Final run from Ngaio's woolshed in Golden Bay • In 14 active carts • 29 left
Ngaio's Hand-Quilted Kombi Weekender
Ngaio's Hand-Quilted Kombi Weekender
Dispatched within 2–3 business days
90-day money-back guarantee
Free tracked shipping across New Zealand
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Ngaio's Hand-Quilted Kombi Weekender
Hand-Quilted In An Old Woolshed In Golden Bay
Ngaio Bisset, seventy-three, near Takaka, Golden Bay. Thirty-seven years of the same bag, by hand. This is her final collection β she can no longer feel the needle come through the cloth.
βIn the summer of 1975 five vans were parked in one paddock up the Wainui valley. I lived in the first one. Every bag Iβve ever made carries one of them.β
β Ngaio Bisset, Golden Bay
What arrives
The Weekender
One hand-quilted bag in your chosen design
Numbered Tag
Hand-written, stitched into the inner pocket
Ngaioβs Note
Which van in the paddock your design comes from
Plain Packaging
Packed by Hollie on the old wool table
Four things a machine canβt do
Ten Stitches To The Inch
Quilted by hand in a wooden hoop, the way Iris Tregear taught her in the winter of 1975. Thirteen hours a bag. The tight stitching keeps the bag in shape for decades.
A Real Van From 1975
Every design is one of the five vans in the ohu paddock. Cut out and sewn on by hand, piece by piece. Never printed.
The Full-Length Grip
The handles are padded all the way along, not just in the middle β comfortable on the long walk from the car park to the ferry.
The Bach-Weekend Size
About 22 litres, 820 grams empty. A weekend of clothes, togs and a towel. Fits as cabin baggage on domestic flights and lies flat in a full boot.
βTen stitches to the inch was the standard in the farm kitchens of Southland and Otago β itβs what kept a quilt in daily use for half a century. Hardly anyone works at that density now, because it simply canβt be hurried. What Ngaio Bisset makes is a piece of that rural tradition you can actually take to the beach.β
β Dr. Helen Marwick, Textile Historian, New Zealand Rural Quilt Archive
Five designs, five vans from 1975
What people actually use it for
Why it outlasts the shop-bought version
β Thirteen hours of handwork. Cut, quilted and finished by one pair of hands in one woolshed.
β Proven at thirty-one years. A bag bought in 1995 has been to Stewart Island every summer since. One new zip in all that time.
β No two identical. A wheel a little bigger, a flower slightly to one side. Thatβs how you know a person made it.
β Cotton and polyester batting. Soft in the hand, keeps its shape packed full.
β Wraparound zip. Opens wide, so packing is easy.
90-Day Money-Back Guarantee
Ngaio insisted on it: if it isnβt right for you, send it back within ninety days, no questions asked. She wants these bags in the boot on the way to the bach, not in a wardrobe.
A word on handmade. These are not factory pieces. The placement of the van, the wheels and the flowers shifts a little from bag to bag, and the quilting lines are not machine-straight. That is the point, not a fault. This is a final collection β when the shearing board in the woolshed is empty, there is no restock.
Details
| Material | Cotton outer and lining, polyester batting |
| Construction | Hand-quilted in a wooden hoop, ten stitches to the inch, hand-cut applique |
| Designs | Five: Flower Power Caravan, Sunset Strummer, Stay Wild Forest, Coastal Surfer Camper, Cherry Blossom Glamping |
| Dimensions | 45 Γ 23 Γ 25 cm |
| Capacity | About 22 litres β a weekend of clothes, togs and a towel, a book and a thermos |
| Weight | 820 g empty |
| Opening | Wraparound zip, padded fabric handles |
| Cabin baggage | Fits most domestic cabin allowances β check your airline |
| Care | Wipe with cool water and mild soap, dry flat out of direct sun. Do not machine wash. |
| Made by | Ngaio Bisset, Golden Bay, New Zealand |
| Made since | 1989 β 4,900 bags in the exercise book |
| Shipping | Free tracked shipping across New Zealand |
The Last Run
The Last Run
A note from the woolshed:
Ngaio Bisset has hand-quilted Kombi weekenders in an old woolshed near Takaka, Golden Bay, since 1989 — 4,900 of them, every one quilted by hand in a wooden hoop at ten stitches to the inch and logged in an exercise book that starts at #001. Every design is one of the five vans parked in the paddock of a government ohu block up the Wainui valley in the summer of 1975, when she was twenty-two and lived in the first one.
Hand-quilting is done by feel. After carpal tunnel surgery in 2022 her grip came back, but the feeling in her fingertips didn't — she can no longer feel the needle come through the cloth. So she gave up her stall at the Takaka market and spent her last good hours making one final batch. When the shearing board is empty there is no restock, because there is nobody left to make them.
Free Tracked Shipping Across New Zealand
Free Tracked Shipping Across New Zealand
Free tracked shipping right across New Zealand
- Dispatched within 2–3 business days
- Every bag is packed by Ngaio's granddaughter Hollie and posted from the post shop in Takaka
- 45 × 23 × 25 cm, about 22 litres, 820 g empty — a full weekend of clothes
- Fits most domestic cabin baggage allowances, and it lies flat in the boot
- Hand-quilted cotton with polyester batting, wraparound zip, padded fabric handles
- Spot-clean only, air dry, no machine wash
- 90-day money-back guarantee — just email info@cedarandtinco.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Got a question? Here's how to reach us.
Got a question? Here's how to reach us.
Email us anytime at info@cedarandtinco.com. We answer Monday to Friday 9am–5pm and Saturday mornings 10am–1pm New Zealand time. Every order is packed by Ngaio's granddaughter Hollie in Golden Bay, so if you need something changed before it goes out, just say so.
Can I return it if it's not for me?
Can I return it if it's not for me?
Of course. 90-day money-back guarantee. Take it away for one weekend, and if it isn't right for you, email info@cedarandtinco.com within 90 days for a full refund. No forms, no argument.
How is it made?
How is it made?
Ngaio quilts every bag by hand in a wooden hoop, at ten stitches to the inch — the rule her neighbour Iris Tregear brought from the Southland farm kitchens. About thirteen hours of handwork each. Cotton outer, polyester batting, and the tight stitching is what keeps the bag in shape for decades. The van on the front, whichever of the five designs you choose, is hand-cut and sewn on piece by piece. Never printed. Each bag carries a hand-numbered tag stitched into the inner pocket.