Bike Powered Sewing Machine

After nearly two years of research and co-ordination, Friends of the Farm is proud to present a  Māngere Bridge (possibly Auckland, maybe New Zealand) first- our bike-powered ELECTRIC sewing machine!  Not only is our Tote All Recall bag library scheme helping to reduce plastic bag use in the Bridge, but our sewing operation is now able to go totally off the grid. All we need to boost the solar panel on our sewing machine is pedal power – kindly supplied by our enthusiastic visitors.

Seen for the first time on Saturday 8 December by the lucky few who were visiting the Māngere Bridge library, this video footage captures just how keen people were to join in.  Keep an eye out for us in the middle of a paddock somewhere near you! We’ll be sewing bags to refill the Tote All Recall boxes in the Village, where you can borrow a bag for your shopping convenience.  Boxes are located at the library and at Māngere Bridge Fruit and Veg. 

We're always looking for new sewers, so please ask at Māngere Floral Studio or contact us on friends@fof.nz for more information about how to get involved. We’ll provide fabric and a pattern; all we need is your time and expertise.

With huge thanks to the Tread Lightly Caravan for their starter pack and to Graeme from The Auckland Teaching Gardens Trust Inc. for his engineering brilliance. We look forward to continuing our alliance. Our bike was inspired by Harriet Riddell in this video https://www.facebook.com/bbcoxford/videos/1428540333855050/

Eco Christmas Workshop

Friends of the Farm members Caroline and Meredith transformed the Ambury Farm barn into a homemade Christmas wonderland recently, for their Eco Christmas workshop.  Using natural materials like wool, paper, wood and fabric, they managed to create zero-waste gift ideas, wrapping paper and decorations that were not only affordable and kind to the environment, but also beautiful.

Workshop participants were given the opportunity to try their hands at wet felting Christmas tree decorations and making hand-made paper infused with seeds.  These activities were popular with children and adults alike, and gave people time to reconnect with old friends and catch up on neighbourhood news while creating their masterpieces. 

    

        

There were plenty of edible Christmas goodies to sample as well, including peppermint candy, personalised Christmas biscuits and the ever-popular Christmas mince pies.  DIY edible gift ideas like homemade lemonade and “biscuits in a jar” were also on display, providing quirky alternatives to the usual Christmas fare.  
 

The workshop gave us all inspiration for making the coming season a time of beauty and creativity, in stark contrast to the excessive consumerism and wastefulness we see around us.  If you weren’t able to make it, we hope the photos (and the internet) will give you some ideas for creating your own eco-Christmas this year.  Many of the items made for the workshop are now having a second life in a ‘Homemade Christmas’ display at ME Family Services in Mangere.