Farewell 2012 – Welcome 2013!

Hello Dear Friends! I have enjoyed seeing the beautiful mosaics you have made for the year 2012! It’s just amazing how much fantastic quilts and many many other sewings has been made again! So much has happened this last year and many things has changed. I was going through last years photos and gathered some of them here …

Quite much has been made, lots of quilts has been quilted, stories has been told, many other things has been sewn, I hope something has been teached … and the most important … wonderful friends has been found!!!

This is a good time to move on and to turn new page at ‘Nero’s Post and Patch’. These last weeks I have been looking for a new blog  theme, then finally found it and started to fix it. I wanted and needed more space and I’m very happy with the new look.  I feel sad to leave this first chapter but exited to continue with the new one! I don’t feel this blog as an old one – there is new things till yesterday! This blog will stay here as it is and you are always welcome to read  and see Nero’s older posts and my older patches!

Blog stats at the end of the 2012:

Views 100.743 !!!

Followers 191 !!! - from 155 countries !!!

Comments 7.110 !!!

Posts 288 !

and all that because of You !!! Thank you so much!!! You are so amazing !!! I can’t thank you enough for being so wonderful and I do my best to write happy posts, make tutorials, give you ideas and inspiration!

So … lets jump to  The New Year 2013 and to the new ‘Nero’s Post and Patch’ II !!! Please take a moment and change the new address to your reader or if you like you can subscribe in the new blog. New address is shortly www.nerospost.wordpress.com

For me January is a month of celebration and I have so many things in my mind … this week I shall show you how to make a pinwheel brooch or an ornament! Nero is preparing his surprise (?) … 

Thank you soooooooo much for reading Nero’s and my posts and writing just amazing and sweet comments!!!

I wish you happiness, health and everything you wish for The New Year 2013 !!!  

Hope to see you soon – we are all waiting for you !!! TEJE - NERO - HANNA

PS. I started to quilt the stars!

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BIG GAB … BAG …

Hi and welcome! Great to see you! I have made a new bag. This is bigger and has lots of pockets …

The fabrics I have used here are canvas from Ikea. Great for bags because you can make very steady bag. Still I have used fleece and normal weight cotton which I have quilted.  Lining is with normal cotton fabric.

With this bag you can have all your things well organized … there are 2 + 2 pockets … two on each side and 2 more inside …

First I had planned to leave this bag without zipper but at the end I changed my mind and thought let this bag has almost everything …

One outside pocket has clapper which close with elastic loop and big wooden button. The clapper can be hidden also in the pocket.

I mixed the fabrics so that they are the opposite on the other side. There is only very few quilting lines because I didn’t want to ‘brake’ the print picture or those wide stripes.

Measurements for this bag are: hight 12″, width 18″ and the bottom width 3,5″. Two shoulder stripes are about 25″. I covered the edges with the same black fabric that I used for the binding.

This scene with full sunshine is few days ago … today we have finally cool air and … I wear socks and long jeans! Jippii – you may think what’s the jippii in that – but I haven’t been able to wear soft socks for 5 months and my feet are sooooo tired with the flip flops! They are not at all good for walking but most of the time only reasonable choise for my works. Now I have even my soft sheep-fleece slippers. It’s not so cold that I would need them but I want to wear something really soft today. From tomorrow we are expecting rain and storm … wel’ll see if it’s going to reach us here in Crete.

A while ago (again) I received these amazing little blocks from Debbie at ‘A Quilter’s Table’! They are all so adorable! Funny thing is that I don’t know who has made them?! Debbie had organized and was hosting a swap – a Big Swap! It was with ‘Polaroid’ blocks and it bacame so popular that there were finally hundreds and hundreds (I think thousands) of these small blocks going around to other people! It was just amazing swap. I didn’t have any change to join in the middle of the busy summer. After mixing and fixing and sending the blocks to their new owners, Debbie made a give away for some of the blocks and I was one of the lucky girls! I have many ideas what I could make with these small beauties … we’ll see … Thank you so much Debbie! I’m so happy for these! Couldn’t help myself to pick one favourite – it’s with those colourful houses in the middle!

I have finished this small quilt and it’s in my shop. It’s a little one for a baby, for a chair, for a wall … perhaps for sweet kitten or puppy! It’s made with the same fish block that I used for ‘My Dream Quilt’. This one I quilted following the seams and somehow it’s better that the other where I quilted the fishes around. Here the quilting shows better.

Here are some of the many many great links that I have picked:

www.sewsweetness.com/2012/10/zippers-4-ways.html – 4 ways to add zipper!

www.mollyflanders.blogspot.com/2012/10/steps.html – fantastic patchwork pillow!

My give away is open HERE!

I think that’s for today … we have been working in the garden, collecting things inside and prepering ourselves for the rain and winter. Now I’m ready to close myself to my sewing attic and start to bee busy busy! I have re-organaized my space and there is already chaos – so many projecst around … I’ll go to see what I could do!

I’m so happy to be back ‘in the train’ again and linking with my blog friends at Megan’s link party {Sew} Modern Monday and ‘Manic Monday’ and Heather’s & Megan’s “Fabric Tuesday” and Connie’s ‘Linky Party Tuesday’  and ‘Made by Me’ !

Thank you for joining me and thank you for your sweet comments! I hope you havea a perfect autumn week (not stormy)!

PS. Could someone tell me, please, what means limited Blogger profile? Should I choose that?

TEJE

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Nero likes to GIVE his bag AWAY!

Vof Vof Fellows!!! I hope you are fine! I’m fine but just feeling a little bit too hot! Summer is here with lots of sunshine and hot weather! We have made lately these ’2 in 1′ make-up bags and I thought I could have one, too and I was told that I can choose any bag I like!

This new bag has a sweet name ‘Lace and Strawberries’! But I couldn’t choose this … just too girlish for a guy like me!

… even I love strawberries! Then I thought hmmm I don’t really need a make-up bag because a handsome boy like me don’t use make-ups.

Of course I could put my goodies and toys in my bag when I go for holidays …

… but I don’t go for holidays … so I thought the best thing to do is to give my bag to YOU! I couldn’t guess which bag you would like to have, so here is my plan …

If YOU  are the lucky one and your name is on that piece of paper that will stuck to my tung, YOU can choose one ’2 in 1′ make-up bag from the bags we have then in our shop! If we have time, perhaps we make new bags … can’t be sure … for the moment you can see the bags in our Etsy shop TEJESARITA.

Because everyone loves stories, it would be nice to hear how you will spend your summer holidays. Perhaps you have planned to travel somewhere or maybe you just want to relax at home! Or if you like, share with us where you have had wonderful holidays or an unforgetable travel!

You can leave your comment (in this post) till next Monday 18.6.2012. Then I shall put all the names in my sun hat, mix them well and the first paper that stucks to my tung is the winner! So pick you ‘pen and paper’ and write to us! Good Luck to YOU! Take care that there is a way I can contact you if you are the winner!

I have so many reasons to celebrate my blog and this give away is a small way to say big THANK YOU!!! Here are some stats in numbers …

238 posts! over 5.000 comments! over 100 followers! more than 65.000 views!

Wow you are just amazing friends and I’m so happy you like to read my blog!!!

KISSES AND HUGS!!! TEJE & NERO

Ps. I’m linking at {Sew} Modern Monday and ‘Fabric Tuesday’ and ‘Linky party Tuesdays’!

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MEMORY BAG & OLD TRUNK = SPECIAL STORY

Hi everybody!  As I didn’t find a moment to finish the little bag from my last post, I’ll tell you a story that has been waiting too long!

I made this bag two summers ago and without any second thought it became ‘Memory Bag’ because it has so many pieces from the past. But the story begins from something really different …

… looks quite awfull or what! But if you use your imagination, it’s not rubbish. We found this trunk from the road in the village. It looked bad. We don’t have many possibilities to find old used furnitures, vintage things or re-cycled treasures. So when you see something, you think hard if it could become useful.

 

My hb was so kind to make all the fixing for the wooden parts. He made even new ‘legs’ in the corners because old ones were totally eaten by worms. He painted it outside. I tried to take out the old glued paper from inside, but that was just impossible. So I trifted it as much as I could and then just painted over everything.

It’s really perfect place to hide all my yarns! any way most of them … or at least some …

And there is that wonderful box to keep all the needles, hooks, felting needles and other things for knitting and crocheting! So you see it became good enough and very useful, too!

But this is not yet the special story … in that side box there were something …

There were an old post card, old pair of knife and fork and a beautiful piece of lace!

It seems to be that a Greek couple had their Honeymoon in Napoli in Italy and sent a post card to someone in East Africa! And the year was 1961 – when I was born!

So that unique lace found a place on my ‘Memory Bag’. That beautiful blue ribbon was found from my mother’s sewing box, straps are made with fabric from my sister and the lining is my hb’s shirt. That was ‘our’ favourite shirt with those wonderful colours, but it had ‘an accident’ when working in the garden. I have made some hand stitching, too.

Someone has made this adorable piece with so much care and with the most thin yarn! I wish she could know that still someone admires it!

I love stories and I was so happy and exited when I found these small special things from that old trunk and ‘recovered’ part of someone’s life-story at -61!

So here you have my simple summer bag full of little mysteries -  my ‘Memory Bag’!

Thank you for stopping by and reading this small story!

If you love quilts and pets, how about visiting ‘Lily Pad Quilting’ - I just found out that there will be ‘Pets on Quilts August 2012′! Sounds so much fun and still enough time to prepare our pets and quilts!

I’m linking with Elizabeth at ‘pieceful life’ , at ‘sew & tell’ and also at my usual Friday link parties with Andrea and Linda – buttons on my sidelist!

TEJE

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‘W.I.P.’ and great links!

Hi and welcome all my dear readers and new visitors! Monday morning and new week front of us … hopefully full of exiting, enjoyable things waiting for us! I had a sentence: ‘summer is for colours – more or less’ in my mind and now it’s time for less colours …

I feel that I have so many photos and things to show you and always many of them have to wait ‘better’ moment (still many from Finland, too). But because I haven’t shown you much sewing lately, I thought you would like to see what has been bothering my mind many days. Finally yesterday I took these materials to my cutting mat …

Natural colours and of course white, this time in vintage crochet and Aurifil wool thread n:o 12. I got this lovely thread from Leona at ‘Leona’s Quilting Adventure’ but I haven’t tried it yet. Do you know if I could quilt with that thread by machine or is better just for hand quilting? And those little thimbles – they are my treasures! I got them from my godmother and the dark one was my grandmother’s! It’s silver and has a Lily on it!

I haven’t learnt to use thimbles but I would like to find a leather one – I have seen them in some blogs and they look more practical and comfortable.

New crab bag is already in my shop and inspired by those sweet, little crabs I made a treasury list : “Hey, there is a crab!” with crab things! I’m sorry if I can’t make this link work. You can find treasury lists always on a shop owner’s page. I found  crabs on fabric, painting, decoration, wall art, pouch, bib, cards, bag etc.

 I don’t remember if I have told to you, why I named my shop TEJESARITA. I have two names Teje Sarita, as usually in Finland, even mostly we use only the first one. Teje was too short name for a shop and also if you google it, you get millions of results because Teje was Tutankhamon’s grandmother in Egyptian history!

In the morning I came to my blog just to find out that I had huge amount visitors! Really a lot! And of course I was curious to learn how they found my blog and the path lead to this wonderful site: ‘Sewing Craftgossip’! They had featured my ’2 in 1′ make-up bags HERE! Thank you so much! If you like to make bag like this, you can find my tutorial HERE!

Then I would like to tell and remind you about the ‘Quilting Bloggers’! That’s the great site where happens a lot – quilting, weekly themed contests, give aways, voting, presents etc.! You can add your quilting blog there – the more the merrier! Find out who else is blogging from your country!

If you are a crochet person … or a mice peerson … or just love cute funny creations, you need to see what Penny has crocheted! I’m totally in love with her mice!!! HERE and HERE!

Sometimes I have more time to surf in etsy and sometimes less. Today almost the first thing I saw, was the most loveable Foxy! It’s an i-phone case and bag! That shop is full of most beautiful animal themed bags! I would love to get a Husky or a Wolf and of course that Foxy! Look HERE!

I shall join the link party ‘Fabric Tuesday’ at Quilt Story and ‘W.i.p Wednesday’ at Freshly Pieced!

I think here you have enough reading for today, so I’ll save the rest for the next time.

I wish you wonderful week! Thank you for stopping by and for your lovely comments! Every day I see Nelli sleeping in different places so I leave you with her yesterday afternoon nap – under the geranium!

TEJE

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‘My view from FINLAND’ part 1

Hello my dear friends! Here I am, in Finland, in my home country! As you can guess I have many friends and relatives to meet and so many places to visit – not speaking about fabric shops and library etc! So I leave you to enjoy ‘My view from Finland’!

'Here I come Finland!'

Hedgehog's home in our garden.

View from our windows.

From my city Kouvola.

'Pony' by Eero Aarnio

My new bags on a mossy rock.

Flower scarf by Dorien.

Best wishes from Finland!

TEJE 

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“2 in 1″ MAKE-UP BAG – TUTORIAL

Hello my dear friends! One more ”2 in 1″ Make-up Bag is ready and lots of photos taken,  so I’m ready to show you how I make these bags. If you see these first time, have a look here, what I mean ’2 in 1′.

Lets start! Fabrics that I have used for these bags, are from Ikea. They are a little bit thicker fabrics like ‘canvas’ which is great for bags.

CUTTING

First we cut all the pieces we need. If your fabric has some cute and funny pictures, take care how to cut your pieces so, that you can have those special parts of the fabric in a place where you like.

These pieces we cut from the main (print) fabric, fleece and thin cotton:

- front piece 8″ x 6,5″

- back piece 8″ x 6,5″

- bottom & sides 21″ x 4″

Pieces for the lining are:

- front 8″ x 6,5″

- back 8″ x 6,5″

- bottom and sides 21″ x 4″

- pocket 8″ x 6 1/4″

Piece for the cover (valve) from the main fabric: 6,5″ x 8,5″

Binding: 3″ x 24″ (about 23″ but I cut a little bit more to be sure that it’s long enough)

SEWING

Pin all three materials (print, fleece, thin cotton) together.

Quilt as you like and trim the edges.

Now  find the middle of every piece. Start to pin the front piece to the ‘bottom & sides’ piece from the middle and continue to the sides.

Sew this and then do the same for the back piece. Corners are a little bit difficult – sew slowly and move your fabric so that you can turn in the corner.

Then we make the cover. If you like to put a label, sew that first. Then fold the piece double and sew two short sides. Before you close the long side, add the loop for the button. I made the loop with hair-loop.

LINING

Sew first the pocket. Fold the piece double, sew two sides, turn around and sew the last side to close ‘the pouch’. Then sew the pocket on its place.

Sew the lining like you made the main bag. Trim the edges if the sides are longer than the front and the back.

Catching the bag with the lining, I begin from the side seams. Like that it’s easy to get the lining in the right place.

BINDING

Fold double the piece for binding and iron it. Pin it inside the bag. Now you have there the bag, lining and the binding all together.

Cut the binding for the right lenght and sew the edges. (You need to remove some pins and then add them again after sewing the edges). Sew around from inside.

Now it starts to look like a great fabric basket …

Now turn the binding outside and pin it around.

Pin the ‘cover’ piece with the binding on the backside.

Sew all around and there you are …

Well done! Your ’2 in 1′ make-up bag is almost ready! Only button is missing and I guess that you can find from you ‘button tin’ … find a big one!

This make-up bag / basket is so wonderful! I’m surprised how great it became – and really practical! As you can see I have made already many of them. The little crab and one bird will stay with me but the others are going to find new homes. I have now a little bit passion and obsession with this bag – I want to make many more! 

What you think, could I name these bags ‘Tsantaki’ – or does it sound too strange to you? Small bag in Greek is ‘tsantaki’. Or perhaps it could be simply ’2 in 1′ Make-up Bag? You have helped me many times with names so I would like to hear your suggestions again!

I hope this tutorial helps you to make your bag! If you have any questions, I am more than happy to answer! If you like this bag but don’t have inspiration to make on your own, after my holidays I shall fill my etsy shop with new bags!

I shall fly to Finland for new ideas and inspiration and my shop will be closed 20.4 – 7.5.2012. I have still enough days for few posts and I shall show you finally my ‘Dream Quilt’!

Sunny wishes!

TEJE

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“2 in 1″ MAKE-UP BAGS

Hello my Dear Friends! It’s raining today, but sun is also shining - how that happens? It  was already summer with +30 degrees! But rain is good – nature needs that! I needed a make-up bag for my travel and also I needed a box to keep my make-ups in the bathroom. So here you are, ‘both in one’!

‘Crab with the bag’ was my first try. I needed a box for make-ups and because I had seen so many lovely fabric baskets, I thought that would be nice. But I shall travel also very soon, so why not to have a basket that you can also take with you.

I made the cover so that it’s possible to have turned outside. In this one I sew it inside, but in the second bag I made it better and it’s sewn outside and it turns beautifully.

It stays very well open like a basket and when closed it looks like this …

These bags can be filled also with so many other things. How about sewing applies, knitting and crochet tools, pens and pencils, with doggie treats or it can be even a small handbag or a necessary in a big handbag.

The outside fabric is ‘canvas’ = quite firm fabric and great for bags. That I have quilted with fleece and thin cotton. Inside the lace is made with ‘normal’ cotton. So all this makes the bag strong and it keeps well the ‘box’ shape.

I shall make an easy tutorial for this basket-bag before my holidays. So then you have something to do when I’m in North?! I know you have always too much time and don’t know how to spend it!

And once again my own little crab bag …

I have more this funny fabric, so there will be more crab bags! 

Sometimes I loose blogs from my reader and that had happened to ‘Cabbage Quilts’! Luckily I remembered her address because of the lovely name and what I found … Cathy had made fantastic mini quilt inspired by sea glass!!! LOOK HERE! She shows also how she made it. Cathy makes so beautiful quilts, I love her colours and she is so creative and talented!

I am linking with Megan & Heather at ‘Fabric Tuesday’! Join us and see what our friends have been sewing! Also I’m happy to join Kelly’s monthly link party at ‘Bluebird Sews’!

Thank you for stopping by and for your lovely comments! I wish you wonderful sunny spring-week!!!

TEJE

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‘Kreative Blogger Award’!

Hello and welcome! My dear friend Avis from ‘Oh sew tempting’, gave to me ‘Kreativ blogger Award’! Thank you so much Avis – I do appreciate!

Avis has a beautiful blog and I love the way she writes with humour! Also she has great ideas and often tutorials! She makes beautiful quilts and I want to make the pincushion she just showed ‘how to make’!

To accept this award means that we can share 7 … things about us and to pass the award to 7 other blogs. Avis said so nicely that she already waits what creative blogs I follow and where I get inspiration. So here they are - 7 from so many unique blogs I follow, get support and find inspiration!

* Anne from ‘Quiltefia’

* Christy from ‘Describe Happy’

* Dorien from ‘Just-Do’

* Lori from ‘Lori times five’

* Maureen from ‘Maureen Cracknell handmade’

* Mia from ‘HandmadebyMia’

*Svetlana from ‘S.O.T.A.K Handmade’

With Nero we want to send special wishes and thanks to our dear friend Sage and her mom! Sage is so creative with her writing and modelling! She is a great athletic and the most sweet girl! Some time ago Sage gave to us this award, but unfortunately then we didn’t have time to tell about that. We are sorry Sage and we want you to know that we were so happy for that! Sages exiting blog is ‘The (mis)adventures of Sage’!

Seven things about me … this is difficult … I started to remember things that I did, even I don’t … for example …

* During the school time, I was few years in a special music class and played violin. Later I played piano. I loved to play but now I don’t even listen music except in the car.

* I went several years to balet class but I don’t dance at all.

* I was playing tennis but I don’t like sports except swimming.

* I was working many years in the restaurant but I don’t like to cook. I like to make applepie and eat sweet and cakes.

* I was riding many years but then after falling I started to be affraid and didn’t ride again.

… and few other things …

* When I was 11 years, with my friend we started a business to make hats. We sold them to our parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. They were very supporting!

* I love slowly mornings and I was lucky to work many years from the afternoon till night. Best way to begin the day is having coffee with sandwich and reading your posts!

I like to tell you that Avis is making something that she keeps it secret from me! I’m really waiting to see what she is up to!!! Thank you my friend again for this special award!!!

I hope you enjoy visiting all my friends and reading their wonderful blogs! They are so creative and so often I say aloud ‘ooooh’ and ‘aaaah’ when I see what amazing ideas they have and how talented they are!

Thank you for stopping by! Have a lovely weekend and Happy Easter for you who are having Easter now! We celebrate Easter after one week!

Hugs and kisses! TEJE & NERO

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Hey Crab, it’s a Bag!

A crab with a bag or a bag with a crab?!

my creative space …

… lunch with Maries and Claires and the the evening with the crabs ..

My friends Anne from ‘Quiltefia’ and Svetlana from ‘S.O.T.A.K handmade’ have made fantastic bags! I want to make THIS and THIS!

Jess from ‘The Elven Garden’ has a fabric give away!

And because it’s Wednesday, I am linking at Lee’s ‘W.i.P wednesday’!

Nero wants to send you big hugs and kisses for all his sweet friends who sent so lovely comments and loves him so much!

Thank you for your visit! Have a wonderful Wednesday!

TEJE & NERO

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