deceit should dwell
In such a gorgeous palace!
Kasumi
Kasumi
Kasumi and Rei are both based on the Okinami pattern, but they feature only the lower wave part. While Rei shows only waves, Kasumi has a border with a pattern that became known later on as Sekai.
Kasumi is a Japanese name (quite a few Manga characters bear the name) as well as a few other things. It literally translates to ‘Mist’. I haven’t been able to find the source of the pattern name.
Yuki
Yuki
Yuki is Japanese for ‘snow’, which seems to fit this natty prototype with wool very well. I think the Japanese Knot Ooki prototype was named Yuki by its testers; the name was later adopted by Oscha. There was also a Japanese Knot Chiisai Yuki prototype made in the same blend.
28 February 2012: “We have a few prototype thick wool ecru/ecru Japanese Knot Ooki wraps available if anyone is interested in trying something a bit different! The label says 46% lambswool, 34% cotton, 20% linen, but the wool content is actually higher as the yarn is thicker than the one we used in our winter woolly range this year. Please be aware that these will require some breaking in but are extremely supportive and super cosy. This is what we have:
1 x 4.8 pre-wash (should end up a long 5…/short 6, this one is slightly narrower than the others) £113
1 x 3.2m (so will end up a long 2/short 3) £95
1 x size 4 £107
1 x size 1 £83
1 x RS £83”
August 2012: “Quite a while ago we sold some JK Yuki (ecru/ecru) THICK wool prototypes (so thicker than the regular weight lambswool wraps that were part of the Solstice Collection). We were wondering if anyone who purchased one or know of someone who did would mind getting in touch to let us know how you’re getting on with them? We’d love to hear from you ”
“Would you maybe send us an email about how you found the ooki, especially as you’ve had the regular wool wraps to compare it to? We’d especially like to know about breaking it in – length of time/if it softens quite easily. We tried them out and felt they were very cushy, supportive and cosy but possibly a little beastly! So would just like to know if the wool feels ok, especially after some use. I think this blend had linen in it as well.”
“The chiisai was our original tester for the wool wraps so all the woolies we’ve done are the same weight as it. The ooki was a much thicker wrap, and the wool content in it is higher.”
Customer feedback:
“I however can tell you that it was by far the most supportive RS I have ever tried, it worked with both my pre-schooler and my toddler..and they are top percentile for their age. ”
“I had the chii saii version. It was thick and supportive. After a good over night conditioning it softened up a bunch. It was still very scratchy after that. I tried sitting on it, pulling it though rings, twisting it etc. it softened a bit more but still too scratchy for my delicate skin. I ended up trading it for another Oscha. ”
“I have a long Chiisai Yuki and an Ooki Yuki shorty. The latter is great as a shorty for a teething baby – just the right amount of thickness and cush for a warm one-layer carry. I do not find it beastly at all, but you that I like my wool scratchy. “
Oban
Oban
Oban (An t-Òban in Scottish Gaelic meaning The Little Bay) is a resort town within the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland. Despite its small size, it is the largest town between Helensburgh and Fort William. During the tourist season, the town can play host to up to 25,000 people. Oban occupies a setting in the Firth of Lorn. Source: Wikipedia.
Zen
A truly peaceful, calm colourway in ecru and black, Zen is and has been a very popular colourway since the beginning. A ‘jeans wrap’ to be combined with almost anything you’re wearing, you can’t go wrong with an Oscha Zen wrap.
Zen originated in China and developed as a distinguished Chinese style of Buddhism. Zen emphasizes rigorous meditation-practice and insight into Buddha-nature. It also emphasizes the personal expression of this insight in daily life, especially for the benefit of others. As such, it de-emphasizes mere knowledge of sutras and doctrine and favors direct understanding through zazen and interaction with an accomplished teacher. Source: Wikipedia.
Jura
Jura is an island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland, adjacent and to the north-east of Islay. Compared with its fertile and more populous neighbour, Jura is mountainous, bare and infertile, covered largely by vast areas of blanket bog, hence its small population. In a list of the islands of Scotland ranked by size, Jura comes eighth, whereas ranked by population it comes thirty-first. It is in the council area of Argyll and Bute. Source: Wikipedia.
Coastal collection
“Refreshing, enlivening and calming: the Oscha Coastal Collection evokes qualities of being by the ocean.
From deep blues and sandy shores to sunsets over rippling waves and turquoise lagoons, this range of baby carriers and lovingly woven My Oscha items will remind you of the seaside all year round. ”
This Collection was first introduced in 2015. It launched with Koi Bay and Alto Haze and now continues with Façade Bay. The collection is based on the many different tones of blue and green found along the coast, ranging from turquoise and teal to deep blues and purples.
Bay
Façade, Koi
Façade
Bay
Coll
Japanese Knot Chiisai
Japanese Knot Ooki
Starry Night
Shui Long
Solo
“Solo lines of colourways and patterns. These are not linked to a Collection, being exclusive, stand-alone editions.”
2016: “Solo lines of colourways and patterns. Not linked to a Collection, these are exclusive, stand-alone editions.”
Braid
“The Oscha Braid pattern has become an Oscha classic. Although it may be surprising to know that this pattern was not originally designed in-house. Back in 2012, we were contacted by members of ‘The Babywearer’, which was the hub for US and international babywearing chat, to make an exclusive wrap. They wished to have a unique design made by members of the group, the winner was the ‘Tree of Life’ pattern. However Zoe and Mike were personally interested in another entry to the design competition by Jamie Vandeloo; Braid. They were drawn to the strong, simple lines. It seemed to fit very well with the Oscha style of design; timeless, classic and elegant.
The pattern became an instant hit, with colourways such as Obsidian, Mallo, Pine & Rosehip being much appreciated by Oscha customers.
Braid has since been woven in a multitude of colours, from soft Islay to bold Brighid. It also lends itself very well to the multicolour fades. Even though it didn’t play a part in the original Oceania collection, it has since shone through in the Winter Solstice collection with Braid Norse. More recently it has featured in the recent Northern Isles collection as Braid Reel. Both home in on the northern spirit of Oscha and Oscha’s Celtic roots.”
The first Braids (Rosehip and Harvest) were introduced on 11 September 2012. Modeled by designer Jamie Vandeloo they were presented as part of the Autumn Equinox collection: “This coming Collection has had help and inspiration from a few members of the wider babywearing community through two Oscha competitions so we’d like to start out by mentioning them.
Much of the collection was inspired by the winning entry of the Natural Mamas forum competition, which was to create a new theme for a Collection. Not sure if the winner wants to be mentioned here so I’ll leave that to her if she’d like to out herself!
Through the Wrapper’s Paradise Competition we saw a new design that we instantly loved and felt would fit really nicely with our current range, so it is featured in this Collection
Lots of pictures and info to come shortly, we hope you’ll enjoy it!”
Strato
Japanese clouds on a wrap
My Oscha…
On the collection.
Website
15 April 2013: “We’re just about to do some testing so the site won’t be functional for a little while.”
12 April 2013:
“Hi everyone, we’re just waiting for the finishing touches to be put on the Draw so will give a proper update about that as soon as we can. Whilst we’re waiting we have a few lovely items to give away as part of a charity draw and also a charity auction, details to follow very shortly.”
1 April 2013:
“We will not be listing using our current system again until we have done some serious testing and re-working in order to try and avoid the upset and frustration of recent listings.
We have been working on a new, fairer and more just system for listings based on a random draw system and this is close to being ready. We hope that this will give those with internet issues and time constraints a better chance and generally make a more relaxed experience. Because so many people had problems during this listing any left over items we may have of the Willows and Blackthorn will be listed in this way.
However we also recognize that many people like the current way of listing and so we will look to re-build this to be more streamlined and less buggy (!) so that ultimately we can have a mix of ways of listing.”
“Here’s a bit more info about our (clearly popular ;)) new random draw system.
The plan is that each draw will be open for 24hrs. You will need to have an account set up with us and we will have methods in place to avoid a single user having multiple accounts.
To enter you will select the sizes that you want to go for as if you were making a purchase. Once the time is up a custom random generator will select the ‘winners’ and send an invoice. …
Whilst you can enter for multiple sizes you can only be selected to purchase one. If we have two or more different types of wraps you can enter for each and have a chance of being selected to get one of each kind (postage would be worked out accordingly).
You would have 24hrs in which to pay the invoice, if unpaid it will be automatically cancelled. A new ‘winner’ would then be selected and an invoice sent to them. Any left over items will be listed back on the website at a random time.
We recognise the desire to have the timed listing system continue and having the random drawing in place will give us time to really work on the issues we were having with the old system whilst still carrying on the business. And we’re sure that as much as some may like the timed listings, you don’t want loads of errors!
We hope that the random draw will be a fun system and know that you have just as much chance as the next person of being selected.”
26 March 2013:
“Dear Oscha Customers,When we released the Braid pine and Starry Night Aspen lines, as you know, we had major problems with the web site which caused a number of basket failures.We initially thought the number of orders matched the number of items available, so we honoured the orders of those customers who had contacted us up to that point. Regrettably, we then discovered there were many more checkout failures than stock items. This has understandably led to a great deal of distress and disappointment for which we deeply apologise.The website is currently being revised to ensure such situations do not occur in future. We look forward to announcing a date for the release of more of the Deep Forest Collection soon.”
21 March 2013: “Dear Oscha Customers
Our website has been compromised by malicious spamming software. We are working hard to rectify the problem and are deeply sorry for the inconvenience and distress caused. We will keep you posted of developments.We appreciate your loyalty and patience”
Off to look into draw options…
18 March 2013: “just to confirm a couple of things…we have semi- reverted to the ‘items reserved buttons’, if there are still wraps not yet sold. (but in baskets). If all stock in a particular size is sold out, then the item in that size will no longer show on the product detail page…..so you’ll know when they are all definitely gone. You’ll need to refresh the page every so often to update the info. Also, we have to do a server kickstart just before listing time, so it is best to log in maybe no more than 15 minutes before listing time…the kickstart can sometimes log people out. (boy this gets complicated!! ) We have made some more changes behind the scenes to hopefully iron out some of the glitches….”
11 March 2013: “We have identified a site issue that can affect the contents of your basket, so please log in before trying to buy….hopefully fixed soon “
19 January 2013: “We have been asked if we are penalising any people who use page monitoring software systems by blocking their IP addresses…..no we haven’t. However, we must point out that we have asked people to stop using page monitors, though. They massively overload our servers to such a degree as to make them inoperable…they force the system to rebuild the pages from scratch with every call they make, unlike a normal page request which draws from the server’s cached version efficiently. So I beg you, for the sake of all customers and the Oscha team as well, to ask all those that are using such technology to stop…if not we will have releases with crashes, unfulfilled sales and all the other nasties we have had recently….I cannot overstate how much impact these things have had…..and it has been a nightmare for us to solve this issue.”
15 January 2013: “Ladies and gents…are there any? we have got to the stage where we think that we have a working system…yay…BIG SMILE….but I need to test this new setup to ensure a smooth ride for you and me! That means I’m off to my bed, and spend tomorrow testing, and if all goes well, then we will give it a go tomorrow evening…..thanks again for your patience, and as always, fingers crossed.”
“We are continuing to configure and test the systems, and will not be listing anything until further notice…sorry for any inconvenience.”
18 December 2012: “When we said we would give release times we also said it was dependent on the site working properly, clearly that has not been the case. We did say we were going to list the pre-order items shortly, we just didn’t give an exact time. This is because we are still working on the website issues but in the meantime we need to be able to list some of the backlog of stock without causing the site to crash and the subsequent customer frustration when it gets heavy traffic at one time. The pre-order items seemed a good choice since they are not new. Also some changes had been made and we had to test the site gently, which was clearly a good thing since there are some glitches that need to be ironed out. Please bear with us, we really are working on things and are simply trying to manage the best we can in the meantime.”
“We have found that things will work much better when you clear your browser cache… if you are unsure how to do that, google ‘clear browser cache’ for firefox, chrome, IE8 etc and you will see instructions. We have changed quite a lot of the site code, and if your browser uses the old code that it remembers from past visits, you will get errors. We’ll keep you posted with updates!! Thanks again for your patience…..between us we’ll get this thing licked into shape….hopefully before it kills me!”
8 December 2012: “Hi everyone, thanks for your feedback. We’re looking into the issues we had at the beginning of the listing, thanks for your patience – especially those of you who were up in the middle of the night!We are going to make the website show whether an item is instock/reserved/out of stock. So you won’t have to click on each one to see whether or not it is available to put in your basket.We will also make it so that you can edit the numbers of items in your basket more easilyWould everyone prefer a 10 minute reservation time to hold items in your basket for? It is 15 minutes at the moment.”
6 December 2012: “The new website is live now if you wish to set up accounts and take a look around (let us know if you spot anything that needs attention!).”
“You need to create a new account for this website.”
22 Nov 2012: “Our new website is almost ready and we’d like to tell you about some of the changes….Items placed in the shopping basket will be reserved and protected for 15 minutes. You can add other items, but only 2 of any one particular product style. We’re doing this to allow as many customers as possible to purchase items. We will see how this works out and consider any feedback if there are any issues. The basket timer starts when the first item is added, so please allow enough time to finish your checkout within the allocated time.We’ve chosen to use the Realex/HSBC payment gateway in future, where you can check out using a debit or credit card. Whilst we know that PayPal is convenient for many people we have found them very difficult business partners. If you wish to use your paypal balance there are a few options or you can simply transfer the funds to your current account and use your debit card.Originally we had planned to make a website feature that would allow customers to group orders together, whether several purchases by one individual or purchases from different customers. However we’ve found this presents many complications, not least if items go missing in the post. Therefore, unfortunately, we are unable to offer this service. Because items in your basket are protected for 15 minutes, this should allow enough time to add more items if you wish, rather than making several separate orders, and ensure you get the best shipping rate. If an item is to be sent to another person we would kindly ask you to decide this in advance and take care when entering the shipping address to avoid any problems.We hope that these changes will help to streamline things and make shopping on the website a more pleasant experience.”
16 Nov 2012: “Phew, we’ve finally surfaced from the pre-order… Hello everybody! Our new website is tantalizingly close to completion and we have some tasty new things to add to it, including the Fades we previewed a few weeks ago, a new Collection and several solo pieces (loadsa different woollies!). We also have a new design coming, which has been in the works since Oscha was first conceived so we’re really looking forward to sharing that with you all soon.”
“Quite a few questions about listing times: we are planning to preview most items and give a time that they will be on the website but that is all dependent on the new website and our server functioning as we hope they will! If we have problems then we’ll need to revise the plan.”
4 Okt 2012: “We have found that the site change monitors that people are using to discover if new items are available are putting our server under significant strain! We’ve decided to announce in future when we’ll list items, so that you no longer need to watch the site all the time….and thanks for your continued enthusiasm for our products.”
14 Sept 2012:
“So sorry for the server crashing – we’re on the phone to them right now to see why this is occurring and if we can do anything about it.
Braid Rosehip and SN Vespers are sold out. If you have them in your cart and are trying to check out you will not be able to do so unless you remove them from the cart.”
“We have now moved hosting sites 4 times in the last three months to find a server to support the sudden peaks in visitors. We thought we had it sorted as it seemed to work really well with the last Roses release so there was no way we could have anticipated the site would crash this time. We have been working non-stop to make more wraps to meet the demand. We do really appreciate people’e enthusiasm for our products and are trying our best to make enough and to make systems that work – unfortunately it seems to be the case that we have to learn by trial and error. If we kept back all of our stock until we had the new website we would have a huge backlog and would not have the means to deal with it all at once. To do a lottery system would require a massive amount of admin work as there are hundreds of wraps to deal with, but we are thinking if there’s other ways to deal with things in the meantime.We really do understand the frustration but hope you can understand this was unforeseen and was not for the lack of trying on our part.”
12 August 2012: “Well the server is fixed (we hope!!) so that means it shouldn’t crash when lots of people go on at once. The website isn’t fixed so there may well be overselling, but as these are higher volume than in the Collections we are praying this won’t be too much of an issue.“
8 August 2012: “The website is down right now as we’re upgrading our server again – HOPEFULLY this will stop the crashing!! (it won’t stop overselling though – need to wait for the new shmancy website for that ;))”
6 July 2012: “We wanted to give a current update again about our website for those who haven’t seen them before and are wondering why our website is working so poorly for our releases.
Our site was set up to deal with smaller numbers of customers and as issues with crashing and overselling became a problem we tried several changes to sort that. Obviously they were unsuccessful! We then upgraded to a dedicated host to stop the crashing but have just found it’s still not sufficient for the numbers.
We are currently working to build a new website that will retain items in peoples baskets and work faster. This will take a few months, watch this space for updates. We will also investigate a new server to handle the increased number of visitors.
In the short term, the next few releases will probably still encounter the same problems so we ask you to bear with us. We appreciate your feedback and letting us know the problems you’ve encountered and we hope that in the grand scheme of things this will be considered a blip in the evolution of Oscha.
We realise not having release times is difficult but we worry that giving them will increase the site crashing and overselling problems. We do intend to issue release times once our resources can cope.
o bear in mind though that we are still a small business and can only produce so much so even with giving release times and having a cart that will hold items there may still be some disappointment. To help with this we are doing a pre-order which will guarantee you get to buy a wrap.
Hope you got to the end of that! Once again, thank you all, we are absolutely thrilled about the enthusiasm for our products and we will continue to offer lovely wraps and ring slings that hopefully you will love to look at and enjoy using
28 June 2012 To all those of you who are disappointed by the naff way our cart works, I can only apologise. We are designing a brand new site from the ground up, as we speak, designed to ensure that there will be reserved items in a persons cart…that is, if you manage to get one in your cart, it will be guaranteed for a certain time…probably ten minutes or so. I do understand your frustration and we are working to overcome this as soon as possible. we are also looking to grow ourselves so we can handle more volume, ie make and send more wraps with each release…but it will take time, so please be patient and thank you all so much for your lovely feedback and enthusiasm for what we do!”
8 June 2012: “Happy Birthday to us! Look, we got a lovely bunch of Roses!”
7 June 2012: “We are busy sorting a new website system that should allow items to be held in your shopping cart for a short while and give you time to check out.
This might take a while, so in the meantime, bearing in mind the problems with overselling which doesn’t really work out for anyone, we’ve taken the decision not to give dates and times for releases. We will just list the items and then announce here about it.
We hope that this will avoid a rush and the minus numbers. We realise its not so convenient for lots of people and do aim to change once we have systems in place to deal with more traffic at once, but until then we hope this will make things a bit less frustrating for you all and a bit easier administratively for us.”
5 June 2012: “Its the same site but now on a fast dedicated server, and the new domain pointing can take a while for all ISP’s to get the new server address…”
April 2012: “Improvements have been made to the site to reduce crashes – usability has been improved.”
21 June 2012: “We realise random listing times is inconvenient for many but until we update our website we feel it has to be this way, so we ask you to be patient as this will probably be months rather than weeks as its a big job since we’re building from scratch and developing new software.
I’m afraid that we’d rather not commit to listing within certain hours as our customer-base is world-wide and we’d like to change times around so that it will suit people in different time zones.
We are working very hard to make the numbers we do, unfortunately we don’t currently have the capacity to make massive numbers, if you look overall at the Collection though there is a lot of wraps! We can’t list them all at once as it takes us a while to process things (from making to checking to posting), hence the release in batches.”
25 January 2012: “Please be aware that whilst adding Paypal express has sped things up and lessened the problem with allowing items to be oversold it hasn’t solved it. If this happens then you will be refunded asap. We’re still looking to see if we can change the system but its quite complicated so taking some time. Thanks for your patience and understanding
12 January 2012: “We’re looking to up-grade the server so it can handle larger numbers of visitors but that hasn’t happened yet. We have made some changes and hope that no items will oversell.”
25 June 2011: “It looks like we’re gonna have problems getting this online quickly, so here’s the new plan:
We have such limited quantities of this wrap (only a couple each in sizes 5, 6 and 7) and we’ve received a number of emails asking to reserve one. So in the interests to fairness if you would like one, please email us (stating the size you would like) and we will draw names out of a hat this evening.
If there are any left after this we will list them on the website. Prices are listed below.. thanks everyone for your enthusiasm 🙂
Size 7 – £93
Size 6 – £89
Size 5 – £84″
24 June 2011: “Japanese Knot Zen (ooki) 20% linen. Ecru cotton/linen threads and a black cotton thread gives a subtle silvery shimmer. Available in extremely limited quantities later this afternoon or evening on our website (barring further technical problems!).”
“Hi everyone, really sorry it looks like technical difficulties did arise: you can blame my business partner who does the web stuff and is on holiday on a boat in Greece with a dodgy internet connection!”
8 June 2011: “Store opening tonight at 8pm – I just put a wee announcement on NMs. [Redactional note: NMs stands for Natural Mamas forum.]”
3 June 2011: “Looking for some willing volunteers to offer feedback on our website, let me know if you’d like to help”
Nebula
Nebula means ‘cloud’ in Latin. It is an interstellar cloud of dust, hydrogen, helium and other ionized gases. Source: Wikipedia.
Juliet
First introduced as ‘The Juliets’, Alto, Starry Night and Roses Juliet were the not the first wraps to be made in this colourway: it was a warp especially dyed for the Natural Mamas preorder. Later, Juliet would become a beloved part of the Romeo and Juliet collection.
Juliet Capulet is the female protagonist and one of two title characters in William Shakespeare’s romantic love tragedy Romeo and Juliet. Juliet is the only daughter of Capulet, the patriarch of the Capulet family. The story has a long history that precedes Shakespeare himself. Source: Wikipedia.
Drift
As referred to in the description, white clouds drifting by in a blue sky – ‘drift’ features white clouds in a blue sky.
Bluebell
I believe the name refers to a plant that is commonly known as Harebell, but known in Scotland as Bluebell. In the British Isles, harebell flowers from July to November. Source: Wikipedia.
Blackthorn
More info on Blackthorn
Eventide
More info on Eventide
Notes on the colour: The Eventide colourway is supposed to have the same indigo blue colour as the Nebula colourway. However it seems that Alto Eventide was a tad lighter than the Nebula’s released before Alto Eventide.
“The colour is much bluer and deeper than Aequus.” (15 January 2013)
“So looks like you guys were right and the Alto Eventide is a bit lighter than Nebula was – all the threads are dyed to order so I guess this batch came out a little differently than before. Its not a massive difference but it is there, the original Nebula is a bit darker and bit bluer. This Eventide is still lovely though ;).” (16 January 2013)
Alto
List of all Alto’s?
Deep Forest collection
This existence of this Collection was teased on 12 March 2013:
“My roots are in the depths of the woods.”
– Galle
13 March 2013: Great forests once covered most of Britain, they provided a home and nourishment for all who lived within them. Now most of these great woodlands are gone, but in the small pockets that remain there is an abiding beauty and wonderful diversity of trees and plant life. This Collection is an ode to these woodlands, it attempts to call to mind their pervading sense of serenity and to draw on the senses. The scent of pine and bark, the calming vision of dappled light on a myriad of greens. The colour and textures of tree barks, gentle blooms and berries. Grand, ancient trees stand tall whilst, at their base, young, fresh shoots spring forth and gentle ferns uncurl as the forest continually re-creates itself.
22 April 2013: We have just launched our final Deep Forest collection draw. The styles are Eden Copper Beech, Starry Night Ash and Phaise Juniper, available in both wraps and ring slings.
You will need to be SIGNED IN for your entries to be accepted. Also please clear your browser cache and cookies as we have changed some site code (unless you have already done so for the Japanese Knot Fern draw).
This draw will run until 1pm bst tomorrow (Tuesday) ….we will then generate a list of those who will be invoiced for the product(s)
Please read the draw instructions on the product page…see the tab that says ‘Entering the Draw’ Good luck! 2015-2016: Great forests once covered most of Britain, they provided a home and nourishment for all who lived within them. Now most of these great woodlands are gone, but in the small pockets that remain there is an abiding beauty and wonderful diversity of trees and plant life. This Collection is an ode to these woodlands, it attempts to call to mind their pervading sense of serenity and to draw on the senses. The scent of pine and bark, the calming vision of dappled light on a myriad of greens. The colour and textures of tree barks, gentle blooms and berries. Grand, ancient trees stand tall whilst, at their base, young, fresh shoots spring forth and gentle ferns uncurl as the forest continually re-creates itself.
Braid Pine was the first wrap announced in this collection. Next up were Nouveau Willow, Alto Blackthorn, Starry Night Aspen, Eden Copper Beech, Phaise Juniper, Nouveau River Willow and finally Starry Night Ash.
“We’d like to say a big thank you to Carly and her family for these gorgeous pictures of the Deep Forest Collection. Ted is a professional photographer and Carly kindly offered his services to us!
We’ve really enjoyed working together and loved seeing the pictures with your gorgeous kids, thanks to you all 🙂
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Procter-Photography/139124866173167?ref=ts&fref=ts“
Machair/Juliet preorder
21 June 2012: OK we’ve had a chat and looked at timings and we reckon we can slip in a cheeky wee pre-order after the collection is complete We’ll put in a small handful of items; things we’ve done from Machair and some of the Juliets, we may mess about with the specifics though, nothing is decided yet on what they will be!
5 July 2012: “We will only be using colours from Machair and the Juliets and will be limiting it to a few colours/blends but we’d love to get your feedback on what you’d like to see.
It doesn’t have to be the same pattern in the same colours/ fabric combo as we’ve already done, so for instance there could be a JK Orchid or a SN Ceo – if you get my drift!
Alto Bluebell is already a definite.”
7 July 2012: “We will decide on a few different wraps that we will be making and list them on our website, you can place your order in the few days they are up for, we will be asking for payment in full. Then we will weave and make up the ordered wraps, this may take 3-4 months depending on the volume ordered. Does that explain things? So it guarantees a wrap for you but you do have to wait a while.”
18 July 2012: “The pre-order will not be limited, so there will be availability for all who want items…and ring slings will be available in the models we list. We will aim to have all of the pre-order items shipped within 3-4 months, but please understand that it will depend upon demand. BTW, there are some other roses designs soon to be released….We will leave the pre-order up on the site for a couple of days….the method for ordering will be just like purchasing a normal product…you will be notified of receipt of order as usual. No need to stalk the pre-order, as we will make whatever is ordered, and you can place your orders any time during the two days the pre-order is listed.”
The preorder went live on the website on 19/20 July 2012.
22 July 2012, website: The designs in this category have been inspired by the Machair and Juliet releases and are hopefully going to please most of those that have expressed preferences! I’m afraid we cannot please everyone though. This pre-order will not be limited, so there will be availability for all who want items…and ring slings are available in the models we are listing. We will aim to have all of the pre-order items shipped within 3-4 months, but please understand that it will depend upon demand. We will leave the pre-order up on the site for a couple of days….the method for ordering will be just like purchasing a normal product…you will be notified of receipt of order as usual.
28 September 2012: “Little Machair/Juliet pre-order update: we have mostly worked through the SN FMN and Orchid and they should be ready to ship in about a week. Orchid is looking lovely, can’t decide which side we like best!
Shui Long Celandine will be close on their heels, probably followed by JK Gentian and Ceo, then Alto Bluebell. The Juliets will likely be last to come (this order is subject to change btw!).
There are a lot of wraps being made up so its going to take us several weeks to work through them all and send them out but our plan is to focus entirely on the pre-order once the Autumn Collection is done until everything has been sent out from it before listing any new items (apart from the odd grad).
SL Scarista has been woven and will be made up shortly, probably sending it out about the same time as JK Gentian“
Northern Isles collection
“The Northern Isles are among the best places to view the Northern Lights, locally known as the Merry (Mirri) Dancers. The shimmering lights bring to mind the burling skirts and lively music of the Ceilidh and Fèis – a festival of music, stories, song and dance.
The colours of this Collection celebrate the stunning night skies as well as the traditional folk music scene, which is very much alive in the communities of the Northern Isles.
The colours are also inspired by the prolific local art scene, influenced by beautiful coastal vistas, here focusing on dawn light and stormy Orcadian seascapes.”
Gift Vouchers
Oscha Gift Vouchers
Send a loving gift to someone special….buy an Oscha Gift Voucher and make someone very happy!
See the Oscha Gift Vouchers section in the Store Information section for full instructions and information.
Displaying 1 to 6 (of 6 products)
Item Name- Price
£100 Gift Voucher
£100 Gift Voucher
£100.00
… more info
£90 Gift Voucher
£90 Gift Voucher
£90.00
… more info
£80 Gift Voucher
£80 Gift Voucher
£80.00
… more info
£70 Gift Voucher
£70 Gift Voucher
£70.00
… more info
£60 Gift Voucher
£60 Gift Voucher
£60.00
… more info
£50 Gift Voucher
£50 Gift Voucher
£50.00
… more info
Natural Mamas Preorder
“Natural Mamas has joined forces with Oscha Slings to produce an exclusive wrap fabric design, as voted for by Natural Mamas members. Please enter this section to place your pre-orders for the Natural Mamas design Wraps, Ring Sling, Toy Wrap and Scarf… We will make enough material to manufacture the pre-ordered items only, so there will not be any items available for sale out-with the pre-order.
PLEASE NOTE… If you choose to pre-order, you will be charged half the total cost of the wrap now. You will be notified once they have been manufactured, and you will be able to return to this section of the site to pay the balance, plus carriage.
THE PRICES LISTED ARE FOR THE DEPOSIT AND ARE HALF THE FINAL RETAIL PRICE. The pre-orders will be available until midnight, Friday 24th of February.”
Wrap
Your opportunity to purchase an exclusive one off….a Natural Mamas commemorative design produced by Oscha. If you choose to pre-order, you will be…
£32.00
Ring Sling
Your opportunity to purchase an exclusive one off….a Natural Mamas commemorative design produced by Oscha. If you choose to pre-order, you will be…
£32.00
Toy Wrap
Your opportunity to purchase an exclusive one off Natural Mamas commemorative Toy Wrap produced by Oscha. Toy wraps are for kids to carry their…
£16.00
Scarf
Your opportunity to purchase an exclusive one off Natural Mamas commemorative scarf produced by Oscha. If you choose to pre-order, you will be…
£12.00
Washing
2012-2015 website:
Washing
Our cotton and linen only needs to be washed at 30 degrees. We don’t recommend bleach as it can damage fabric.
Do not use fabric softener with your slings – it reduces the life of the fabric and makes it lose grip.
It is recommended to put ring slings inside a pillow cover when washing so the rings don’t get damaged.
Tumble drying
We do not recommend tumble drying in our washing instructions as it decreases the life of any fabric. Having said that, running it on a low temperature can help soften and ‘break in’ your sling.
Ironing
It is a good idea to steam iron your cotton and linen slings after washing. Not only does it make them pretty and help to soften the fabric but it avoids the fabric creasing along the same lines repeatedly, which can lead to wear.
Try not to let linen dry completely if you are going to iron – linen is much easier to iron while damp. If you dry linen completely in the tumble dryer it may appear to have drastically shrunk. The fibres have just been compacted together and will return to normal after a quick press with an iron (and a spray of water). Using your sling will also stretch it back out again.
Silk, Wool, Cashmere
We recommend hand washing these fabrics. This can be done by putting some suitable wool/silk/cashmere soap in the bath tub and gently agitating the wrap in it. Then squeeze off any excess water (without wringing), roll in towels and step on them to dry further water. Alternatively you can use the cool handwash setting on your washing machine if it has one. Wool and cashmere should be laid flat to dry. You should avoid drying silk in direct sunlight. They can be ironed on a very cool setting.
Autumn Equinox collection
Oscha introduced the new collection on 11 September 2012: “This coming Collection has had help and inspiration from a few members of the wider babywearing community through two Oscha competitions so we’d like to start out by mentioning them.
Much of the collection was inspired by the winning entry of the Natural Mamas forum competition, which was to create a new theme for a Collection. Not sure if the winner wants to be mentioned here so I’ll leave that to her if she’d like to out herself!
Through the Wrapper’s Paradise Competition …we saw a new design that we instantly loved and felt would fit really nicely with our current range, so it is featured in this Collection
Lots of pictures and info to come shortly, we hope you’ll enjoy it!”
12 September 2012:
“On the Autumn Equinox the sun and moon, king and queen, divide the hours equally between them. The warm autumn sun falls on hills that are carpeted in a regal cloak of purple heathers and golden grasses, and the woodlands begin to blaze into autumn.
There is a nip in the air as evening draws close; the changing trees are silhouetted against shades of clear blue, deepening to velvet tones as a clear celestial sky becomes visible.
Indoors, jars of honey glisten beside the freshly collected apples. The harvest has been brought in, nuts and berries are gathered and there is a celebration of nature’s abundance.
General answers about the collection:
“Answers to a few questions that have been asked:
Numbers are higher than previously for some items and we are also weaving more SN Vespers and the others that use the same colour warp (which you’ll see soon!). They will be available after the Machair pre-order has been sorted I expect.
The website is still not ready so as a compromise, to limit overselling but avoid people waiting for days for a listing, we’ll give a rough time e.g. Friday afternoon. We know thats not ideal but this will be one of the last times we have to do things that way.
We’ll group a few items together and list them in 3 or 4 lots over the next few weeks.
The warp thread on SN Vespers is an indigo blue tipped towards the purple. The light can really make a difference but I think purply indigo is about as accurate as I can get ”
20 December 2012: “
In addition to Strato Aequus we have two wool wraps to add in to the Autumn Equinox Collection. We’d like to share a bit of info about them as they are new blends for us and have had great reviews from our testers.
Nouveau Bramble is 40% finely spun wool. This is a slightly lighter weight wool wrap but still 240gsm, it has a beautiful drape and is easy to wrap with as well as feeling soft and smooth.
Tree of Life Astraea is 40% wool, 15% silk and 45% cotton. This is a thick wool wrap and will take a bit of breaking in, however it is also incredibly cosy, has a nice stretch and is very supportive.
Below is a review:
“… it’s the blend that makes it. I’ve honestly never felt anything like it before.. I don’t know what I love most, the rough yet softness of it – like pulling on a favourite winter tweed jacket, the way it has a kind of marshmallow squish to it when you squeeze it yet wraps with rock solid support, its beautiful thickness which is perfect for keeping warm and just as good for snuggling under like a blanket or the fact that it is equally suitable for my five month old and my four year old. I don’t think I’ve ever found a wrap that ticks all the boxes like this…It’s certainly not the easiest to wrap with but there is something so satisfying about pulling the passes into place that it makes it worthwhile; you don’t get that sense of accomplishment with most wraps and besides, once it’s tied you’re good to go for hours with no need to adjust or retie”
Pics to follow…”
Braid Harvest
Linen cotton ecru warp with golden straw cotton weft, which has a delightful lustre. This sling has a lovely handle, is durable and comfortable….
£69.00
Braid Harvest Precis
Linen cotton ecru warp with golden straw cotton weft, which has a delightful lustre. This sling has a lovely handle, is durable and comfortable….
£69.00
Braid Rosehip
46% lambswool, 54% cotton Deep, nut-brown bracken cotton with warm pompeian red lambswool. The combination of the rich colours and the elegant…
£89.00
Shui Long Lunare
Shui Long, the Tibetan water dragon…. 50% deep, indigo cotton with 50% silvery golden natural linen, medium weight.
£73.00
Strato Aequus
46% lambswool, 54% cotton Deep wisteria indigo cotton with gentle ecru lambswool. The combination of the rich colour and the elegant pattern make…
£89.00
Eden Umbra
Super cosy dark brown ‘bracken’ cotton warp with mid blue cotton weft. A beautifully soft and supportive wrap. 100% cotton.
£64.00
Japanese Knot Mell
Deep nut-brown bracken warp with verdigris blue-green coloured cotton weft. A lovely soft and supportive wrap. 100% cotton.
£64.00
Ladybirds Rowan
Super cosy ecru cotton warp with pompeian red coloured cotton weft. A beautifully soft and supportive wrap. Soooo soft…. 100% cotton.
£64.00
Nouveau Barley
Warm caramel cotton warp with light pink rose smoke coloured cotton weft. A beautifully soft and supportive wrap. Has a lovely golden shimmer…….
£64.00
Nouveau Honeycomb
Warm caramel cotton warp with golden yellow coloured cotton weft. A beautifully soft and supportive wrap. Has a delightful golden sheen…. 100%…
£64.00
Roses Hazelnut
Lovely deep brown bracken coloured cotton warp with light pink rose smoke coloured cotton weft. A beautifully soft and supportive wrap. Very comfy,…
£64.00
Roses Helios
Delicious caramel cotton warp with paprika tussah silk weft. A beautifully soft and supportive wrap. 40% tussah silk 60% cotton.
£98.00
Starry Night Vespers
Deep indigo wisteria warp with golden yellow coloured cotton weft. A beautifully soft and supportive wrap. 100% cotton.
£64.00
Roses pattern
Oscha introduced the Roses pattern with the Winter Solstice Collection at the end of 2011. Roses Noel was the first edition of this Mackintosh-inspired design. Oscha teased a second run of the pattern on 22 December 2011: “Yes we have one in 100% cotton as well (not in this colourway)”. This turned out to be Roses Ember.
They were available in small numbers: “Just to say that I’m afraid we don’t have so many of them since we didn’t have any feedback on the design when they were woven and there’s so much in this collection”. But there was hope: “We’ll have a chat about weaving more of these, we had no idea that it would be so popular.”
“Our popular design which takes much inspiration from Rennie and Margaret Macintosh.”
Roses Islay
Linen/cotton ecru warp with violet cotton weft. This elegant sling has a lovely handle and a gentle shimmer. 20%linen / 80% cotton.
£69.00
Roses Zen
Linen cotton ecru warp with black cotton weft, which has a delightful lustre. This sling has a lovely handle, is durable and comfortable. 20%linen /…
£69.00
Tree of Life
2011 (website): Your chance to buy the last of the Wrapper’s Paradise Exclusive Oscha. Featuring the stunning, competition-winning, Tree of Life design by Cindy Szymandera and woven in soft sea green and ecru. These mid weight slings will be woven in a 20% linen/80% cotton fabric….a very supportive and comfortable combination.
20 July 2012: “For all of you who have pre ordered the Tree of Life series of wraps, here’s a taster….we hope to start shipping them next week, but it may take a few weeks to complete as some are still being made up.”
21 July 2012: “It has come out really nicely. Something about the pattern, the soft colours and the subtle sheen give it a somewhat ethereal quality (imo!). We will have extras and they will be listed on the website once we complete the pre-orders. I’ll see if we can sort an action picture.”
Tree of Life Wrap
Linen/cotton ecru warp with canton green cotton weft. This elegant sling has a lovely handle and a gentle shimmer. 20%linen / 80% cotton.
£69.00
Tree of Life Toy Sling
Linen/cotton ecru warp with canton green cotton weft. This elegant sling has a lovely handle and a gentle shimmer. 20%linen / 80% cotton. Let your…
£35.00
Tree of Life Scarf
Linen/cotton ecru scarf with canton green cotton weft. This elegant scarf will have a lovely handle and a gentle shimmer. 20%linen / 80% cotton….
£26.00
Machair collection
30 May 2012: three inspiration pics were teased on Facebook
1 June 2012, introducing the Machair collection with pics of Ladybirds Pimpernel and Shui Long Scarista:
“On North and Western seacoasts of Scotland and Ireland a special habitat has slowly evolved by the windswept shell sand overlaying peat soil; the machair. From late May this fertile plain beside the sea bursts into bloom and a glorious meadow is created. Each machair boasts its own diverse species of wildflower in this unique habitat.
This Collection celebrates the beautiful scene; the colours of the wildflowers, sky and sea, all found in one of the rarest habitats in Europe.
Here we present the first two wraps of our collection with lots more colours and fabric blends to come!”
The collection text was edited later that year:
“On North and Western seacoasts of Scotland and Ireland a special habitat has slowly been created by the windswept shell sand overlaying peat soil; the machair. From late May this fertile plain beside the sea bursts into bloom and a glorious meadow is created. Each machair boasts its own diverse species of wildflower in this unique habitat. This Collection celebrates the beautiful scene; the colours of the wildflowers, sky and sea, all found in one of the rarest habitats in Europe.”
4 June 2012: “Think I might need to sit under the Bodhi tree for a little longer for that ray of enlightenment We’re just updating something on the website so I don’t want to give a definite time until thats done, but probably we’ll list Ladybirds Pimpernel tomorrow and Shui Long Scarista shortly after.”
22 June 2012, a short break from the collection: “We’re going to take a short break from Machair and list our 2nd ‘high volume’ item (of course this is all part of our grand plan and nothing to do with the fact that our order of cloth bags is two weeks late and we’ve run out 
)”
The collection continued, after Starry Night Lewis, with Shui Long Clover and Eden Orchid as well as Starry Night Thrift.
Oscha introduced the last wraps of the collection on 4 July 2012: “Remaining wraps to come in the Machair Collection. Some lighter-weight 40% linens and one super-heavyweight 50% linen Nouveau, along with a last lightweight silky. The purple is probably a bit more to the red than in most of the pics and more to the blue than in one picture of SN Clover.”
The last batch of the collection included Alto Bluebell, Eden Bluebell, Ladybirds Foxglove, Nouveau Clover, Roses Prunella, Starry Night Clover and Starry Night Forget-me-not.
The final one, ‘the one that we forgot’, was Japanese Knot Chiisai Gentian, introduced on 10 July 2012.
After that, part of the Machair patterns/colours were part of the Machair/Juliet preorder.
The collection closed with a bit of humour: “Someone emailed us with a comment they read; a suggestion to have some T-shirts made with ‘I survived the Machair Collection’ printed on them….
Mike and I would like to ask that you send us a couple too ” followed by a suggestion for the text on the back: “I think you need to change the message on the back, something like ‘and all I got was a stupid error message’.”
Alto Bluebell
Vista blue warp with bleached linen weft gives this wrap a beautiful sheen. 40% linen/60% cotton, medium weight.
£73.00
Eden Bluebell
Vista blue warp with bleached linen weft gives this wrap a beautiful sheen. 40% linen/60% cotton, medium weight.
£73.00
Roses Scarista
Linen cotton ecru warp with verdigris cotton weft, which has a delightful lustre. This sling has a lovely handle, is durable and comfortable….
£69.00
Shui Long Clover
Shui Long, the Tibetan water dragon…. 50% deep, rich bright violet cotton with 50% silvery golden natural linen, medium weight.
£73.00
Shui Long Scarista
Linen cotton ecru warp with verdigris cotton weft, which has a delightful lustre. This sling has a lovely handle, is durable and comfortable….
£67.00
Starry Night Clover
Deep violet warp with a bleached white linen weft…. 50% cotton with 50% linen, medium weight.
£73.00
Starry Night Thrift
Cosy linen cotton ecru warp with pink lavender cotton weft. A beautifully soft and supportive wrap. This sling has a lovely handle, is durable and…
£69.00
Starry Night Thrift Mid Sizes
Cosy linen cotton ecru warp with pink lavender cotton weft. A beautifully soft and supportive wrap. This sling has a lovely handle, is durable and…
£69.00
Eden Orchid
Rich deep violet warp with tropical green cotton weft. A beautifully soft and supportive wrap. 100% cotton. Stunning!
£64.00
Japanese Knot Ceo Ooki
Cosy linen/cotton ecru warp with nuvola blue tussah silk weft. A beautifully soft and supportive wrap. 40% tussah silk 20% linen 40% cotton.
£104.00
Japanese Knot Gentian Chii Sai
Vista blue cotton warp with tropical green cotton weft. A beautifully soft and supportive wrap. 100% cotton. Stunning!
£64.00
Ladybirds Foxglove
Deep violet warp with pink lavender cotton weft. A beautifully soft and supportive wrap. 100% cotton.
£64.00
Ladybirds Pimpernel
Cosy ecru warp with pink lavender cotton weft. A beautifully soft and supportive wrap. 100% cotton.
£64.00
Nouveau Celandine
Deep comfort with linen/cotton ecru warp and ochre tussah silk weft. A beautifully soft and supportive wrap. 40% tussah silk 20% linen 40% cotton.
£104.00
Nouveau Clover
Bright violet cotton with silvery golden natural linen. The combination of the rich colours and the elegant pattern make this a very striking wrap….
£73.00
Roses Foxglove
Rich deep violet warp with pink lavender cotton weft. A beautifully soft and supportive wrap. 100% cotton.
£64.00
Roses Pimpernel
Cosy ecru warp with pink lavender cotton weft. A beautifully soft and supportive wrap. 100% cotton.
£64.00lla
Roses Prunella
Comfy deep violet cotton warp with nuvola blue tussah silk weft. A beautifully soft and supportive wrap. 40% tussah silk 60% cotton.
£98.00
Starry Night Forget-me-not
Vista blue warp with ecru cotton weft. A beautifully soft and supportive wrap. 100% cotton.
£64.00
Strato Adhar
Comfy vista blue cotton warp with nuvola blue tussah silk weft. A beautifully soft and supportive wrap. 40% tussah silk 60% cotton.
£98.00
Later on, new items were added to the Machair collection:
https://www.oschaslings.com/blog/developing-the-machair-collection/
About Oscha
2011 (website) – home intro
We are a family business based in the East of Scotland. There is a strong tradition of artistry and craftsmanship within the family that we bring to bear on the design of our fine jacquard woven wraps and in our dye work.
Our ethos is to create a product that has a low environmental impact and helps to grow the local economy. Therefore our fabrics are all woven in the UK and Ireland, we personally do all of our dye work in house, and we work individually with local dressmakers and seamstresses to cut and finish our wraps.
We also aim to develop and create our business with our customers foremost, and so welcome your input and feedback. We hope that this is a creative endeavour that embraces and works with the wider community of parents and carers, both those who are new to babywearing, and those with more experience.
Zoe first became interested in slings after living in China. She noticed how snug and happy the carried babies seemed, rarely crying, and how the women could carry on their daily work/life routines with the minimum of fuss. Then of course there was the beauty of the brightly coloured woven fabrics and intricately adorned mei tais.
When Zoe became pregnant with her first child she knew that she would carry her. Since then she has had twins and the use of slings proved invaluable in caring for 3 children under 2: One child can be comforted, another held, work can be done.
The whole family – grandparents, uncles, even friends have enjoyed carrying the children and have all loved the closeness and snuggles! We are all enthused to be sharing the joy of carrying our babies and children with other families, and hope that our slings will allow you to do that in comfort and style.
13 dec 2012/2013 (website) – home intro
At Oscha Slings (pronounced ‘O-Sha’) we produce beautiful, high quality wraparound slings & ring slings that are carefully designed and developed for you to carry your baby. Our fabric is woven in the UK and Ireland, and then hand-crafted into babywearing slings in Scotland.
We are a family business with a strong tradition of artistry & craftsmanship. We select fabric blends, patterns and colourways, and create custom designs to make exclusive slings. The result is an exquisite, luxurious babywearing sling that is long-lasting and reliable as well as soft and stylish.
We innovated the concept of the ‘wrap Collection’ to link the colours and blends of our fabric with lyrical and imaginative concepts drawn from local and global traditions as well as the landscape. Thus enriching the carriers with a rich tapestry of meanings and imagery from nature and culture.
The linen for our art and gradation dyed slings is sourced from a traditional manufacturer in Ireland, where it is woven on a famous old loom. Irish linen is amongst the finest in the world, with its finely spun yarn, its softness and strength. We then hand dye the linen using high-quality dyes to ensure long- lasting vibrant colour.
Our slings can be used to carry your baby from birth onwards. They are highly adjustable, durable and unique. With use, they will gradually soften, becoming almost silky. Your Oscha Sling comes with a handy bag and packs up small to carry with you anywhere: a practical essential for everyday life with your little one!
2012/2013 ‘About’:
We are a family business based in the East of Scotland. There is a strong tradition of artistry and craftsmanship within the family that we bring to bear on the design of our fine jacquard woven wraps and in our dye work.
Our ethos is to create a product that has a low environmental impact and helps to grow the local economy. Therefore our fabrics are all woven in the UK and Ireland, we personally do all of our dye work in house, and we work individually with local tailors and machinists to cut and finish our wraps. We also like to draw on their creative talents, working together to develop new products. For instance, our Highland pleat ring sling shoulder, which was the first box-pleat style ring sling available.
We aim to develop our business with our customers foremost, and so welcome your input and feedback. We hope that this is a creative endeavour that embraces and works with the wider community of parents and carers, both those who are new to babywearing, and those with more experience.
Zoe first became interested in slings after living in China. She noticed how snug and happy the carried babies seemed, rarely crying, and how the women could carry on their daily work/life routines with the minimum of fuss. Then of course there was the beauty of the brightly coloured woven fabrics and intricately adorned mei tais.
When Zoe became pregnant with her first child she knew that she would carry her. Since then she has had twins and the use of slings proved invaluable in caring for 3 children under 2: One child can be comforted, another held, work can be done.
The whole family – grandparents, uncles, even friends have enjoyed carrying the children and have all loved the closeness and snuggles! We are all enthused to be sharing the joy of carrying our babies and children with other families, and hope that our slings will allow you to do that in comfort and style.
SEPT 2013, including pics of artwork:
We are a family business based in the East of Scotland. There is a strong tradition of artistry and craftsmanship within the family that weaves into the intricate designs of our fine jacquard woven wraps and dye work.
We believe in creating products that have a low environmental impact and we are committed to helping to grow the local economy. Therefore our fabrics are all woven in the UK and Ireland, we personally do all of our dye work in house, and we work closely with local tailors and machinists to cut and finish our wraps. We also work together with them to develop new products, for instance, our Highland pleat ring sling shoulder, which was the first box-pleat style ring sling available.
All of our original designs are worked up from sketch to the final graphic version inhouse by Mike and Zoe. We liaise closely with our weave artist, Joanna, to ensure that the designs translate well to the woven fabric and to make any adjustments before going into production. We also work with traditional designs to create exquisite pieces of fabric art.
We have developed a close relationship with our weavers in Lancashire, where we have our own jacquard loom installed. We work together, sourcing and testing new fabric blends and weave compositions in order to create innovative and luxurious baby slings.
Mike, who originally trained as an engineer and worked for McLaren F1, is a self-taught artist and graphic designer. After a number of exhibitions as a fine artist and with a growing young family he became an illustrator and graphic artist, specialising in magazine and book covers. He brings an incredible eye for style, line and detail to his Oscha designs, such as Nouveau, Liberty, Margo and Surya.
Zoe is is also a self-taught artist, having learned much of what she knows from her father, Mike, and she has also exhibited as a fine artist. She graduated in anthropology and enjoys bringing social and cultural design elements as well as their meanings into the wrap designs and collection themes. Zoe enjoys working with textiles and is a keen crafter and quilt-maker. Examples of her work are Okinami and Eire.
Zoe first became interested in slings after living in China. She noticed how snug and happy the carried babies seemed, rarely crying, and how the women could carry on their daily work and routines with a minimum of fuss. When Zoe became pregnant with her first child she knew that she would carry her. Since then she has had twins and the use of slings proved invaluable in caring for 3 children under 2; One child can be comforted, another held, and work can be done. It has been a bonus that this can be done with the beauty and comfort of a woven sling.
Our whole family – grandparents, uncles, even friends have enjoyed carrying the children and have all loved the closeness and snuggles! We are delighted to be sharing the joy of carrying our babies and children with your family, and hope that our slings will allow you to do that in comfort and style.
Yours, Zoe and Mike
Dec 2014 homepage:
Baby carriers that memories are made in… Oscha designs marry contemporary style with timeless elegance in a practical sling you can rely on: the perfect setting to promote healthy bonding and development for your child.
Carefully developed for you to carry your baby, Oscha Slings are designed & handcrafted in-house in Scotland. They are woven on the Oscha loom with the highest quality, natural yarns in stunning, unique patterns that you won’t find anywhere else.
We use only premium cottons and the finest, British & Italian yarns from ethical sources to hold your precious bundle close to your heart. The high thread count offers unparalleled support, softness and adjustability for a sling that will truly last from birth into toddlerhood and beyond.
Our slings are award winning and come recommended by other parents who value the style, quality, comfort and ease of use. Your Oscha (pronounced ‘O-Sha’) packs up small, it comes with full instructions and safety advice, as well as a handy bag so you can carry it with you anywhere: a practical essential for everyday life with your little one.
Dec 2014 About page:
Welcome to Oscha Slings
We are a family business based in the East of Scotland. There is a strong tradition of artistry and craftsmanship within the family that weaves into the intricate designs of our fine jacquard woven wraps and dye work.
We believe in creating products that have a low environmental impact and we are committed to helping to grow the local economy. Therefore our fabrics are all woven in the UK and Ireland, we personally do all of our dye work in house as well as crafting the slings themselves.
All of our original designs are created by Mike and Zoe and are woven on our own jacquard loom. We are constantly sourcing and testing new fabric blends and weave compositions in order to create innovative and luxurious baby slings.
Mike, who originally trained as an engineer and worked for McLaren F1, is a self-taught artist and graphic designer. He brings an incredible eye for style, line and detail to his Oscha designs. Zoe is also a fine artist who originally graduated in anthropology and enjoys bringing social and cultural elements into the wrap designs and collection themes.
Zoe first became interested in slings after living in China. She noticed how snug and happy the carried babies seemed, rarely crying, and how the women could carry on their daily work and routines with a minimum of fuss. When Zoe became pregnant with her first child she knew that she would carry her. Since then she has had twins and the use of slings proved invaluable in caring for 3 children under 2; One child can be comforted, another held, and work can be done. It has been a bonus that this can be done with the beauty and comfort of an Oscha woven sling.
Our whole family – grandparents, uncles, even friends have enjoyed carrying the children and have all loved the closeness and snuggles! We are delighted to be sharing the joy of carrying our babies and children with your family, and hope that our slings will allow you to do that in comfort and style.
Yours, The Oscha Team
Starry Night
2011 (website):
Inspired by traditional Japanese patternwork, this design has a wonderful texture and evokes images from children’s stories of twinkling stars in the night sky. The design uses concentric circles and alters depending on how you look at it.
The result is a fabric of great quality and refinement, which wraps beautifully, with a considered density and tension to the threads for great support and ‘give’ when carrying your little treasure!
16 August 2011: All the Starry Night wraps we have at the moment are 100% cotton. They are medium/thick but don’t feel thick to wrap with as they are soft, squishy and extremely mouldable. Oh, and they have a lovely shine to them too ;).
Special offers
2011:
This is your opportunity to get a quality Oscha sling at a bargain price!
Special offer slings may be end of line, prototype models, or have some small mark or weaving flaw. All the items here meet our high standards and are all in fine condition. There may be unique one offs as we develop our range of slings and our dye techniques.
2012-2013:
We quality check and grade all our products, as some have inevitable weaving flaws. A grade one wrap will be free of flaws, a grade two will have a few flaws which are only apparent when looking carefully for them. Grade three products have flaws which, whilst not compromising the safety or integrity of the wrap, will be somewhat more apparent.
Dyed wraps and ring sling second and third grade flaws normally relate to imperfections in the hand dye finish…odd small splashes, or slightly blotchy finish.
Please note that 50% linen wraps may have small irregularities such as nubs and slubs or slightly uneven thread – this is the natural texture of linen yarn. Any slings in 20% linen may have small dark spots on them, again this is the result of the natural linen fibre blended with the cotton in the warp yarn and is totally normal.
Prices
2011, prices were roughly like this:
Irish linen ring slings: £ 90,-
Jacquard woven ring slings: £73,- (NV Ecru) or £64,- (SN/NV Tiree, SN/NV Jura, NV Iona)
From okt 2011 ‘Price from’: 62 (Size 1?? NV Iona, NV Tiree, SN Jura, SN Iona)
Dec 2011: 73 RS JKC Coll. Wraps (size 1???) 71 (JKO Oban, NV Islay, JKC Coll, NV Oban)
Art Dyed size 6 (Autumn Leaves, Apple, Red Sahara, Spice, Skylark): 108
2012:
Jan: RS: 73 (SN Eventide/Eden Caprica); 64 (SN BI); 87 (Strato Polaris)
March: JKC Zen RS: 73; Eden BI: 64 (size 1???); JKO Polaris RS: 91; NV Aurora RS: 87; SN Nebula cotton, SN BI 64
April: Dapple One/Two 98; Neptune Special Offer 98. Geen maten bekend. Strato & SL Caprica RS: 73; SL Ember RS 62
June: LB Pimpernel RS 64; Roses Pimpernel & Foxglove 64 (size??); SN Lewis 61 (size??), Roses Scarista RS 73; NV Celandine 104 & JKO Ceo 104 (size??)
August: SN Lewis, LB Foxglove, SN FMN, Eden Orchid, JKC Gentian RS 64; SN Thrift, NV Clover 73
Pre order now available until 7pm bst 20th July. (screenshot from 2 August)
September: Roses Zen 69 (size??), SN Lewis RS & JKC Gentian & SN FMN & LB Foxglove 64;
October: NV Barley, Eden Umbra RS 64; SL Lunare RS 73; Roses Helios RS 95; Strato Aequus RS 87
Moss RS: 90
Eden Polaris £93.00 Nouveau Honeycomb 64.00 Starry Night Vespers Ring Sling £64.00 Sunshine £90.00 Moss Ring Sling £90.00 Eden Polaris Ring Sling £91.00 Braid Rosehip £89.00
Japanese Knot Mell £64.00 Starry Night Vespers £64.00
November: RS: Braid Rosehip 87; JKO Mell 64; SN Vespers 64
Dec 2012: Braid Harvest from 76, Braid Rosehip from 99
13 dec: new site. Okinami Kai Okinami Kai Ring Sling From £76.00; Okinami Kai Okinami Kai Wrap From £74.70; Dyed Grad Sunshine Dyed Grad Sunshine Irish Linen From £99.00; Dyed Grad Tangerine Dream Dyed Grad Tangerine Dream Irish Linen From £119.00; Dyed Grad Charcoal Dyed Grad Charcoal Irish Linen From £125.00; Dyed Grad Sunshine Dyed Grad Sunshine Ring Sling From £70.00.
2013:
Jan: Nouveau Bramble Nouveau Bramble Ring Sling From £89.00; Nouveau Bramble Nouveau Bramble Wrap From £89.00; Tree of Life Astraea Tree of Life Astraea Scarf From £37.00; Tree of Life Astraea Tree of Life Astraea Ring Sling From £100.00; Tree of Life Astraea Tree of Life Astraea Wrap From £98.10; Braid Mallo Braid Mallo Ring Sling From £95.00
Feb: RS: Alto Eventide & SN Midnight & NV Raven 83; Roses Nova 89
Mrt: RS: SL Emperor 81; Alto Eventide 83; SL Safaia 65,70. SN Maya 93, Alto Zen 132, Aiko Med/Heavy 76.50
Apr: RS: Braid Pine 83
May: NV River Willow RS 83; Blodeuwedd Mythic RS 83, JKC Fern RS 81, SN Ash RS 65.70
June: SN Ash RS 73; SN Aiko RS 83; DG Apple RS 99.
July: DG & AD RS 99. Size up = 110??
Aug: RS: JKC Cora 88; Orion Reef 83; Kasumi Felix 118.
Sept: RS: Orion Maya 93
October: Prices for Art Dyed/Dyed Grad size 6 = 125. RS: Liberty Escalus 165
November: Oki Zeka RS 85; SL Mica RS 170
December: SL Zola RS & Liberty Eleia RS 73; Kasumi Nahua RS & Mexica Xico RS 88
2014
Jan: SN Vanilla RS: 98; Sonora Pothos RS 81
Feb: Raja Philotes RS: 83; Teo Alia RS & Oki Misuto RS 155
Mrt: Maypole Spring RS: 297; NV Borealis RS 139.50 (10%?); DG Adamah on Diamond RS 73
Apr: DG Amelia Natural RS 99; Kasumi Romeo Wrap 150.80 (size??)
May: Rosslyn Eventide rS 91; Raja Morgan RS 81; Oki BI 82; Paradise Romeo RS 160; Alto O’ahu RS 82; SN Maui RS 103
June: Koi Kehena RS 82; Tsuru Zen RS 80; Wrap 80; Roses Aphrodite with wetspun RS 95
July: Orion Eros RS 81
Aug: Andaluz Marin RS: 83;
Sept: Rei Sherbert RS 81; Tulipa Parma Violet RS 91
Dec: Roses Burgundy RS 154.80
2015
Feb: Ambit JoJ RS 90; nappies: 24
Mrt: SN Moonstone throw 70% merino 126 (10%); Lorien Drift Throw 140; Rive JOJ RS 95; Oki Orkney RS 95
Notes
Japanese Knot Coll (chiisai) Ring SlingLinen cotton ecru warp with light turquoise cotton weft. This sling has a lovely handle, is durable and comfortable. 20%linen / 80% cotton. This…
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£73.00 | |
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Japanese Knot Oban (ooki) Ring SlingDeep aqua cotton warp with linen weft. The natural linen has a wonderful silvery sheen, with some warmer tones as well. 50% cotton/50% linen. This…
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£73.00 |
 |
Nouveau Ecru Cotton/Ecru Linen Ring SlingThis is a wrap for those carrying heavier babies/toddlers. The fabric is fairly thick and a heavier weight. It needs some time to break in to become…
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£73.00 |
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Nouveau Iona Ring SlingDeep Aqua cotton warp with violet cotton weft. A beautifully soft and supportive wrap. 100% cotton. This model has our pleated shoulder style for…
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£64.00 |
 |
Nouveau Islay Ring SlingLinen/cotton ecru warp with violet cotton weft. This elegant sling has a lovely handle and a gentle shimmer. 20%linen / 80% cotton. This model has…
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£73.00 |
 |
Nouveau Jura Ring SlingDeep aqua cotton warp with light turquoise cotton weft. Soft and supportive with wonderfully rich colours and a lovely shine. 100% cotton. This model…
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£64.00 |
 |
Nouveau Oban Ring SlingDeep aqua cotton warp with natural linen weft, which has a stunning silver/grey shimmer with some warmer tones as well. 50% cotton/50% linen. This…
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£73.00 |
 |
Nouveau Tiree Ring SlingDeep aqua cotton warp with ecru cotton weft. An incredibly soft and squishy wrap, the pattern really pops with the natural white cotton thread. 100%…
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£64.00 |
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Sea Breeze Ring SlingA rich blue that fades midway up the wrap – evokes a refreshing breeze skimming over the ocean. 100% linen. This model has our pleated shoulder style…
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£90.00 |
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Starry Night Jura Ring SlingDeep aqua cotton warp with light turquoise cotton weft makes a wonderfully rich colour. 100% cotton. This model has our pleated shoulder style for…
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£64.00 |
 |
Starry Night Tiree Ring SlingDeep aqua warp and ecru weft. The natural white cotton thread really makes the pattern pop, this is an especially soft and squishy wrap yet also…
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£64.00 |
 |
Japanese Knot ‘Coll’ (chiisai)Linen cotton ecru warp with light turquoise cotton weft. This sling has a lovely handle, is durable and comfortable. 20%linen / 80% cotton.
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£71.00 |
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Japanese Knot ‘Jura’ (ooki)Deep aqua cotton warp with light turquoise cotton weft makes a sling that’s soft and deliciously comfortable. 100% cotton.
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£62.00 |
 |
Japanese Knot ‘Oban’ (ooki)Deep aqua cotton warp with linen weft. The natural linen has a wonderful silvery sheen, with some warmer tones as well. 50% cotton/50% linen.
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£71.00 |
 |
Nouveau IonaDeep Aqua cotton warp with violet cotton weft. A beautifully soft and supportive wrap. 100% cotton.
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£62.00 |
 |
Nouveau IslayLinen/cotton ecru warp with violet cotton weft. This elegant sling has a lovely handle and a gentle shimmer. 20%linen / 80% cotton.
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£71.00 |
 |
Nouveau JuraDeep aqua cotton warp with light turquoise cotton weft. Soft and supportive with wonderfully rich colours and a lovely shine. 100% cotton.
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£62.00 |
 |
Nouveau ObanDeep aqua cotton warp with natural linen weft, which has a stunning silver/grey shimmer with some warmer tones as well. 50% cotton/50% linen.
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£71.00 |
 |
Nouveau TireeDeep aqua cotton warp with ecru cotton weft. An incredibly soft and squishy wrap, the pattern really pops with the natural white cotton thread. 100%…
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£62.00 |
 |
Starry Night IonaDeep Aqua cotton warp with violet cotton weft. Soft, supportive and with a gorgeous shimmer. 100% cotton.
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£62.00 |
 |
Starry Night JuraDeep aqua cotton warp with light turquoise cotton weft makes a wonderfully rich colour. 100% cotton.
|
£62.00 |
 |
Starry Night TireeDeep aqua warp and ecru weft. The natural white cotton thread really makes the pattern pop, this is an especially soft and squishy wrap yet also…
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£62.00
|
Art Dyed
About Art Dyed
2011 info: The linen for our art and gradation dyed slings is sourced from a traditional manufacturer in Ireland, where it is woven on a famous old loom. Irish linen is amongst the finest in the world, with its finely spun yarn, its softness and strength. We then hand dye the linen using high-quality dyes to ensure long-lasting vibrant colour.
Our Irish linen is sourced from a traditional manufacturer, and woven to the highest standards. Irish linen is considered to be the best available. It is strong, durable and finely spun. The result is a wrap that supports wonderfully, wears remarkably well, and once broken in, feels silky soft. It also looks great when worn.
Of all textile fibres, linen is one of the most ecologically sound. It needs less fertilizers and pesticides than most other crops – it is low input and therefore more environmentally friendly. It is also renewable with a short growing cycle and every part of the plant is used. Flax fibre is stronger than cotton fibre and its properties were recognised as early as Phoenician times when it was used to make linen sails.
A 2012 comment suggests that the method used for dyeing the Art Dyed wraps is called Shibori Art dyeing: “I know you are talking about the Shibori Art dyeing, but would this go for the grads as well? Can they be requested too, or just the shiboris?” (The question was about custom requesting certain colours)
2013 info: Our Irish linen is sourced from a traditional manufacturer, and woven to the highest standards. Irish linen is considered to be the best available. It is strong, durable and finely spun. The result is a wrap that supports wonderfully, wears remarkably well, and once broken in, feels silky soft. It also looks great when worn.
Of all textile fibres, linen is one of the most ecologically sound. It needs less fertilizers and pesticides than most other crops – it is low input and therefore more environmentally friendly. It is also renewable with a short growing cycle and every part of the plant is used. Flax fibre is stronger than cotton fibre and its properties were recognised as early as Phoenician times when it was used to make linen sails.
Nov 2014 info: The linen for our hand dyed wraps is finely spun, light and breathable making it a good choice for warmer weather and climates. This high-quality fabric is then hand dyed to create beautiful, elegant and vibrant gradations. A truly stunning sling.
We use plain white and natural English linens to create subtly different effects from each colourway. The white linen is lighter and somewhat finer than the natural, which is a little more dense. Each creates a slightly different but equally supportive sling.
We use a number of different techniques, which we are always developing, to create a series of unique, one of a kind, wraps and ring slings. For our current selection of art-dyed slings we use a technique inspired by shibori dyeing. This process creates beautiful, regular patterns, mottled fades and glowing light effects. These wraps can be made to order on either natural or white linen.
Although we strive to make each sling to the highest quality, there may be occasional irregularities that are part and parcel of a non-mechanised process. Because our slings are hand dyed there will be some variation and each is essentially unique, colours may turn out to be slightly different to the images here. All of the dyes used in our gradations are non-toxic and free of heavy metals and other pollutants.
Your linen sling will take a short while to ‘break in’ – use it regularly and you will find it softens beautifully and becomes easier and more rewarding to use. You can also tumble dry it, sit on it, run it through banisters or sling rings, braid it… there are many ways to break in a sling!
Dyed Gradation
About Dyed Grad
2011 info: The linen for our art and gradation dyed slings is sourced from a traditional manufacturer in Ireland, where it is woven on a famous old loom. Irish linen is amongst the finest in the world, with its finely spun yarn, its softness and strength. We then hand dye the linen using high-quality dyes to ensure long- lasting vibrant colour.
Our Irish linen is sourced from a traditional manufacturer, and woven to the highest standards. Irish linen is considered to be the best available. It is strong, durable and finely spun. The result is a wrap that supports wonderfully, wears remarkably well, and once broken in, feels silky soft. It also looks great when worn.
Of all textile fibres, linen is one of the most ecologically sound. It needs less fertilizers and pesticides than most other crops – it is low input and therefore more environmentally friendly. It is also renewable with a short growing cycle and every part of the plant is used. Flax fibre is stronger than cotton fibre and its properties were recognised as early as Phoenician times when it was used to make linen sails.
July 2011: “The yarn for our recent batch of white Irish linen is even more finely woven than previously so the wraps have a different feel. They are much softer, glide more easily and are more lightweight.”
May 2012: “As some of you know we’ve been slowing down the gradation dyeing to work on our next collection. We’re also nearly out of natural linen and there will be a few months wait until we have more ready.
We’re going to stop taking requests for gradations for a while so that we can do it in a more relaxed way and hopefully have time to make some new colours as well!
If you’ve already been in contact we’ll sort things out individually but won’t be taking any new requests from today. Thanks for your understanding”
2013 info: Our Irish linen is sourced from a traditional manufacturer, and woven to the highest standards. Irish linen is considered to be the best available. It is strong, durable and finely spun. The result is a wrap that supports wonderfully, wears remarkably well, and once broken in, feels silky soft. It also looks great when worn.
Of all textile fibres, linen is one of the most ecologically sound. It needs less fertilizers and pesticides than most other crops – it is low input and therefore more environmentally friendly. It is also renewable with a short growing cycle and every part of the plant is used. Flax fibre is stronger than cotton fibre and its properties were recognised as early as Phoenician times when it was used to make linen sails.
Nov 2014: The linen for our gradation dyed wraps is finely spun, light and breathable, making it a good choice for warmer climates. This high-quality fabric is then hand dyed to create beautiful, elegant and vibrant gradations. A truly stunning sling.
We use plain white and natural English linen to create subtly different effects from each colourway. The white linen is lighter and somewhat finer than the natural, which is a little more dense. Each creates a slightly different but equally supportive sling.
When gradation dyeing 100% linen, and more so when using certain colours, the dye moves into or away from the linen’s natural creases and sometimes creates thin, faded or more deeply coloured lines across it. Sometimes we seek to make a feature of this, often they are just a subtle part of the overall effect, which works well with the natural qualities of the linen and is part of the charm of a hand dyed sling.
Although we strive to make each sling to the highest quality, there may be occasional irregularities that are part and parcel of a non-mechanised process. Because our slings are hand dyed there will be some variation and each is essentially unique, colours may turn out to be slightly different to the images here. All of the dyes used in our gradations are non-toxic and free of heavy metals and other pollutants.
Your linen sling will take a short while to ‘break in’ – use it regularly and you will find it softens beautifully and becomes easier and more rewarding to use. You can also tumble dry it, sit on it, run it through banisters or sling rings, braid it… there are many ways to break in a sling!
Japanese Knot
2012 (website):
Oscha Slings are delighted to introduce Japanese Knot, a jacquard weave wrap inspired by traditional Japanese designs. Japanese Knot will be available in a larger and smaller version of the pattern, Ooki and Chiisai respectively. By altering the size of the pattern a whole new look is created – one strong, bold and vibrant, the other more intricate and refined. We will be using using blends of the highest quality cotton and linen yarns.
The result is a fabric of great quality and refinement, which wraps beautifully, with a considered density and tension to the threads for great support and ‘give’ when carrying your little treasure!
5 March 2013, Facebook comments: “Have you seen pics of what people call the tester JK Sand? I believe it is the same as that, so more contrast than the original Aiko.”
“It” refers to Japanese Knot Ooki Aiko V2.
Vintage
https://www.facebook.com/groups/391819397521125/permalink/841508122552248/?comment_tracking={%22tn%22%3A%22O%22}
https://www.facebook.com/groups/391819397521125/permalink/814152001954527/?comment_tracking={%22tn%22%3A%22O%22}
https://www.facebook.com/groups/391819397521125/permalink/803208053048922/?comment_tracking={%22tn%22%3A%22O%22}
Sea Island Cotton
http://blog.oschaslings.com/sea-island-cotton-review/
http://blog.oschaslings.com/sea-island-cotton/
Secret Stash Friday
Secret Stash Friday
Sale
Every year on Boxing Day.
10.000 Likes Celebration was closed with a 30% off sale in July 2013.
Boutique
Margo Morag was the first. July 2013.
Oscha Okinami Midnight
Has Katsusika Hokusai ever thought that his engraving “Big wave in Kanagava” would inspire brand Oscha after 200 years? Of course not. Thereby it’s interesting to follow, how a big wave wraps around the Earth, travelling from Japanese to British Isles, in order to come down and swish, not as foam, but as cloth.
We are presenting the fourth monochrome Okinami by Oscha — Midnight.
Okinami Midnight is a wrap weaved from SeaCell (blend of sea weed and viscose tencel), silk and bio-cotton. It goes without saying, one cannot miss a unique yarn with sea weeds of Island’s fjords when weaving a wrap on British Isles with the pattern of Japanese waves. It’s impossible how to miss a joy of babywearing in Okinami Midnight.
Okinami Midnight is a thin, but heavy wrap — 358 gr/m2. It is very pliable, it can be rolled into a thin binder. Smooth cloth lovely lies down on shoulders, wrapping into silky prison, distributing the weight. Okinami Midnight is a bit slippery when wrapping, but after wash it should be more packless and add some bounce. Now we may say that Oscha made a great present to those who love silky wraps, fall in love with poetry and symbolic, fond of graphic patterns and is given to minimal colors.
This wrap will fit to babies from 3 months to 4 y.o. toddlers — despite the mentioned density this wrap is amazingly flexible and great support.
SeaCell gives to the wrap a sensual silkiness. It is namely that silkiness, which you are waiting from the silk but never actually receive (in the world of wraps it may be explained as wrong washing, second weft, not enough thick yarn etc). So Okinami is a heart of silk delight, dressed with a touch of velvet. Cool cloth is flowing between the fingers as a waterfall, move as a brook on the shoulders, cosy splashes under the babie’s cheek.
Written by Nina Arkhipova
Photos and video: Nina Arkhipova
Translated by Marina Zheleznitskaya
Video Editing: Julia Nurmagambetova
http://en.wrapcollection.com/reviews/latest/oscha-okinami-midnight/
Official (webshop) launch
8 June 2011: “Store opening tonight at 8pm – I just put a wee announcement on NMs.”
NMs means the Natural Mamas forum.
A note on shipping
23 December 2011: “A bit of good news for our customers in Canada and the USA, we can now offer slightly cheaper shipping rates for parcels over 1.2kg (so a really heavy size 7 wrap or two or more wraps together). For those in the Far East and Australia we have cheaper rates for parcels over 2kg. These will all be sent with Royal Mail’s Parcelforce so no worries about fees etc.”
22 August 2011: “For all our customers from mainland Europe: we’ve changed our shipping system so that multiple orders will be MUCH cheaper now. Good news if you want to order more than one item and for group orders smile-emoticon For those in the UK we’re about to do the same so the max you will pay, no matter how much you order, for next day delivery will be around £7!! (usually around £3-£5 for a single item).”
25 July 2011: “Its been brought to my attention that there’s been ‘brokerage charges’ occurring through our new mail carrier. I’m really disappointed to hear this as I called and checked this out with them, and they reassured me it wouldn’t be a problem. I will be in touch with them to complain. Big apologies to anyone who’s been charged. Rest assured I wont be using them unless this can be sorted, and all current orders will be shipped with Royal Mail. I will still look into reducing overseas postage as I hope to make our slings as accessible as possible, but will make sure this doesn’t happen in future.”
6 July 2011: “Good news for all our overseas customers, we are organising a mail carrier to keep our shipping costs as low as possible, especially if you order more than one item at a
A note on release dates
Release dates are generally the date when the items were listed on the website. However, in the early days of Oscha invoices were sometimes sent for items that were ‘pre-ordered’ or ‘spoken for’ and after that, remaining items were listed on the website. I have decided to go with the first date that wraps were sold, so this may not always be the exact same date that items were actually available on the website.
The same goes for later date pre-orders, mostly group pre-orders and exclusives. Because these are not always listed on the website (and if so, always long after they have been sent to those who pre-ordered), I have listed the date that the first items were sent out to those who pre-ordered.
When an item has been especially made for a conference, I have listed the first date that they could be collected.
This does not go for wraps that were sold ‘early’ on conferences, like Starry Night Auckland. In that case, the first ‘release’ date has of course been noted in the description, but I have chosen to pick the official release date when it was released on the website, because this rarely happens and these early sales are not very widely known to the public at large.
A note on colourways
Generally speaking, each unique colour combination gets its own name. Wrap names usually consist of two elements: pattern and colourway. For example, Roses Noel refers to the Roses pattern, in the ‘Noel’ colourway (red warp, green weft).
Oscha mostly names her colourways based on colour alone, regardless of blend. This means that items with the same colourway name can be different blends or different patterns. Examples of this are Starry Night Nebula (100% cotton or 75% cotton, 25% wild silk) and Sekai Riva (cashmere blend or linen blend).
Colour variations may exist between wraps of the same name. For instance, wraps with an ecru weft like Nebula may slightly vary because ‘ecru’ means ‘undyed’, and undyed yarns have many subtle shades of creamy, musroomy colours. Have a look at the differences between the undyed yarns (warp & weft) in the Aiko, Serene and Vanilla colourways, for example! It seems that for these, the shade of the undyed yarn (and for the Vanilla’s, the blend, i.e. linen) defines the name of the wraps. Aiko is more musroomy while Serene is slightly lower contrast – but none of them as ‘low’ as the Ivory’s.
In a few cases identical colourways but different blends have received different names, for example Okinami Evie and Okinami Orkney.
Since the rise of preorders where wraps also need to be named, there has been no check on ‘unique’ colourways anymore, so a single colourway name may refer to two very different colourways. Oscha has also used colourway names more than once, for example Ladybirds Paris (purple and pink) & Raja Paris (bordeaux and red).
Spring Serenity
Birch, Elder or Braes
Ring slings
Highland Pleat Shoulder
The Highland Pleat Shoulder was the first and initially only shoulder style available at Oscha.
17 September 2011: We’d like to tell you more about Oscha’s Highland Pleat Shoulder, a style which we have developed working closely with our talented seamstress, Monica, who is also a highly experienced dressmaker. It is similar to the intricate pleat work on kilts, specifically the Kingussie kilt, which is one of he oldest kilt styles and is unique in utilising both box and knife pleats.
Our Highland inspired shoulder design looks elegant and is extremely comfortable to wear. Symmetrical pleats move away from the centre of the sling to ensure an even distribution of the baby’s weight whilst moulding easily around the wearer’s shoulder. Oscha ring slings can also be worn on either shoulder.
Introduced for the first time with our Irish Linen ring slings, we have further tweaked this shoulder style and are excited about sharing our Western Islands Collection ring slings featuring this adapted design.
===============
On the website
2011: Made from our Irish linens and Jacquard woven fabrics, our ring slings are comfortable and an easily adjustable, compact and elegant way to carry your child.
The sling consists of a length of fabric with two rings fitted at one end. Threading the free end through the rings creates a loop of fabric which is worn over your shoulder. You put your baby in the ‘pouch’ and tighten by pulling the loose end, or tail.
Oscha ring slings have a custom pleated design for comfortable wearing on either shoulder. We include an instruction brochure with each sling. Our sling rings have been safety tested.
2012-2013: Ring slings are elegant and are often used for special occasions such as Christenings and weddings. They are quick to use, especially handy for short trips from the car to shop, or for a child that wants up and down a lot. They are also light and pack up small.
We offer two shoulder styles for our ring slings. Our original Highland Pleat Shoulder was developed working closely with our highly experienced tailor. It is similar to the intricate pleat work on kilts, specifically the Kingussie kilt, which is one of the oldest styles and is unique in utilising both box and knife pleats. The design looks elegant and is extremely comfortable to wear. Symmetrical pleats move away from the centre of the sling to ensure an even distribution of the baby’s weight whilst moulding easily around the wearer’s shoulder.
We are now adding the Gathered Ring Sling Shoulder to our products. This has been widely used by babywearers for quite some time now and is a tried and tested favourite. This shoulder style is relatively unstructured as the fabric is gathered directly through the rings with no folds. This allows you to spread and move the fabric very easily on your shoulder for even weight distribution.
Oscha ring slings can also be worn on either shoulder. We include an instruction brochure with each sling, please take time to study this and practice as ring slings are extremely comfy and easy to use but it can take a little time and some adjustment to hit the sweet spot!
Our sling rings have been safety tested.
On Facebook
12 July 2011: “We’ve been working on our Irish linen ring slings and have come up with an adapted pleated shoulder. The pleats move away from the centre in both directions, you can wear it on either shoulder and we think it looks kinda pretty!”
5 September 2011: “We’ve further developed our Oscha Pleated Shoulder and will add some pics of that shortly.”
8 August 2012: “We’re looking for some feedback on our ring sling shoulder – if you’ve tried one can you tell us what you liked or didn’t like about it and if you have any ideas about what you might prefer?
We understand that one shoulder style will not suit everyone and most of the feedback in our testing faze was positive but now we’re a bit further down the line we’d like to look at it again and are also considering developing a second shoulder style so any feedback is appreciated “
“Irish Linen
10 October 2011: I like that the finer white (new) is much softer to start with and has a smoother feel, but I felt that once the original is broken in it has a bit more cush. But we’re open to feedback about this and could use the finer white next time if this is prefered.
16 October 2011: Well in the end we’ve managed to acheive the best of both worlds (I hope!) the white linen we’re working with now is fine and soft yet also every so slightly heavier to give that little bit more cush on your shoulders. I think both previous lots of linen are lovely in their own right though and the difference is probably minimal, we just like to take care of these small touches!
Payment methods
14 December 2013: Paypal added
18 December 2012: “We are in negotiation with Paypal to see if they will address some of our concerns and problems…if that works out, we will give a return to them serious consideration……watch this space.”
22 November 2012: “We’ve chosen to use the Realex/HSBC payment gateway in future, where you can check out using a debit or credit card. Whilst we know that PayPal is convenient for many people we have found them very difficult business partners. If you wish to use your paypal balance there are a few options or you can simply transfer the funds to your current account and use your debit card.”
19 July 2012: No more layaway: “Regarding layaway plans: we’ve had a number of people asking for these for the pre-order. When we were first asked we didn’t really consider the implications, but since this subject has been talked about online and lots of people are asking now we’ve realised it would become a bureaucratic nightmare. So we’ve regretfully taken the policy decision that we won’t entertain this option in future. We will however honour any agreements we have made to date. Apologies if this inconveniences anyone.”
17 January 2012: “We’ve introduced paypal express, which should be more convenient and faster to check out.”
30 December 2011: “For all of you who’ve been having problems paying with paypal through our website (especially all of our Russian customers): we’re trying out something and so far it seems to be working (fingers crossed!).
Rings on the Dyed Grads
4 February 2012: A question for anyone who has bought one of our linen grad ring slings: do you like having the medium sized rings on them or would you prefer it if we used large rings (as we do for the jacquard weave wraps)?
6 February 2012: Thanks for your replies, ok I guess we will stick with medium rings!
Oscha Zorro Midnight
Zorro Midnight is a prototype of a new Oscha’s wrap with foxes. Blend is experimental: cotton with silk and alpaca. As a result we may see one of the masterpieces in wrap-art for toddlers, with excellent parameter’s balance blend-pattern-color-density for this challenge. How is it displayed in test-drive?
Once upon a time, in 2011, two children and one babywearing epoch ago, I had a good fortune to see an astonishing wrap with wool — Roses Noel by Oscha
The next wrap of dream — Braid Rosehip. Lovely quiet color and excellent wrapping features, real icon! Alas, scratchy comparing to delicate cashmeres, just coming into fashion in 2012.
However, Oscha is a brand which you cannot ever be tired of. Permanent experiment, permanent search, permanent challenge to wrap-weekdays’ boredom. I dreamed to test a new pattern Zorro from the moment of its appearance. Dynamic design, resembling to Raja pattern, promised a good grip and good pliability at the same time. It worked out the way it did. Fine wavy pattern breaks the sheet of wrap to many segments and gives direction, on which the wrap must be tighten – it’s a real pleasure. So, sling in Zorro pattern is easy to regulate and it is not weakening if you made a mistake when wrapped. It‘s paradoxial and very good combination.
Oscha Zorro Midnight
Written by Nina Arkhipova
Photos and video by Nina Arkhipova
Translated by Marina Zheleznitskaya
http://en.wrapcollection.com/reviews/latest/oscha-zorro-midnight/
Oscha Slings: Slinging into action
http://www.bqlive.co.uk/2015/10/20/oscha-slings-slinging-into-action/
Oscha Slings: Slinging into action
After raising a baby girl and two twin boys, Zoe Masters realised just how pivotal baby slings were to parental life. After pondering on an idea, Zoe and her father Mike spotted a niche in the market and decided to design their own products with an authentic British twist. They told BQ how they made it happen.
Zoe Masters, Oscha Slings
Edinburgh-based Oscha Slings design and manufacture artisan baby carriers which are sold both online and in stores across the globe ranging from Singapore to Switzerland.
Zoe first became interested in slings after living in China. She noticed how snug and happy the carried babies seemed, rarely crying, and how the women could carry on their daily work and routines with minimum fuss.
When Zoe became pregnant with her first child she knew that she would carry her. Since then she has had twins and the use of slings proved invaluable in caring for 3 children under 2; one child can be comforted, another held, and work can be done.
She told BQ: “I had three children under two – a little girl and twin boys. Obviously we were delighted, but it was incredibly hard work!
“We found baby slings were a life saver – enabling work to be done, everyone to be cared for and also helping with bonding and being able to get out and about more easily.
“There were few ergonomic options available at that time and I realised that there was a gap in the market for beautiful, design-led baby carriers.”
She pitched her business idea to her father Mike, who having originally trained as an engineer and worked for McLaren F1, is a self-taught artist and graphic designer. He brings an incredible eye for style, line and detail to the Oscha designs.
Zoe is also a fine artist who originally graduated in anthropology and enjoys bringing social and cultural elements into the wrap designs and collection themes.
She added: “Initially we didn’t receive any advice when setting up. Once we had established premises and taken on some staff however, we found that Business Gateway/Scottish Enterprise and Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce offered various programmes.
“We are now on the ‘Growth Pipeline’ and have received support such as funding for new machines, training, management and marketing help.”
As with any start-up business, the duo encountered a number of challenges along the way. One of which, was ensuring they were making the most of the ecommerce market place.
Zoe said: “Our website was our biggest challenge – the business took off quite quickly and we couldn’t handle the level of visits we were getting – the site would crash and oversell products.
“We struggled to find someone who could set up a site for a small business but also be able to manage the level of visits we would get when we listed new stock.
“We tried outsourcing the work and got advice from Business Gateway, but eventually we realised that we need a dedicated and skilled web master doing the work and, as our main shop front, this is an area we have to invest in.”
The father and daughter duo are now set to launch a new range of products as demand for their products continues to grow.
She continued: “We have been developing new types of baby carriers for the last two years and have just begun to launch them – this has involved the development of a creative marketing strategy, hiring new staff to make them and managing the process from start to finish.
“We were the first company in the UK to make jacquard woven slings. Everything is made in the UK and we aim to produce everything ethically from organic yarns where possible.
“Our artistic focus makes our designs beautiful and unique, with a focus on the style of the parent rather than making the focus of the design on the baby. This means the slings are also a style choice for parents and carers.”
Going forward, the Oscha team are hoping to make babywearing become the norm in the UK as it is in the Far East.
“Having launched all our products that are in the pipe line just now, we’d love to see babywearing become the norm and the Oscha name readily associated with it.”
Wraps in ethical consumerism
Oscha Rei Victoria
Relevant selection from the article. Link to the full article at the bottom.
I have decided to ask Zoe Masters, the Oscha founder how “caring” wrap manufacturers live and what they can tell about their principles and aspirations.
Oscha offers and promotes 100% linen slings as ones having a low environmental impact. How popular are they now? Do you believe that a linen wrap can be a substitute to cotton blends, or is it just a good change for summer?
The 100% linens are still popular with more interest over the summer. I guess cotton will probably always be more favoured since it is softer and has a bit more cush, but you really can’t beat 100% linen for breathability in the heat.
My Mum has taken over the job of doing all the dye work, so it’s all her creation now and she is busy investigating new dye techniques for us to develop. We’ve also spent a lot of the last 2 years looking at developing suitable silk screen options, which would allow us to be more creative with the 100% linen, so we hope to bring that to fruition at some point!
Linen is a hardier plant than cotton, so it requires less pesticides etc, plus all parts of the plant can be used. We are also looking at a totally organic linen to use for our cotton/linen blend wraps.
Vicki or ‘Nana Oscha’ getting ready to hand dye a batch of linen baby wraps
Jade Spring wraps being created in the dye tank
And speaking of cotton – you use different types of it, including organic Pima-cotton. What makes it organic? Is it more Eco-friendly than the other types?
It is organic, and more eco-friendly because chemical pesticides and fertilizers are not used, therefore growth of the crops doesn’t have the same impact on the surrounding environment or the workers.
We have finally found a good source of organic combed cotton in the same weight as our regular cottons, it has always been our intention to switch to organic as soon as we were able so I’m really pleased we’ll be making that shift very soon.
The organic Pima is the best quality cotton out there really, as well as being environmentally friendly, but it was a slightly lighter weight yarn, so perfect for summer wraps.
I admire Oscha for the refusal to use Mulberry and Bourette (unethical ones) silk. You found an alternative in Tussah and other wild kinds of silk. And your silk blends seem to be loved and popular! Are you often asked to make Mulberry-silk slings? Do you think you lose money on this refusal – or, maybe, on the contrary, gain customers and reputation on being unique in this way?
To be honest I wasn’t aware that customers had noticed we haven’t used mulberry silk! In some ways I guess we may lose some custom as we can’t make that super shiny silk wraps that the long mulberry threads can create, it also means that our silk has more grip. Having said that it has meant that we’ve experimented with other silks more and thankfully found the wild silk blend (like SN Nebula), which I think makes one of the nicest wrapping fabrics around. We are still on the lookout for more wild silk yarns to create different fabric types.
Do you consider wool manufacturing ethical? What can you tell about production of wool in your fabrics?
Our wool all comes from suppliers in Great Britain who source the yarns from British & Australian sheep farmers where certain criteria must be met for the ethical treatment of the animals. We have consulted with all of our wool suppliers on this and are satisfied that the animals are treated well.
You believe in working with local suppliers and craftsmen. What material can’t be found nearby and still need a far shipping? Are there possibilities of improving it in future?
Most of our yarns come from Britain, Ireland and Italy, cotton is probably the main one that is hard to source locally.
We have used American combed cotton many times (it’s the thicker combed cotton used in the original Roses Eros and Aphrodite for instance), but otherwise it has come from India, and more recently from Egypt & Turkey. It isn’t really possible for us to do much about this as its too cold to grow cotton in the UK. However, we are about to move onto using only organic combed cotton, so although it doesn’t solve the local issue, at least it addresses other major environmental concerns.
As far as I know, Oscha is the only (or one of the very few) sling manufacturer with such principles. Is it difficult? Do you have customers, who stay loyal to the brand due to its ethics? (Well, I guess you do, it’s me for a start :))
Awww, that’s nice to hear! To be honest we haven’t really received much feedback that customers stick with us for any ethical reasons. However it isn’t hard for us to operate in this way and to continue to try and improve our supply line as it simply feels like the only path for Oscha.
One thing we’ve had a lot of pressure about, especially when looking at making new products that require a lot of manufacturing time, is making things in the UK, and paying a good living wage to everyone concerned. It has been suggested to us many times that we should move production to the Far East or Eastern Europe in order to cut our costs and produce more. Whilst there is obviously value in employing people anywhere, we feel that taking advantage of cheap labour and materials would be exploitative. We want to support our own economy and local community. Also, we could not keep such a close eye on production and quality if we didn’t do it all in-house.
I know that most people (myself included) are used to being able to buy fabrics & clothes very cheaply, the idea of ‘throw away fashion’ is predominant. So it can be difficult to understand why our slings are the price they are, and the price point probably does lose us some custom. The fact is that producing quality items from the finest yarns around and having it all manufactured in the UK is just a lot more expensive. This limits us in some ways, but in order to feel happy with our business and its impact on the wider world and community we feel this is the only way Oscha can operate.
Thank you!
Midlothian councillor Jamie Bryant with Zoe Emma Masters, owner of Loanhead firm Oscha Slings. Photo: Rob Gray
Oscha Okinami Noosa
Oscha Rive Milford Sound
Oscha Liberty Jig of Joy
Author of text and a few photos: Lida Pavlova.
Photo: oschaslings.com, midlothianadvertiser.co.uk
Translation: Svetlana Skakun.
http://en.wrapcollection.com/notice/remark/wraps-in-ethical-consumerism/
Loanhead firm breaks into overseas market
A Loanhead-based business is going from strength to strength with overseas sales of its product rocketing .
Oscha Slings, based at Bilston Glen Industrial Estate, is the brain child of Zoe Emma Masters.
The company makes designer slings and wraps in a variety of high quality fabrics for parents to carry their babies. The firm now employs eight staff with a turnover of around £1.5m.
The slings are sold globally including Russia, US, Canada, Australia and Europe. Over the last two years, international sales have soared by 70 per cent.
Oscha Slings: guesswork and experimentation
Co-owner of the Оscha slings Zoe Masters responds to our questions for Wrap collection.
The Oceania collection amazed everyone! How did you get the idea to make grades on patterns? Was it technically hard to produce? How do you see this idea evolving in the future?
Its something we’ve wanted to do for a while. We made an attempt with the ‘Fade’ wraps, but obviously that involved using the weft to make the grad and so it didn’t allow us to put patterns through it and we couldn’t attain the same depth of colour. It is quite costly to do and requires a certain warp length as there’s so many colours to dye, so it was very nerve wracking waiting to see how they would turn out. I suppose seeing the wonderful things that hand-weavers have been coming up with; the way they play with colour is beautiful, but in many cases its not really something you can do on a jacquard loom, also a hand-weaver can make small test samples, which we are unable to do for dyed warps, which have to be made in bulk. However, we thought that we have a small advantage in that we can be more creative with patterns over the gradated warp colours. Also, because we have such a high thread count, the colours can be really vibrant and the grad very soft. We can see areas for improvement and we have lots of ideas about how to take it forward. You’ll see some of these ideas come to life around October this year.
Do you ever plan to use mulberry silk in your wraps?
Not at the moment and its not been something that customers have asked us for. We’d be interested to hear feedback on this though, if there is demand for it. Although I’m not terribly keen as its nice to stick to the more ethically produced silks.
Oscha Japanese Knot Ooki Jinn
Regarding the names of the wraps in the Narnia-collection — why were most of the wraps named after minor or negative characters? The Jinn wrap — who did you mean? Will there be a sequel to this collection, named after the main characters?
It was really to do with the colours, there were so many muted, wintery tones that they just didn’t seem to suit e.g. Aslan or other more lively characters. The focus became ‘The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe’ and that book is mostly about Jadis, the White Witch. So ‘the White Witch Set’ was made up of wraps with the same colour warp with an ecru weft in different fibres. Charn is the city the White Witch came from, Jadis was her name and she was part Giant and part Jinn! We quite liked the wintery theme and the more abstract characters. We do hope to come back and use some of the other characters at a later date.Regarding the names of the wraps in the Narnia-collection — why were most of the wraps named after minor or negative characters? The Jinn wrap — who did you mean? Will there be a sequel to this collection, named after the main characters?
Will there be a Lord of the rings collection?
Definitely, I think a lot of our patterns would really suit this and I’d love to come up with patterns specifically for it. When we did our competition to come up with a Collection theme LOTRs was the most popular entry (and then Game of Thrones, although Dr Who was up there too, but I think we’ll leave that to someone else!). I have a design that I’ve been holding on to almost since the beginning of Oscha, and would love to bring this out as part of a LOTRs Collection, perhaps early next year we will do this.
Drawings for Eire design by Zoe.
We would love to know more about such patterns as Eire and Aria — who they were designed by, what the inspiration for them was, where the names come from?
I designed Eire, the outline was largely taken from a bronze age scabbard found in Ireland, which I adapted and added new pattern in-fills to. Babywearing Ireland wanted an exclusive but weren’t able to design their own wrap so I offered to do the design and they could have the first colourway as their Exclusive. This is one of my favourite patterns, I think it is timeless, elegant and it looks quite Elven to me!
Mike’s doodles – inspiration for the Aria and Lyra patterns
Aria was developed from a design Mike and I did very early on which we shelved for ages. We came back to it, and I created Lyra whilst Mike created Aria, I think he did better! He named Aria because he thought it looked lyrical. I guess the original design came from my general love of spirals, waves and dots, its a bit of a doodle-pattern really and a bit different from some of our ‘normal’ stuff, but its kind of fun and bit more light-hearted, which is nice for a change.
Will there be any more bi-colored wraps? Why were they not as popular, do you think?
I don’t know if we’ll make more. I am totally bemused about why they didn’t go down so well. Its funny at the moment as so many customers are complaining ‘why didn’t you make more Hawai’i wraps? How could you not know they would be popular?’ and I think of Teo Ghanima… for me this is one of the nicest things I’ve ever come up with! I thought it looked on-trend, edgy, yet at the same time traditional and beautiful — the detail of the borders, with the bold central, geometric shapes and the funky colours. I really thought people would enjoy that stuff, same with the JK Ooki’s (Ghanima and Gauis).So its all guess work and experimentation really, we can never be 100% sure if customers will like our creations, but we always try our best.
Oscha Teo Ghanima
Are you planning on releasing any more hand-wovens? Would you use the same weaver or someone else?
We’ve been working with another hand-weaver for some time now to develop some traditional, earthy fabric and intricate patterns, which we hope are quite different than other things that are out there. We hope to send out testers for that soon. We will continue to work with Cally Booker and she’ll do us one warp (making about 2-3 wraps) every season with new patterns/colours. She’s lovely to work with and very experienced. Hand-weaving is likely to be a very small side-line for us though. Mike & I enjoy designing and experimenting with pattern and colour too much ourselves!
In your first interview for the Russian babywearing-community, you mentioned that you would like to have a standard collection, that would always be in stock on the website. Now it is possible to buy something on the site at almost any moment, but will there be a specific standard collection, that will be more or less constant?
Things have changed a lot since the last interview! I really like that people can come to our store and have a good range to choose from now, and that has happened organically. We will choose the odd item to re-run, for instance we feel that red Roses (Eros and Aphrodite) seem like good items to have in stock and have re-woven them. We try to think about what someone new to babywearing might like the look of, as opposed to a collector, and keep that in mind when thinking about ‘regular’ stock. So, for instance, Ladybirds is not a ‘collectors’ cup of tea (most likely) but to a new parent its a really sweet pattern that they want to have for their child. It would be interesting to think about a few items that will always appeal to new parents and that the community would also like to see available and consider those for in-stock items. At the end of the day I prefer us having stock available as well as having the odd sell-out line as I feel it makes us a more viable business in the long-term and more able to promote babywearing.
Which wraps did the creators of Oscha keep for themselves (maybe for sentimental reasons)? Or do you have one of every wrap created on your shelf?
We didn’t keep hold of one of everything from the early days but do that now. I still have a wee stash. I liked the wool wraps best (as my boys have just turned 5!) — Strato Nocturnus, Roses Noel, Nouveau cashmere prototype etc and for summer I used Surya Tiree a lot. One of my sons only wanted to be wrapped in Shui Long Emperor though and the other in SN ‘Dragonfruit’! These days, as we don’t really wrap anymore, I like to take the sling fabric to use as shawls or make into things for our home. I was at a wedding the other day and used Sekai Hilo as a shawl, we have Eire Charn curtains in our sitting room and JK Jinn in the bedroom. The kids have SN and Raja curtains!
Will we see more of the Raja pattern in contrast colors? Do you plan to make the pattern smaller?
Do a lot of people want it small again, like with Paravel? Maybe we need to ask on FB what customers would like to see with this pattern! We don’t have it planned for anything at the moment.
Will there be any special offers with reduced prices on any wraps?
Because everything is woven in the UK from the best quality yarns and all our production is done here too, with everyone being paid a good living wage, our prices are what they are for a reason. We prefer that customers accept them rather than wait for a sale to purchase from us, so we don’t plan to have sales too often. Having said that, there will be more at some point!
Do you communicate a lot with your fans? Do you have any special memories of such interactions?
Well, I definitely miss all our Russian fans. I always remember when we first showed the Roses pattern (I believe it was Roses Noel) it was very much picked up on by babywearers from Russia first (good taste obviously ;)).All of a sudden I was having loads of conversations with Russian mamas, many of who went on to become regular and valued customers who I chatted with a lot for the next year or so. So I have very fond memories of many of them and it was always lovely to see the pictures of the wraps being used and little ones growing up.
Please give us a hint about what can be expected from Oscha this summer 😉
We have some lovely summer colours to come, an amazing charity wrap designed by a Filipino tattoo artist (to raise money for those who lost their homes in the Tsunami) and some gorgeous new fabric blends. Just around the corner is another beautiful design from Mike, which takes inspiration from my Okinami pattern, so we’re hoping this will also capture our customer’s imaginations 🙂
Interviewed: Julia Samohvalova, Julia Nurmagambetova.
http://en.wrapcollection.com/reviews/interviews/oscha-slings-guesswork-and-experimentation/
The Fades
Jaquard woven fades. These are no longer offered by Oscha but they were introduced in 2012. Four colours were available:
- Aqua (a blue fade, 100% cotton)
- Berry (a purple fade, 100% cotton)
- Blackberry (a dark purple fade, 100% cotton)
- Marina (a green fade, 50% linen/50% cotton)
A teaser was posted on 8 October 2012: “Are you ready to see something TOTALLY NEW?!”
Followed by another post the same day: “OK, good, you’re all ready…
….
well, have a good sleep and we’ll see tomorrow for our preview! ;p”
9 October 2012: “Introducing a new kind of gradation woven on a jacquard loom. Two of these (Berry and Aqua) are 100% cotton and Marina fades from a rich green/turquoise to natural linen.”
“We’ve used one colour warp and one colour weft and created a particular weave that gives this gradated effect, will try to get some pictures to show it in more detail. We’ll be listing them once the pre-orders are done. The ultimate aim is to select some colours that people especially like and continue to weave those on a regular basis.”
“The weave seems to make for a slightly thicker wrap, especially on Marina. Thanks everyone for your comments, keep the ideas coming, once people have seen these in the flesh we can get some more feedback and make decisions about what to make as standard lines.”
7 December 2012: “Fades will be listed tomorrow (8th December) at 11am GMT.”
Romeo and Juliet collection
It started with ‘Juliet’ around 21 May 2012
We have teamed the beautiful warp colour of the Natural Mamas Exclusive with some ecru cotton and ecru linen to make 3 lovely new wraps.
Roses Juliet
Featuring another colourway of our popular design which takes much inspiration from Rennie and Margaret Macintosh. 50% deep, deep purple cotton with…
£73.00
Alto Juliet
Deep purple cotton warp with ecru cotton weft. A beautifully soft and supportive wrap. 100% cotton.
£64.00
Starry Night Juliet
A lovely soft and supportive wrap in deep purple and ecru cotton, mimicking the rich, dark night sky and twinkling stars.
£64.00
Winter Solstice collection
Introducing the Winter Solstice Collection on 21 December 2011:
“As the sun moves to the Tropic of Capricorn, its furthest point in the Southern Hemisphere, the freezing North comes to the shortest day of the year. In the midst of this darkest time there is celebration where symbols of warmth, light and life are brought into the home in the knowledge that from this point we will begin to move back towards the sun. The colours in this Collection celebrate this time of ice, frost and long, crystal clear nights, as well as the joy that even in the darkest, coldest time, life is waiting to spring forth.”
The first wool blend wraps! Teased on October 8th 2011 while asking for volunteer testers for wool blend wraps. Then, on December 19th: “Hmmm, its starting to feel quite chilly now, need something cosy to wrap up in…” After that, the day after more teasers: “We’ve got lots of lovely things for you all in the new Collection, including tri-blend woollies, 3 new designs (yes THREE!), as well as plenty of cottons and cotton/linen blends in lovely, rich colours. We’ll start adding items to the website later this week and continue to add to the Collection through the rest of December and into January. We hope you will enjoy seeing them (and trying them out!). With all that to come I guess we better get started with the previews!”
Oscha introduced the first wrap on December 20th: “Strato Polaris – a new design from The Winter Solstice Collection – grey lambswool and ecru cotton.” The next day they posted pictures of Nouveau Aurora and Roses Noel. Japanese Knot Chiisai Mistletoe and Japanese Knot Ooki Polaris followed on December 22nd. “The final two woolly wraps from the Solstice Collection, both 46% lambswool, 20% linen and 34% cotton.” But of course there were non-woolly wraps too: “We won’t have any of the non-woolly wraps ready then so it will either be around Hogmanay or early in the New Year.”
The collection slowly found its way on to the website: “We will have some of each colourway in the wool blend wraps listed tomorrow (Christmas eve) at 1pm. Not all of them have been made up into wraps yet so there will be more to come shortly after Christmas.” More on Boxing day: “Just added a couple more size 7 Nouveau Aurora’s to the site. There is also a Bombay Dream 6 now available. And on a completely unrelated note… HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my lovely daughter who is 4 years old today!” At the end of the year, Roses Noel: “Just added a few more Roses Noel to the site, that should be them all now.” And finally in the new year on January 2nd 2012: “We will be listing the rest of the wool blend wraps today: Japanese Knot Polaris & Mistletoe and Nouveau Aurora.” Some straggling JKO Polaris found their way to the website on January 3rd.
The non-woolly wraps followed after that. January 4th meant the introduction of Starry Night Nebula: “Starry Night Nebula will be available on our website about 12pm tomorrow.”
It was a large Collection. Oscha revealed the last of the things to come on 12 January 2012: “So we’re starting to get to the end of the Solstice Collection now (phew!). Let me tell you the final few things to come so you can have an informed consideration of any purchases:
Starry Night Blue Ice (you can see the colourway in the Eden design in our pictures) – 100% cotton
Eden Blue Ice – 100% cotton
Alto Nebula (a variation on the clouds design in the same colours as Starry Night Nebula) – 100% cotton…
Strato Caprica – 50% fine linen
Nouveau Ember – 100% cotton
Most of these are still being made up and will be ready over the next couple of weeks or so. First to come will be Alto Nebula early next week, then Starry Night Blue Ice (along with the few remaining Starry Night Nebula).
We hope that there’s plenty there for everyone to enjoy. Thanks to everyone for your wonderful feedback on the collection so far and I hope you will like the rest!”
The 2011-2012 Collection included these wraps:
- Strato Polaris
- Nouveau Aurora
- Roses Noel
- Japanese Knot Chiisai Mistletoe
- Japanese Knot Ooki Polaris
- Starry Night Nebula
- Nouveau Caprica
- Eden Caprica
- Eden Blue Ice
- Starry Night Eventide
- Roses Ember
- Alto Nebula
- Strato Caprica
- Nouveau Ember
- Starry Night Blue Ice
Eventide en Caprica share an ecru linen weft. Paired with the different warps, it can seem silvery (Eventide) or golden (Caprica).
All the 50% linen prices are the same from this collection: size 7 – £110, 6- £102, 5 – £94, 4 – £87, 3 – £80, 2 – £73
April 2012:
As the sun moves to the Tropic of Capricorn, its furthest point in the Southern Hemisphere, the freezing North comes to the shortest day of the year. In the midst of this darkest time there is celebration where symbols of warmth, light and life are brought into the home in the knowledge that from this point we will begin to move back towards the sun. The colours in this Collection celebrate this time of ice, frost and long, crystal clear nights, as well as the joy that even in the darkest, coldest time, life is waiting to spring forth.
Alto Nebula
Deep navy blue cotton warp with ecru cotton weft. A beautifully soft and supportive wrap. 100% cotton.
£64.00
Eden Blue Ice
A lovely soft and supportive wrap in deep midnight blue and turquoise cotton, inspired by the midwinter colours of deep sky and ice.
£64.00
Eden Blue Ice Mid Sizes
A lovely soft and supportive wrap in deep midnight blue and turquoise cotton, inspired by the midwinter colours of deep sky and ice. These wraps are…
£61.00
Eden Caprica
Deep, rich wine red cotton with silvery golden natural linen, medium weight. The combination of the rich colours and the elegant pattern make this a…
£73.00
Japanese Knot (Chii Sai) Mistletoe
46% lambswool, 20% linen, 34% cotton A soft emerald green and natural cotton and linen, this wrap has a wonderful movement to it, which helps to…
£93.00
Japanese Knot (ooki) Polaris
46% lambswool, 20% linen, 34% cotton A soft light grey lambswool with ecru cotton and linen. Subtle, elegant and with a slight shimmer. Wonderfully…
£93.00
Nouveau Aurora
46% lambswool, 54% cotton Deep, midnight blue cotton with gentle emerald green lambswool. The combination of the rich colours and the elegant pattern…
£89.00
Nouveau Caprica
Deep, rich wine red cotton with silvery golden natural linen. The combination of the rich colours and the elegant pattern make this a very striking…
£73.00
Roses Noel
46% lambswool, 54% cotton Featuring a new design from Oscha, taking much inspiration from Rennie and Margaret Macintosh. A rich, luxurious red cotton…
£89.00
Starry Night Blue Ice
A lovely soft and supportive wrap in deep midnight blue and turquoise cotton, inspired by the midwinter colours of deep sky and ice.
£64.00
Starry Night Eventide
Deep, rich royal blue cotton with silvery natural linen. The combination of the rich colours and the elegant pattern make this a celestial wrap….
£73.00
Starry Night Nebula
A lovely soft and supportive wrap in deep midnight blue and ecru cotton, mimicking the rich, dark night sky and twinkling stars.
£64.00
Strato Polaris
46% lambswool, 54% cotton Featuring a new design from Oscha based on traditional cloud imagery from East Asia. A soft gentle grey lambswool with a…
£89.00
The Winter Solstice collection expanded in December 2012:
“Happy Winter Solstice everyone! Rather than having a completely new collection this winter we are adding to the Winter Solstice Collection – the focus will be more on the long night and short, dark day, so it will be a new aspect for the collection. No prizes for guessing the main colour we’ll be featuring here!
The Winter Solstice Collection
As the sun moves to the Tropic of Capricorn, its furthest point in the Southern Hemisphere, the freezing North comes to the shortest da…y of the year. In the midst of this darkest time there is celebration where symbols of warmth, light and life are brought into the home in the knowledge that from this point we will begin to move back towards the sun.
The colours in this Collection celebrate this time of ice, frost and long, crystal clear nights, as well as the joy that even in the darkest, coldest time, life is waiting to spring forth.”
Western Isles collection
The Western Isles Collection was the first Collection launched by Oscha – previous releases had been ‘Solo’ releases or belonged to the Dyed Grad or Art Dyed “collection”. It was first hinted at on Facebook on 2 August 2011: “We’ve made some more Sea Breeze, Indigo Violet and Apple gradations and will be adding them to the website later today.
We’ve just got a couple more batches to do and then there will be a bit of a break before we add anything else to the Irish Linen section. Could be that there’s going to be a bit more activity elsewhere in the site though ;).”
The first preview was shown on 13 August 2011: “Nouveau Islay 20% linen, from the Western Isles Collection… available soon!”
In order of preview:
- Nouveau Islay (13 August)
- Starry Night Jura (14 August)
- Japanese Knot Ooki Oban (16 August)
- Nouveau Oban (18 August)
- Japanese Knot Chiisai Coll (18 August)
- Japanese Knot Ooki Jura (19 August)
All 6 previewed items were released on 19 August 2011: “Everything we have ready should be listed on our website at around 1pm today. Here’s one last picture until then (Japanese Knot ‘Jura’)”
26 November 2011: “We’ve had a lot of people asking how many jacquard weave wraps were made in each design/colourway: In the Western Isles Collection there are approx 26 wraps in each style. The extra’s we made by pre-order numbered around 8-10, except for Japanese Knot Islay of which there were around 4. Hope that clears things up!”
Western Isles Collection (2011)
“Inspired by summer boat journeys between Scotland’s West Coast Islands. Evoking images of the shallow turquoise water as the boat leaves the dock, moving into wide, deep waters. The fresh breezes, open blue skies and fluffy white clouds. Rocky coasts dusted with heather, everything fades and cools as the misty harr rolls in.
These weaves have a delicious deep silky lustre and sheen. There are four patterns available… Nouveau, Japanese Knot (‘ooki’), Small Japanese Knot (‘chiisai’) and Starry Night. Two of the new lines are 50% linen/cotton mixes, and two are 20% linen/80% cotton.”
Prototypes
The introduction date is not 100% accurate but it can be safely assumed that the first (jacquard) prototypes (as well as the first grad dyed wraps!) were sent out BEFORE the website/company launch in June 2011 :).