Pipt's wife has constructed a life-sized stuffed girl out of patchwork, and she wishes her husband to animate her to serve as an obedient household servant.

The Powder of Life successfully animates the patchwork girl, but an accident causes both Pipt's wife and Unc Nunkie to be turned to stone.

Ojo and the patchwork girl (who names herself Scraps), along with Bungle, embark on a journey to obtain the magic ingredients: a six-leaved clover, the wing of a yellow butterfly, water from a dark well, a drop of oil from a live man's body, and three hairs from a Woozy's tail.

He leads them to the Emerald City to meet Princess Ozma, but warns Ojo that picking a six-leaved clover is forbidden by law in Oz.

Along the way they meet Jack Pumpkinhead, the playful but annoying Tottenhots, and the man-eating 21-foot-tall giant Mr. Yoop, before reaching the subterranean dwellings of the Hoppers, who each have just one leg, and the neighboring Horners, who each have one horn on their head.

The group continues to the castle of the Tin Woodsman who rules the Winkie Country, since yellow butterflies can be found only in that yellow-dominated quadrant of Oz.

He explains that he now has all the ingredients except one; however, when he describes the last one, the Tin Woodsman is horrified at the idea of killing an innocent butterfly, and forbids them from doing so in his realm.

But the petrified Unc Nunkie and Pipt's wife have been brought to the Emerald City and, as they all watch, the Wizard of Oz restores them to life.

Scraps is a living rag doll made of patchwork, button eyes, brown yarn hair, a felt tongue, and pearl teeth.

The character's popularity led to her being featured in at least two print advertisements for school desks issued by American Seating Company.

Frank Reilly tactfully wrote to Baum that the material was not "in harmony with your other fairy stories", and would generate "considerable adverse criticism".

[4] At least at one point in his life, Baum stated that he considered The Patchwork Girl of Oz "one of the two best books of my career", the other being The Sea Fairies.

Robin Bernstein suggests the Patchwork Girl character was influenced by Topsy in Uncle Tom's Cabin and points out she was created by Dr. Pipt's wife to be a slave.

Similarly problematic is the inclusion in the book of a set of creatures called the Tottenhots, likely meant to be a play on the ethnic term Hottentots.

[5] Baum was not able to find a woman of athleticism suitable to play the role, and therefore cast the male French acrobat Pierre Couderc.

In this version, the character is depicted as extremely athletic and looks like a pale human with dark hair, but is revealed to be made of fabric underneath.