Sogetsu Wellington AGM and a shared Workshop celebrating Autumn

April 14, 2024 Ikebana Wellington

Julie’s morimono arrangement showing fruit and vegetables on a polished wooden tray

Our Sogetsu Wellington AGM and Workshop was held on Sunday 14th April 2-4pm at Khandallah Town Hall.

After two years in the role Kate stepped down as Chairperson and Setsuko as Deputy Chairperson. They both enjoyed their time over this period and were thanked for their hard work for the continuation of our Sogetsu group.

New committee members elected as follows:
Chairperson: Helen Wareham
Deputy: Masako Crawford
Secretary: Sandi Hurnard
All other committee members retained their position.

After the AGM there was limited time to create an arrangement.
Book 2 Lesson 16, states a Morimono is a ‘composition made by combining some of the plants, vegetables, fruits, leaves, roots and so on’, to be displayed on ‘a tray, base plate, a cloth or even a large leaf’. On the other hand, Book 4 Lesson 10, is an arrangement with ‘fruits and vegetables’, with no stipulation as to the container. Most participants did a true Morimono, whilst a couple of participants did the Book 4 arrangement and a couple did free style autumn arrangements without fruit or vegetables.

Lyn arranged vegetables on a leaf in a tray

Lyn arranged vegetables on a leaf in a plate

Kate arranged fruit and vegetables on a slatted wooden tray

Elizabeth arranged fruit and vegetables on a bamboo tray

Helen arranged fruit and vegetables on a leaf in a bamboo tray

Julie arranged fruit and vegetables on a polished wooden tray

Setsuko arranged fruit and vegetables on a glass tray as well as an arrangement celebrating autumn

Yoko arranged fruit and vegetables in a polished wooden tray

Glenys arranged fruit and vegetables on a woven mat

Adriana arranged fruit and vegetables in a vase and wooden tray

Takako's arrangement celebrating autumn

Alyson's arrangement celebrating autumn

Sandi's arrangement celebrating autum

Bron's arrangement celebrating autum

A Workshop with Helen demonstrating arrangements using a variety of materials

March 12, 2024 Ikebana Wellington

Helen demonstrating how to arrange in a woven basket, a variety grasses, bulrush and locally sourced flowers

Our March workshop was held in the Khandallah Town Hall. Helen Wareham demonstrated how to create an arrangement using a variety of materials.

Book 4, lesson 5 - A Variety of Materials. Prepare an ikebana arrangement using at least 5 materials. The textbook suggests mainly flowers but Helen suggests using grasses, maybe from the roadside, to celebrate the end of summer.

When Helen first studied this arrangement it was called ‘Maze-zashi’, the Seven Grasses of Autumn’. A basket or a rustic container would be suitable.

Helen demonstrating how to arrange in a woven basket, a variety grasses, bulrush and locally sourced flowers

Helen demonstrating how to arrange in a low woven basket, grasses, nandina and flowers

Kathy's "Last of the summer wine" arrangement

Yoko arranged a variety flowers and grasses in a basket with a container held inside

Elizabeth used a double container to arrange a variety of materials including sedges and dried dock seed heads

Lynne arranged a variety of grasses and flowers in a matching container

Masako arranged grasses, wild sweet peas and dried dock seed heads in a matching ceramic container

Takako arranged a variety of grasses, seed heads, echium and hebe flowers in an interesting low container

Julie arranged a variety of materials including purple lineria and rose hips in a wooden container with a handle

Sharon arranged looped grass, statice and hydrangea in an interesting vase

Setsuko arranged umbrella grass, Japanese anemone, viper's bugloss - echium vulgare, hydrangea and vine in a double container

Sandi arranged a variety of materials including nandina and seed heads in a low ceramic container

Adriana arranged grasses, seed heads, maple leaves and hydrangea in an interesting container

Penny arranged grasses, carrot top, dried kauri leaves, seaweed and a variety of flowers

Kate arranged grasses, dried dock seed heads and cornflowers in a narrow woven basket with a handle

Glenys arranged seed heads, grasses, viper's bugloss - echium vulgare, lavender and hydrangea in a low woven basket

Our group working hard creating their arrangements

Looking closely at Kathy's arrangement

Looking at Yoko's arrangement from above

A workshop on creating an arrangement using agapanthus only, lead by Kathy Kerry

February 12, 2024 Ikebana Wellington

Kathy enjoying time with agapanthus flower heads

Our first workshop for 2024 was held as usual in the Khandallah Town Hall at 2 - 4pm. Kathy Kerry demonstrated how to create an arrangement using only agapanthus.

Useful information can be found in:
Book 4, lesson 4 - One kind of material
Book 4, lesson 9 - Disassembling and rearranging the materials
Book 4, lesson 12 - Focusing on the uses of water.

We said farewell to Misako Ito who is leaving New Zealand to begin a new posting with her husband in Greece. Misako will be missed.

Kathy demonstrating how to arrange agapanthus

Kathy painted dried agapanthus heads and pinned them to a vine in a tall black vase

Kathy used agapanthus flowers at various stages of growth

Kathy arranged agapanthus flowers, seeds and leaves in two glasses vases in each other

Helen put agapanthus heads down into water in a tall glass vase

Sharon supported a single agapanthus in seeds and water in glass vase

Arranged at an angle

Julie tied the agapanthus flowers and arranged them in a low container with flowers and cut flower heads

Masako used flower head of agapanthus in a glass bowl to support one flower and leaf

Yoko used an an interesting container to arrange agapanthus in

Setsuko used a wide opened glass vase to show agapanthus flowers and tied leaves to effect

Penny arranged agapanthus stalks surrounded by flower parts in a low container

Penny arranged a variety of agapanthus and at different angles in a tall container

Elizabeth arranged two bare agapanthus flower heads in a low container

Elizabeth used bare agapanthus flower heads pushed together in a tall glass vase with petals and squashed plastic cups for effect

Nicole arranged agapanthus at different stages of growth and petals and seeds in and out of a low round container

Kate enjoyed arranging tied agapanthus seed head bunches in a red rabbit vase

Misako thanking our group for providing an oasis of friendship and learning

We will miss you Misako

A Sogetsu group photograph on the occasion of Misako's final day with us

Misako presenting our group with a beautiful book for our library - delightfully received

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