Greenleas Handcrafts information blog

  • I will be at the Matakana Market in the Old Dairy Factory starting on 5 October and will be there every Saturday. I look forward to seeing you there. I have some new designs and styles in both Table Centres, wall hangings and table runners.

    I was reminded the other day of how many weeks there are until Christman and in particular when items need to be posted for overseas recipients It is amazing how fast time goes by.

    I look forward to seeing you at Matakana.

    All the best
    Susan
    Posted: Wednesday 2 October 2024
  • Spring has arrived at last which means that it is countdown time to my return to the Matakana Market for my 2024/2025 season. I have enjoyed taking time away from the sewing machine and working in my garden, but as ever the fabric calls and so it is back to the workroom. It is less than a month till I return to my corner in the Old Dairy Factory with my friends again.

    I have been asked a number of times for Table Centres to fit small square tables, so this season there will be a selection of three (3) styles to fit square tables. I have made Square Table Centres, Hexagon Table Centres and Octagon Table Centres. All of them are made in the Kiwiana fabrics, and like everything else are washable and lightweight - about 150 grams each. The price is the same as my standard small rectangle Table Runners - $55 each.

    I have a few new fabrics this season - it is so nice to have something new to offer. The new styles of table centre will go up on the website shortly - I hope you like them.

    I look forward to seeing you at the Old Dairy Factory from 5 October.

    Best wishes, Susan
    Posted: Saturday 7 September 2024
  • I had intended to update this website at the beginning of the year - whatever happened to the past 6 weeks?? It has disappeared so very quickly.

    It has been wonderful having so many past customers come to say hello - and to buy again. I do value the conversations I have with so many people from around the world and from up and down the country. Of course it also means a lot to me that you choose to buy the items that I make and to either take them back to your homes or to give them to people that mean something to you.

    I do have a couple of new wall-hangings and I'll try to get the photos up so that you can see how they would look on your own walls. They are of the native woodpigeon (Kereru) Tui, Pukeko, Fantail (Piwakawaka), and the Morepork (Ruru) owl.

    I look forward to seeing you at the Matakana Market in the Old Dairy Factory.
    Susan
    Posted: Friday 16 February 2024
  • Hello again.

    At last I can restart this year which has been filled with family emergencies, hospitalisations etc. Hopefully that is now past and I can again restart my business and return to the Old Dairy Factory at the Matakana Market. I have missed meeting my customers and having really interesting conversations and of course it is lovely when they find just the right something I have made to buy.

    When I restart at the Market on 7 October I will have all the favourite Kiwiana items - table mats and table runners - in particular the 1.3 metre long 6-patch table runner featuring 3 NZ birds and 3 NZ flowers or ferns. This runner has been so popular and even those people who do not have a long enough table to feature it, have purchased to use as a bed runner at the foot of their bed, so they too can have a little bit of New Zealand.

    There are some new fabrics, in particular some panels which I have turned into wall hangings - striking colours and they make a wonderful splash of colour on the wall.

    I have added some slightly different designs to the Kiwiana Lap quilts which are a little larger and of course there is always a good range of children's quilts - the popular I Spy as well as the New Zealand Counting and New Zealand Alphabet plus others - it is always a changing range.

    So I look forward to seeing you in my corner at the Old Dairy Factory at the Matakana Market every Saturday from 7 October onwards.

    Safe travels

    Susan
    Posted: Saturday 23 September 2023
  • Hasn't it been a strange year! I have been fortunate in that I have been able to attend the Market here and there between getting Covid and a family member's illness. It has been so nice to have past customers come to say Hello, have a chat and to buy something more. Thank you to all of you.

    I am taking the Christmas Eve market off as I have family staying, so I wish everyone a Very Happy Christmas and I hope to see you at Matakana sometime in the future.

    All the best
    Susan
    Posted: Thursday 22 December 2022
  • SEPTEMBER 2022
    Hasn’t it been a horrible winter for so many people, but at last we can see the beginning of Spring with warmth in the sun. With Spring comes my return to the Matakana Market as I always take 3 – 4 months off in Winter so I will be back in my corner of The Old Dairy Factory from Saturday 1 October.

    I am looking forward to seeing old friends, returning customers and of course new ones. I will have my tables laden with Kiwiana items – the favourite Six-Patch table runners (1.25m long), and the ever-popular Mixed Bird sets of 4 table mats as well as the colourful table centres (75cm), and the other 11 styles of table mats. There are wall hanging which can also be used as table centres.

    As well as a large assortment of Children’s Quilts including I Spy, I Spy Storyline, Baby Love and Kiwiana there are panel quilts for children as well. All Children’s Quilts are $95.

    A customer asked me if I ever had Lap Quilts suitable for someone who is in a wheelchair or maybe a recliner for long lengths of time, so I made her one and I now have a few in stock. They are long enough to cover down to the feet of a seated person and one or two have Kangaroo pockets to put small items – tissues, remote, keys etc or to keep hands warm.

    I am looking forward to my new season, and don't forget how light the table runners and table mats are for posting or travelling overseas.

    See you at Matakana at the Old Dairy Factory.
    Susan
    Posted: Wednesday 21 September 2022
  • It is definitely winter again with rain, rain and even more rain locally. However the Market continues to have many visitors and I am always delighted to see past customers who come to say Hello and sometimes to purchase something new for themselves or as a gift.

    As I said on the Home Page I will be taking my winter break, as I do each year, from the 2nd week of July. I will be back in my corner from Saturday 1 October.

    I have decided to stock some Comfy Lap Quilts for adults. It was mentioned to me that while I have children's quilts I don't have anything quite long enough for their Senior family members who spend time in their recliners or wheelchairs. With this in mind I will be developing a range of longer quilts that should cover their owner's feet when sitting in an armchair. I hope to have a colourful range at the beginning of my new season in October.

    So I have only 3 more weeks of this season left - Saturday 18, 25 June and 2 July. I will look forward to seeing you then or else in October.

    All the best
    Susan
    Posted: Friday 17 June 2022
  • Christmas is over for another year and I hope you all had a very happy day with family and friends, but now it is looking to the future and 2022 and hoping for a far better year than 2021.

    It was so good to have past customers come to see me at the Market, some to buy some to say Hello, when we opened again on 4 December.

    The next market is on 1 January - NEW YEARS DAY and yes, I will be there to welcome you. I hope and wish that 2022 is a very good year for all of us.

    All the best.
    Susan
    Posted: Sunday 26 December 2021
  • Well here we are, still in Lockdown but with hope on the horizon that the vaccinations rates hit the required 90% target soon and lockdown restrictions can be lifted a little and the Matakana Market can again open to welcome everyone to our lovely piece of the World.

    I look forward to meeting my many past customers again and welcoming new customers to my stall. Christmas is coming!

    Best wishes to everyone
    Susan
    Posted: Wednesday 3 November 2021
  • OCTOBER 2021
    It is quite a while since I came back to my website. My season ended a bit later than usual and then we had/have Lockdown. As I am in the Auckland Region I am still Locked Down. However, as today is Super Saturday, hopefully we will get a high number of vaccinations, Covid case numbers drop and we can all get back to doing what we enjoy, which for me, is being at the Matakana Market of Saturdays and seeing and talking with my customers.

    Despite not being able to meet you on Saturdays I have had emails, phone calls and orders from customers who are beginning to think about Christmas and in particular posting items overseas. The time lag for posting is growing by the week. As all my creations are as lightweight as I can make them, they are easy and not expensive to post overseas. The sets of 4 Table Mats weigh a mere 200grams, the Table Runners (75cm long) 150grams, and the 6-patch Table Runners (1.23 metres long) weigh only 350grams.

    While I have had this time off over the winter months I have been updating my stock - increasing the supply of Favourites and introducing some new designs. I have started taking photos of examples of what stock I carry now so over the next day or so I will upload them.
    Posted: Saturday 16 October 2021
  • Hello, it is has been good to have past customers come to visit me at the Market. It is always good to be able to talk with you and of course show you what I might have that might be new to you.

    I generally end my market season at Queens Birthday weekend, but this year it has been so mild that I have continued and will be there until Saturday 10 July, then I will take the next couple of months off and will return on Saturday 2 October.

    I will take the time to design some new items as some of the favourite fabrics have been discontinued and of course I need to increase my stock for my Summer Season and the season for gift giving - birthdays, Christmas, Visitor gift and of course gifts for yourself and your own home. All my items are as light-weight as I can make them as we all know that the cost of postage is expensive.

    So, I will look forward to seeing you sometime till 10 July or from 2 October onwards. I will be, as usual, in my corner in the Old Dairy Factory at the Matakana Market.
    All the best
    Susan
    Posted: Thursday 24 June 2021
  • It is surprising how quickly this year is passing and now we are heading into the colder and wetter months of the year. It has been wonderful to see so many visitors to Matakana even when we have had torrential rain, but the welcome to the Market is always warm. I am in the process of designing some new stock - wall hangings and some different table runners. They will be introduced slowly over the weeks as I make them.

    Children's I Spy Cuddle Quilts have been a hit lately - so many of them destined to make a child very happy. They are so colourful and can be a fun teaching tool with colours, counting, identification and matching and of course story telling. I have other children's Cuddle Quilts too which change regularly from NZ Counting, NZ Alphabet, Trains, with Wheels on the Bus and Old McDonald making an appearance soon. They always bring a smile to passers by.

    I look forward to seeing you ... at the Market.
    Susan
    Posted: Thursday 15 April 2021
  • It is so disappointing that the Market won't be open Saturday 6 March because of Level 3 Lockdown for the Auckland Region. I am sorry I wont able to chat with you or share your quilting and painting stories. However, just because we are in Lockdown it doesn't mean that you can't order from me online. If you like what you see on the website just let me know and I can make it for you. I have a PDF file of the batiks that I have in stock for the borders which I send out to customers who order online so that they can get just the shade they like.

    I Spy Children's quilts are very popular at the moment and I have sold out, but I am in the process of making a new range for sale in the next week.

    So, everyone, take care of yourselves, wear the masks and keep scanning and I'll see you in Matakana again soon.
    Susan
    Posted: Wednesday 3 March 2021
  • It has been an interesting month with a return to Level 3 Lockdown for Auckland and then a return to Level 2 and the Matakana was able to resume under strict protocols. It was lovely to see so many people at the Market yesterday (Saturday 20th) from all over the country, making the most of the opportunity to explore this part of the North. I really enjoyed the conversations with the people who visited my stall in the Old Dairy Factory. It was lovely to meet previous customers who came for "just one more item" and to see what new paintings I had available.
    Posted: Sunday 21 February 2021
  • Somehow this month seems to have rushed past me and I have not got done all those things I promised myself I would do at the start of the month, one of those being to update this blog. So belatedly I wish everyone a happy and safe 2021.

    Recently I have been making and have had orders for I Spy quilts for children. They consist of 5 patches by 6 patches of colourful novelty prints to make a central panel, then a narrow sashing, a colourful border and a contrasting binding. The back is always a busy print. My I Spy quilts have been popular as there is so much a child can do with the quilt - not just as a play mat, but learning to count, learn colours, matching similar animals or letters, or telling stories about a favourite character in the quilt. I make them gender neutral with pink fairies or ballet shoes likely to be next to diggers or tractors or racing cars. Photos of I Spy quilts will be added to the website shortly.

    I have had such fun meeting customers at the Market from all over the country this past month. Some of them have been returning customers to buy a gift, others bringing their visitors, while others have come just to have a chat. It is always a pleasure to have a conversation with everyone who visits especially those who are visiting the area and the North for the first time. There is so much to see and do around Warkworth and Matakana.

    As it is Auckland's Anniversary weekend this weekend, I wish everyone who is travelling a safe journey and I will look forward to seeing you at the Matakana Market at the Old Dairy Factory.
    Susan
    Posted: Thursday 28 January 2021

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Welcome to the Greenleas Handcrafts website.

 I sell only from the Matakana Market or directly from home - see the Contact Us page for details.

 All items are made by me in my workroom in Snells Beach from very good quality cotton.

The Art Quilts are original one-off pieces. They are sometimes appliqued, sometimes they are collage with beading, painting, or  layered fabrics. Every one is unique and has a sleeve at the back for the insertion of a rod for hanging.

 The Children's Play Quilts are also individual and colourful made from hardwearing cotton. They are all fully  machine washable.

Kiwiana tableware (table mats and table runners) and wallhangings are attractive, lightweight but hardwearing.

I look forward to seeing you at the Old Dairy Factory, Matakana Market .