Quirky crafts shine at Manfeild market
Looking for a chicken-shaped tea cosy or a bat skull necklace? The Feilding craft and vintage market had it all.
Manfeild arena in Feilding was packed on Saturday as people shuffled past hundreds of stalls at the largest craft market in New Zealand.
The Feilding craft and vintage market has been running for 31 years and was going strong, with more than 200 stallholders from throughout the country.
Marton resident Dorothy Mcdade has been in the craft stall scene for 45 years.
She makes tea cosies in the form of chickens, lavender-scented bags and she sells pinnies in every pattern imaginable.
When Mcdade worked as an occupational therapist, she used to make moccasins with her patients, which started her love for crafts.
One of her favourite products is lavender bags, which can be used in clothes drawers and pillow cases. ‘‘It helps calm you down.’’ Mcdade grows the lavender herself and sometimes donates it to the hospice in the hopes it will have a soothing effect on other people.
Sharon Homes sells natural skincare – a business she started when she was looking for natural products for her baby.
‘‘I don’t want to use chemicals on my children.’’
The baby balm was used by people with various skin conditions, such as dermatitis.
Organiser Heather Philip said the market had become a ‘‘mustvisit’’ attraction.
‘‘There is a massive diversity of wares, from designer clothes to handcrafted ceramics, to cosy winter designs, vintage radios and Belgium truffles.‘‘
The two-day event, on Friday and Saturday, aimed deliver the best that New Zealand craftspeople had to offer, which is why it attracted thousands of visitors, Philip said.