I have written a blog post with details of the different style of sleep hood that are available on Ocah carriers you can find it here:
I will be updating information on the different strap details soon and then the information on waist details will follow shortly after.
Kerry
x
I am getting a lot of questions from Mamas about how Ocah carriers compare to Tulas. Unfortunately I can't answer this question as I have never owned a Tula as these carriers arrived on the market just as we were coming to the end of our baby wearing days.
I have opened a discussion in the Ocah Facebook Group here: so that Mama's can ask questions about how Ocah's and Tula's compare hopefully Mamas that have experience of carrying their little ones in these carriers can give some insight. I will update this post with the most popular questions and answers.
To Ocah customers it is important to remember that you are ordering an Ocah carrier and as such I will not change my carrier design in order to accommodate Mamas who request that their Ocah carrier is sewn like their Tula or other favorite brand of carrier.
I get asked a lot “If my little one fits in a “x” sized Tula what size Ocah should I order ? I am not familiar enough with the Tula sizes to advise on which Ocah size compares to the Tula sizes and so you are going to have to do a bit of work here.
To work out what size Ocah will work for you and your little take a look at the Ocah sizes available :
These following sizes are approximate:
Baby size 15" wide x 14.5" tall
Standard Size 17.5" wide x 16" tall
Inbetween size 17.5" wide x 17" tall
Toddler size 18.5" wide x 18" tall
Pre-schooler size 20" wide 19" tall
Next take a look at how Ocah carriers are measured , this is very important as this may be different to how your Tula or other favourite brand of carriers is measured: http://ocah.typepad.com/carriers/2011/09/how-to-measure-your-ocah.html
If possible put your little one into your carrier and try and either take a look in a mirror or get someone to take a picture for you and from that work out if you would like to see your new Ocah carrier made in a different size. For example looking at how your little one is sitting in the carrier would it be good to maybe add an inch or two to the width ? what about the height how is that looking ? etc.
Finally measure the carrier that your little one on was sitting in using the same directions for measuring an Ocah and then decide if you want to add on or take away if necessary the extra inch or so that you decided was needed when you had your little one in your carrier before. Now you should have a good idea on the size needed for your new Ocah.
Ocah carriers sizes can be custom sized within reason.
Please remember when comparing Ocah carriers to Tula carriers that Ocah carriers are traditional two layer wrap conversion and so your carrier will feel different with your child in it compared to wearing a Tula carrier with it’s Canvas body and high density foam waist .
As always I am happy to answer any questions that customer have when ordering their Ocah carrier.
Kerry
x
Please read all of the following information before entering the draw.
The draw is now open and will close on Monday January 9th at 12pm (lunch time) (These times are UK time )
Slots are available to anyone that hasn't already got a carrier scheduled for sewing in 2017.
To be included in the draw please follow the instructions below:
Send an Email to: [email protected]
In the subject section on your email type "count me in"
I have an automated filter on our email account for this draw, failure to type "count me in " in the subject header will mean that your entry will not be included in the draw.
It is not possible to confirm all entries have been received please check the details of your email carefully before sending.
PLEASE DO NOT ENTER THE DRAW IF YOU DO NOT INTEND TO PROCEED WITH ORDERING AN OCAH CARRIER. IF YOU ARE SELECTED IN THE DRAW. A £160 DEPOSIT IS REQUIRED WITHIN 7 days.
I am of course happy to answer any questions that you have regarding your slot before you complete your online form.
PLEASE NOTE: I do not allow people to transfer a custom slot to another person. If you go to the trouble of securing a slot I expect you to go ahead with placing an order for a conversion, it is you that I want to work with. If I find that someone has secured a slot and then transferred it to someone else I will cancel the slot and refund the customer less a £40 administration fee
Customers that request that their slot be cancelled after paying their deposit will receive a refund of their deposit less a £40 admin fee.
When the Draw closes we will allocate a number to each person that has entered the draw and using RANDOM ORG. I will allocate 12 custom slots.
Those people that have be successful in securing a custom slot will be notified by 8pm on Monday 9th January.
| Ocah Price list: | |
| Ocah Full Buckle carrier. | £154 |
| Padded Waist Conversion (with Wrap Straps) | £87 |
| Clipee Conversion (Half buckle) with Wrap Straps | £104 |
| Reverse Half Buckle (buckle shoulder straps & tie waist ) | £115 |
| Customise your order with any of the following : | |
| Adjustable Hood (included in the price of the Full buckle carrier) | £18 |
| Leg Padding (included in the price of the Full buckle carrier) | £15 |
| Arm out padding | £22 |
| Matching chest strap (not all wrap fabric is suitable for these) | £15 |
| Chevron Style design on hood | £28 |
| Novelty shape Top stitching (eg. Heart shape) | £18 |
| Extra Top stitching on the waist | £15 |
| Novelty Top stitching with Extra Top Stitching added | £26 |
| Full Colour Embroidery design on waist subject to availability prices from | £30 |
| SSC high Density foam waist | £18 |
| Extra set of Hood ties | £5.00 |
| Matching Keyring | £12 |
| Perfect fit Adjusters | £18 |
| Make it reversible | £30 |
| Duo Straps | £28 |
| Harmony Straps | £28 |
| Mei Tai style padded Straps | £28 |
| Shipping UK | £8.20 |
| Shipping Everywhere else (refund will be given on shipping overcharges) | £21.80 |
| Optional insurance for carriers of value of £290 | £5.00 |
| N.B: All wrap scraps are returned with completed carriers. |
The slots for sewing in a January have now been allocated .
The draw for February slots will open on a January 6th and slots will be allocated on January 9th for sewing from Feb 15th. Full details to follow .
I am am taking a smaller number of orders, more often for a quicker turn around .
Any questions for the February slots please feel free to email me at [email protected] .
Thanks Mamas
Kerry x
The next custom slots will be available via a Random draw.
On this occasion custom slots are available to people that have NOT HAD A CUSTOM OCAH sewn in the 12 month prior to May 2016 AND you must have an address outside of the US for the purpose of having your completed carrier shipped.
Please read all of the following information before entering the draw.
The draw will be open from 12pm Thursday March 24th until 12pm on Friday 25th March (These times are UK time).
*PLEASE NOTE - Friday 25th March is a Public Holiday in the UK and after sending out invoices to those whose names have been drawn I will be online only briefly to respond to questions at this time.
PLEASE DO NOT ENTER THE DRAW IF YOU DO NOT INTEND TO PROCEED WITH ORDERING AN OCAH CARRIER. IF YOU ARE SELECTED IN THE DRAW. A £160 DEPOSIT IS REQUIRED WITHIN 72 HRS.
I am of course happy to answer any questions that you have regarding your slot before you complete your online form.
I do not allow people to transfer a custom slot to another person. If you go to the trouble of securing a slot I expect you to go ahead with placing an order for a conversion, it is you that I want to work with. If I find that someone has secured a slot and then transferred it to someone else I will cancel the slot and refund the customer less a £40 administration fee
Customers that request that their slot be cancelled after paying their deposit will receive a refund of their deposit less a £40 admin fee.
To be included in the draw please follow the instructions below:
Send an Email to: [email protected]
In the subject section on your email type "count me in"
(we have an automated filter on our email account for this draw, failure to type "count me in " in the subject header will mean that your entry will not be included in the draw.
In the main body of the email write your name, where you are based, and confirm that your completed carrier will be shipped to an address outside of the US.
The draw will be open from 12pm Thursday March 24th until 12pm on Friday 25th March (These times are UK time).
When the Draw closes we will allocate a number to each person that has entered the draw and using RANDOM ORG. I will allocate 24 custom slots.
Those people that have be successful in securing a custom slot will be notified by 8pm on Friday 25th March.
Ocah Price list:
Padded Waist Conversion (with Wrap Straps) £87
Clipee Conversion (with Wrap Straps) £104
Ocah Full Buckle £154
Reverse Half Buckle (buckle shoulder straps & tie waist £115
Podegi (with Wrap Straps) £79
Customise your order with any of the following :
Duo Straps £28
Harmony Straps £28
Mei Tai style padded Straps £28
Adjustable Sleephood £18
Leg Padding £12
Arm out padding £18
Matching chest strap £15
Additional layer of wrap fabric (to be supplied by customer) £5
Additional layer of wrap fabric (to be supplied by Ocah) £12
Pixie Hood £28
Chevron Style design on hood £14
Sweatshirt hood £28
Novelty shape Tostitching (eg. Heart shape) £14
Extra topstitching £12
Novelty Topstitching with Extra topstitching £22
SSC waist £18
Extra set of Sleephood ties £5
Matching Keyring £8
Perfect fit Adjusters £15
N.B: All wrap scraps are returned with completed carriers.
*Please note: We will not be offering any applique or embroidery work on these pre-paid orders.
Hello Mamas,
this update is long overdue and as a result there is now quite a lot of information that I need to share with you here and so please forgive me if it seems if any way abrupt or rushed , I really am just trying to get everything down in a manner that is easy for everyone to read.
As always I am more than happy for people to contact me to discuss anything they read here, you can get in touch via email [email protected] or via Facebook.
Orders for Sewing in February - March
There.Are.Delays. *sighs and hangs her head in shame * The remaining customers with orders that were schedule for sewing in January-February will have an additional wait of up to 4 weeks to have their order sewn. Note not everyone are likely to have up to 4 weeks extra to wait. Some customers will wait an extra week, others 2 weeks, and three weeks, with the last of the orders for the February slots being sewn within 4 weeks.
To these Mamas I am truly sorry for the delay. Try as I might, the complexity of the recent custom orders, and orders in general lately means most carriers are taking me several hours longer to sew than before and that is hitting my sewing schedule hard. I have gone from sewing 5 carriers a week to only managing to sew an average of 3.
I would totally understand if there are any customers who would rather not wait any longer to have their carrier sewn and would prefer to have a refund instead. If this is the case please get in touch I will be happy to return your wrap to you and refund your deposit payment in full.
Orders for Sewing in March & April.
How will these be affected by the delays mentioned above ? they shouldn't be affected at all by delays. I allocated only half of the slots for March-April and I will not be allocating any more for this time period.This will allow me to catch up with my schedule ready for sewing new orders in May-June.
The Next custom slot allocation.
March 24th . Full details will be posted here on this blog later this week. These slots will be for sewing in May - June .
I am hoping to take a break for a few weeks in July to spend some time during the school holidays with my girls and so the slots after the next allocation would be in July for sewing in August.
Auctions & Instock carriers.
I have at least 1 more auction for a custom slot or two planned before Easter. The date and full details will follow so please look out for updates on the Ocah Facebook Page & Group, and also here on this blog.
Lately I seem to have accumulated more wraps than I ought to. And so don't be surprised that if and when I feel inclined to do some weekend sewing there will be the occasional instock carrier made available with details posted in advance in all of the usual places.
In an attempt to be completely upfront and honest about the motivation behind my recent auctions I am happy to explain that after running Ocah for nearly 8 years this business is in need of an overhaul. It is time for Ocah to gently grow and develop and I am trying to raise the funds to do this without getting my family in to debt. I am mortified by the awful "washcare instructions" that get printed out and despatched with each new carrier. My DIY website was last updated in *gulp* 2011 ! most of the kids in the pictures have long since started school, and who buys a "Hybrid" carrier anymore ? But I don't have the skills or the time to do a proper job of updating everything and so I have employed 2 people that can do it for me. More details below.
Collaborations.
I have been in talks with some wonderfully talented Hand Weavers and hope to be able to bring you collaborations with one or two of them in the not to distant future. Vague ? Moi ? well plans are in place but the details need fine tuning and I haven't had a whole lot of time to go chasing these people who are themselves super busy with their own businesses. Suffice to say it makes me feel incredibly honoured that I get to work with these talented people and I hope that you will love what we have planned.....when we finally get it together.......soon I promise ; )
Price increases the Dilema ?
I wasn't sure whether I should share the following information, I have been mulling it over since before Christmas. I don't want people to think that I am being greedy or ungrateful because honestly I am not. In the end I decided to post this because I do think there is some value in people seeing just how hard it can be for me to make Ocah work.
It has become apparent in the past few months that despite the fact that I am now working extra hours in my studio I earn less than I did before. This is not a great situation to be in. Whilst Ocah is not a big business it does generate a much needed income for my family. Now that I am sewing an average of 3 carriers a week instead of the usual 5 that I was sewing before and despite charging extra for the additional design details people are ordering on their custom carriers ,there is shortfall in my income from sewing 2 less carriers a week.
I haven't found a solution to this yet. I don't feel that I want to increase my prices nor do I want to put a limit on what people can order from the list of additional extras that have come about in the past year or so. I don't have the answer for this yet but rest assured I am working on it, in the meantime if anyone has any genius solutions please do get in touch [email protected]
CPSIA Compliance so close ... yet so far !
One of the places that I enlisted outside help with Ocah was on getting the CPSIA compliance sorted. We have made great progress on this but we still have a way to . I won't bore you with the back story as to why it has taken us so long to get this far but what I can tell you that we have a test lab ready in Italy to test our full buckle design , but before they can do that we need to get our wearing instructions together, to do this we need photographs, to do those we need an Ocah carrier (or two) for these we need a wrap that does not promote another manufcatuers goods (i.e Girasol, or Artipoppe, or Didymos etc) for this we have a custom hand woven wrap on the loom as I type that ticks all of the boxes for being unique to Ocah. Once we have the wearing instructions produced we can send the carrier to be tested. In the meantime we are locating a low cost UK test lab that will be able to test each and every wrap fabric sent to me that is destined to be sewn and returned to either the US or Canada. I keep telling myself that soon everything will finally come together on the compliance and it will become second nature. Soon.
New and exciting stuff.
We are giving Ocah a new look and not a minute too soon. This is the second area of my business where I have employed the services of an expert. We have a lovely new logo in the works. A New Website is in production with a new online store. And we have New Packaging on the way too. These improvements make me really happy.
There aren't any planned closures on the website. Emails and social media should remain unaffected as the work on the improvements goes on behind the scenes
Finally before I sign off I want to thank everyone who supports by business whether this be by placing an order with me or simply clicking "like" on my Facebook posts. Your support is truly appreciated.
Kerry
x
I am delighted to announce a collaboration with the Weaving Heart Studio. Together we are offering the chance for 2 x people to each purchase a semi-custom slot which will use the stunning Hand woven Knuffle Bunny wrap woven by Weaving Heart to be sewn into a Full Buckle carrier by me. Full details of Weaving Heart and the Knuffle Bunny Wrap can be found below.
Semi custom Details:
These carriers will be sewn by the end of December and will cost £400 each. No additional payment will be required for shipping or for any of the additional design features chosen.
1 x Semi Custom Knuffle Bunny Full buckle carrier slot will be available to purchase from 11pm (UK time) today, November 9th from my online store here: http://ocah.bigcartel.com/product/semi-custom-ocah-full-buckle-carrier-from-weaving-heart-wrap-you-choose-how-it-is-made Payment in full will need be made to purchase this slot.
1 x Semi Custom Knuffle Bunny Full Buckle carrier will be available via a random draw. The draw is now open and will remain open until 11pm UK time tomorrow. To enter the draw you will need to join us in the Ocah Facebook Group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/36623659917/ and comment on the Knuffle Bunny post in the group.
Using Random.org a name will be chosen from the entrants to the draw and the winner notified. Payment will need to be made in full within 24 hrs otherwise this Semi custom slot will be re-drawn from the original entrants.
Ring or webbing free waist is not available on these carriers but any other details can be ordered. Shipping by expedited mail is included in the cost. ** I cannot ship to addresses in the US at this time and so the winners of these semi-custom carriers will need to provide an address outside of the US when completing their order form **
Weaving Heart Studio.
Established in 2013 the Weaving Heart Studio is based in Caithness in the far north of Scotland. Rachel of Weaving Heart says "Some of the colours and materials used are inspired by the wild and remote landscape around me. I mainly make handwoven baby wraps and often offer semi-customs but I'm afraid my custom list is closed. As I prefer to weave for people who know my work a little, the best way to secure a slot in the future is to join the chatter group (they're a very friendly bunch!) and get involved. My aim is to weave beautiful and very wearable unique wraps that will become permastash and I love to hear from you.
Baby wraps sold under the 'Weaving Heart Studio' label have been designed, wound and threaded by me but woven by my husband. They reach the same high standards you can expect from any WH items."
You can find reviews for Weaving Heart here https://www.facebook.com/Weavingheart/?fref=ts and you can find the chatter group here - https://www.facebook.com/groups/312281795596259
The wrap that we are offering for these Semi custom slots is the stunning Knuffle Bunny wrap with Charcol Weft. This wrap has been woven using EC warp (Bockens) and organic cotton (Venne) weft in a zigzag twill. It is a super sturdy but wonderful soft wrap suitable for young babies and toddlers alike.
The next custom slots will be available via a Random draw.
On this occasion custom slots are available to people that have NOT HAD A CUSTOM ORDER SEWN IN THE PREVIOUS 12 MONTHS at the time of the random draw & you must have an address outside of the US for the purpose of having your completed carrier shipped.
Please read all of the following information before entering the draw.
The draw will be open from 12pm (lunch time ) Wednesday 18th November until 12pm on Thursday 19th of November.
PLEASE DO NOT ENTER THE DRAW IF YOU DO NOT INTEND TO PROCEED WITH ORDERING AN OCAH CARRIER. IF YOU ARE SELECTED IN THE DRAW. A £160 DEPOSIT IS REQUIRED WITHIN 24 HRS.
I am of course happy to answer any questions that you have regarding your slot before you complete your online form.
I do not allow people to transfer a custom slot to another person. If you go to the trouble of securing a slot I expect you to go ahead with placing an order for a conversion, it is you that I want to work with. If I find that someone has secured a slot and then transferred it to someone else I will cancel the slot and refund the customer less a £40 administration fee
Customers that request that their slot be cancelled after paying their deposit will receive a refund of their deposit less a £40 admin fee.
To be included in the draw please follow the instructions below:
Send an Email to: [email protected]
In the subject section on your email type "count me in"
(we have an automated filter on our email account for this draw, failure to type "count me in " in the subject header will mean that your entry will not be included in the draw.
In the main body of the email write your name, where you are based, and confirm that your completed carrier will be shipped to an address outside of the US.
The draw will be open from 12pm (lunch time ) Wednesday 18th November until 12pm on Thursday 19th of November.
When the Draw closes we will allocate a number to each person that has entered the draw and using RANDOM ORG. I will allocate 24 custom slots.
Those people that have be successful in securing a custom slot will be notified by 11pm on Thursday 19th of November.
Ocah Price list:
Padded Waist Conversion (with Wrap Straps) £87
Clipee Conversion (with Wrap Straps) £104
Ocah Full Buckle £154
Reverse Half Buckle (buckle shoulder straps & tie waist £115
Customise your order with any of the following :
Duo Straps £28
Harmony Straps £28
Mei Tai style padded Straps £28
Adjustable Sleep hood £18
Leg Padding £12
Arm out padding £18
Matching chest strap £15
Additional layer of wrap fabric (to be supplied by customer) £5
Additional layer of wrap fabric (to be supplied by Ocah) £12
Pixie Hood £28
Chevron Style design on hood £14
Pin tuck Hood £25
Sweatshirt hood £28
Novelty shape Top stitching (eg. Heart shape) £14
Extra top stitching £12
Novelty Top stitching with Extra top stitching £22
SSC waist £18
Extra set of Sleep hood ties £5
Matching Keyring £8
Perfect fit Adjusters £15
N.B: All wrap scraps are returned with completed carriers.
*Please note: We will not be offering any applique or embroidery work on these pre-paid orders.
This is a 12 hour Auction and it is happening over on our Hyena cart here This Auction is for one person to avoid the queue and to have their very own wrap turned in to the Ocah carrier of their dreams.
A portion on the proceeds will be donated on this occasion to JDRF to support their work with young people who like my daughter live with the incurable disease Type 1 Diabetes.
Libby taking part on a JDRF Walk for a cure event "..... I want to cure diabetes for people like me"
The winning bidder will have their carrier sewn on 1st of November after the auction end or just as soon as their wrap arrives with me there after.
This Auction is open to anyone regardless of whether you have had a custom Ocah made in the past 12 months or not as long as you can provide an address outside of the US for me to ship your carrier*.
You can choose to have any style of Ocah carrier made with any of the additional design details added, Full Buckle, Half buckle, Padded Tie Waist, reverse Half Buckle, Ring Waist, it's up to you.
There will be no additional payment due in addition to the winning bid and no postage charges will be made.
Payment will be required in full at the end of the auction, if payment is not received within 24 hours this Carrier will be offered to the next highest bidder.
This Auction will be held in US $, to check the exchange rate for your own currency please check here: www.xe.com
This is auction will run for 12 hours from 8.00am EDT on Thursday 24th September until 8.pm EDT on Thursday 24th September. Time converter can be found here: http://www.worldtimebuddy.com/
For any further information please email: [email protected]
*The carrier sewn for the winning bidder will be shipped to the address provided on the order form submitted via email. We cannot ship carriers to an address in the US at this time as Ocah is not yet fully CPSIA compliant