KNITTING A COWL

Hi everyone! New week again – I hope great one! At least no storm or thunder and even sunshine … to wash laundry. I am knitting a cowl and I think I shall name it Cloudy Cowl because it’s bluffy and soft like beautiful clouds. But the colour is exactly the turquoise from the sea …

When visiting Finland in spring, I still found lots of yarn – from me, my sister and my mom. Only few came with me but more came with friends at the end of the summer. I had in my mind to make a crochet cowl because Avis is making a beautiful stripe blanket. But I wasn’t happy with my yarns and colours (those which were suitable for crochet). Then I saw these yarn balls and knew that they will be my new cowl. I was hoping to get two cowls, one turquoise and one light pink.

There was only one ball in both colours. I couldn’t know how far they will take me, so I just began and thought we’ll see … of course one wasn’t enough. Usually I like to match and mix colours but this time I took brave dicision and just continued with the second colour. This was also the easiest and quickest way to make the cowl. If I had started to make a plan how to mix the colours, it would have taken much time. Now in few late evenings I have knitted more than half. I am planning to write a simple tutorial at the end of the week. This is easy and quick way to make a lovely cowl and there is still time to knit it for a Christmas present!

I have been so delighted to hear that you liked my tea cosy tutorial! Thank you for your sweet words! If you subscribed to the newsletter after it was published, you can see all Cindy’s newsletters in her blog ‘Fluffy Sheep Quilting’. My tutorial is under the ‘November 2012′. And to find beautiful fabrics to make your tea cosy, go for shopping to ‘Fluffy Sheep Quilting’ fabric shop!

One day after the storm the scene over Chania was this! Like a spaceship was going to land! It looked really amazing, so strong light through the dark clouds!

Lots of rain and still warm temperature helped my poor rosies and now they are flowering.

It’s orange time! Who could believe that in one month we have Christmas and the magic Christmas Eve has already passed! Clups – I should be with my sewing machine …

Jennifer from ‘Ellison Lane Quilts’ is hosting a great event ‘Deck The Halls’- every day one blog is showing one tutorial and has a give away! Ideas and inspiration for your Christmas sewings!  You find the button also from my sidelist so you can easily visit every blog-stop!

So hop hop - you and me - to make presents and cards!!! I just wish that these were fabrics … paper napkins from my Marimekko collection!

Thank you for your visit and for your always sweet comments! I enjoy so much changing thoughts and ideas with you! See you soon with the ‘Cloudy Cowl’!

TEJE

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Cats and Boats and Coasters

Hi! I hope you had a great weekend! I met this cutie at the weekend …

We had a lovely lunch with dear friends at the fish restaurant and there are always many kittens around waiting to get their share.

This little girl was special; it had so beautiful fur mixed with some long hairs!

It was still beautiful weather and there were people on the beach … and something else … a sailing boat! We don’t know what has happened to this poor boat!

We were eating under the white roof and on the far left you see the sailing boat. In Marathi there are also lots of fishing boats.

All the morning was sunny and later there came some clouds … still no rain and the warm continues.

Even I’m not fan of sailing (I feel uncomfortable in boats and ships), I like to see boats … it’s fun to read their names … the first one is “My Dream”.

From the sewing table … I have made some coasters and I am preparing also tutorial for these. These are like mini quilts and if you haven’t made any quilt yet, by following my tutorial you can easily learn all the basics. These are made with patchwork blocks …

… and some more with raw edge applique … green/turquoise to match with this tea cosy …

… and of course also in orange to match with orange tea cosy!

And now some great links:

*Janice from ‘Better of Thread’ has made adorable block with Santa’s hat and then she made the most fun and beautiful pillow with four blocks! I love that! And she made also TUTORIAL for the block and pillow! I’m sure you love it, too!

* Faith from ‘Fresh Lemons’ has made fantastic star block and pillow with that! Also here you have TUTORIAL!

* If you like to see my Santa’s Hat block from last Christmas, it’s HERE. I made lots of mini quilts/mug rugs with different pictures. I made also TUTORIAL  for the mini quilt/mug rug.

I hope you find inspiration for your Christmas sewings! I’m still trying to cope with my autumn sewings?! I have had beautiful scene on my sewing table and today I have cut also some ‘written’ fabrics …

Thank you for stopping by and for your lovely comments! Soon it’s my turn at Laura’s Blog Hop with EPP = english paper piecing!

TEJE

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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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Featured at ‘QUILT STORY’!

Hello my Dear Friends! Time for the exiting news … Heather and Megan at ‘Quilt Story’ are featuring my ‘Baby Stars’ quilt!!!

Thank you so much Heather and Megan!!! You are so sweet and I love you blog, quilts and other sewings (can’t forget the cute pincushion with peas) and your quilt stories!

‘Quilt Story’ is so wonderful blog! It’s full of inspiration, tutorials, patterns, ideas and every Tuesday we meet there at the link party: ‘Fabric Tuesday’! Please pay a visit and say hello from me!

I have said too many times that this is busy time for me … if you just knew how many things I have now in my mind (and not only quilt blocks) … I’ll tell you later …

But you can guess how much I wait to get to my cutting board and sewing machine if you see what my dear sister sent to me …

I hope I can cut these and not just to save and adore them!

Yesterday with my friend we had a lovely visit to a big monastery of ‘Agia Triada’ which is very near to us. That place is so beautiful with nice gardens and they make their own, very good oil, and wine.  We went to buy good wine!

Thank you for your visit – I hope you are having a wonderful time and beautiful weather!

With Nero we send you hugs and kisses!

TEJE

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‘MY DREAM QUILT’ & EASTER

Hello my Dear Friends! We had a wonderful, long Easter weekend – celebrating with family and friends and having a lovely spring drive in the near villages. I like to show you few photos from these last days but mostly I want to show you finally ‘My Dream Quilt’!

I had my quilt with me yesterday because I thought that it would be great to have some unique photos some where outside … perhaps with the sea and not always in my garden.  But then I almost forgot the quilt because there was just so much beauty to look every where! Spring is the most beautiful season! Thank you G and R for presenting ‘My Dream Quilt’!

This was on the right side from the place where we finally took one photo of the quilt.

But lets go to the beginning of this story … last spring I took photos of these lovely fabrics here in my garden and started to dream how to make a quilt with them. Nero was my photo assistant and he thought his turguoise ball looks great with blue fishes!

I left these fabrics to wait all the summer. I knew that I shall be busy and not to be able to enjoy them enough. Slowly slowly I was trying to find the perfect design for the quilt. Then one day I saw something and knew immidiately that this is it!

I made lots of fishes during the autumn and just before Christmas it was time to collect all of them and decide how to arrange them. After many different ways, I ended up using two lines – fishes swimming to the right and then to the left. I decided an order for the colours and then used the same order but only moved it two blocks for every next row.

Here meets the sea and the river from the mountains! Sea goes inside and and the water from the melting snow, runs from the mountains.

Then it was time to quilt – but how?! I wanted to quilt by hand but I was worried that it’s going to be too much work. I asked your help and because so many said that those fishes want to be quilted around, I did it. I quilted every single fish aroung with beautiful sea-turquoise cotton perle!

I didn’t mind spending so much time for quilting and making this quilt because it was my dream! I love everything in this quilt and it will stay with me for ever!

Details:

“MY DREAM QUILT”

My design and the ‘fish’ block is from Lee at ‘Freshly Pieced’. Thank you Lee for inspiration!

Measurements: 49″ x 62″ (about 125 x 160 cm)

Fabrics: ‘Sugar & Spice’ by Quilted Fish !!! (that was a perfect coincidence)

I won these fabrics from ‘Quilt Story’! Thank you again Megan and Heather!

I am so happy that just now Megan from the ‘Canoe Ridge Creations’, is hosting a ‘Festival of Half Square Triangles! I shall enter the festival with ‘My Dream Quilt’!

I shall join Megan and Heather at ‘Fabric Tuesday’ and Lee at ‘W.i.P Wednesday’ even at last this not anymore wip.

On the opposite side you can see ’Akrotiri’, the area where we live. And front of us, down is the old prison. Now it has been closed for a long time. To the left is Souda Bay which is the biggest natural bay as a harbour in Europe.

I hope that one day you can experience the Greek Easter! It is an unforgetable celebration!!!!!!

Thank you all for joining my Easter and spring drive! I hope you enjoyed this little journey and my dream!

I wish you sunny and wonderful spring!!!

TEJE

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Weekend Happiness !!!

Welcome Wonderful Weekend! I hope you have lots of happiness and beautiful weather this weekend! I have been busy but now I shall enjoy the weekend with my puppies and other happy things! Not that I haven’t had happy things and moments also all the week!

Beginning this lovely sunny Saturday with pre-washing new fabrics …

… having fun in the garden with my sweet dogs …

… making more blocks …

… sss … sewing some sashing …

… colours are almost the same as in the water …

… the beach house after the storm …

… the sweet girl who took me to this little beach …

She is such a darling and we have had so wonderful time together. Now her family is back home and I shall spend more time with my sweet puppies. But look what we found …

When my dear friend Lori sent to me sea glass, I was so happy because I had never found any by myself … and look now …

You never know what you can find from the beach? … ? …

You can understand that when I found these labels from Jennifer’s Etsy shop, I couldn’t resist them! Next time I may try to do my own design to be the same as the banner and logo … or perhaps I stay on the beach!

… dreaming about new fabrics …

These fabrics are ‘Cosmos’ by Dan Bennet and I saw them in ‘The Intrepid Thread’ Etsy shop. First on my wish list!

Something for weekend happiness :

Little sewing machines made with LEGOS by Riel!

NOTEBOOK with photos by Kati! She used beautiful photos from her quilts!

Make a wall quilt coloured with CRAYONS by Carol!

What makes you happy this weekend? Your lovely messages make me always so happy – Thank You for them! Now I shall go to have a ball game with Nero!

TEJE

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From the beach !!! and good links

Hello! I would like to welcome you to join me for lovely walk on a sunny beach … ?!?! hmmmm – that was my thought few days ago, but I guess I wouldn’t have any company today …

I’m happy that I don’t live in that beach house! This is the best I could do to show you what happens outside today. I even got out from the car to get these photos. I hope my camera didn’t drink too much salty sea water.

Here I couldn’t step outside and I know that first day without rain, I am washing my car – salty water is a monster for a car! I hope I could show you a video, because the sea is today so unbeliavable! Beautiful, horrible, amazing, just so fantastic and powerful!

Yesterday morning, just before this storm began, I took few photos. Some of these blocks you have seen months ago. Now I have an idea how they could make a small quilt …

What you think? Can they lead some where or is there going to be only a wall against …

Something else happening on my sewing table, but can’t tell you much about that yet …

These last days there has been going on so much in sewing blogs! I always try to write down somewhere great links i see, to remember them and I have collect several for you.

PINCUSHIONS you have to see!

“Pea pod wristlet” from Megan at ‘Quilt Story’

“Mermaid” and “Boat” from ‘Cut to Pieces’

“Shoe” from ‘Creative Carmelina’

HOW TO MAKE A BLOG BUTTON!

Jennifer from ‘Ellison Lane Quilts’ has made a great tutorial!

FANTASTIC MINI QUILTS!

Leanne from ‘She can quilt’ has made fantastic mini quilts and today she has her 1st blog birthday and a give away!

Dorien from ‘Made by Do’ has made adorable set of mini quilts – spring tulips and colour circles!

“SEW INTO SOLIDS”

Katherine and Jane are having a ‘quilt together’ with solids and they have made great posts about colours! There are really good links how you can make colour palettes etc.

If you like to see how beautiful the beach was last week, visit my other blog ‘MAHERIDA HOLIDAY HOMES’ ! I hope that one day I meet you here – if you are planning your holidays, have a look on our Holiday Homes and who knows – maybe you come to Crete for holidays!

I hope you have time to visit some of the links because they are really good!

I am linking at ‘Fabric Tuesday’ and they have featured my ‘Parasols’ quilt on the beach! Thank you so much!

Thank you for your visit and all your sweet comments! Hope to see you soon!

TEJE

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I NEED TO FINISH THIS MINI QUILT!

Hello! I hope you are fine and enjoy your weekend! Hopefully with a beautiful sunny weather as we are!

You know that there is going on “MODERN MINI CHALLENGE”?! It’s hosted by sweet Jennifer from ‘Ellison Lane Quilts’! And it has began – you can enter now your mini quilts to the contest! And guess what – there are just amazing prizes!

There are already so many beautiful, fantastic, unique, special quilts – more than 60 links! All my blog friends are there and I want to join the fun and they wonderful company!

As you can see, I have finished only the top for my mini quilt! I don’t have any idea how to quilt this, how to bind it or how to name it! Please help at least with the name?!

So I suggest that you go for a lovely walk on the beach or the mountains and I go to finish my mini quilt!

See you soon! And wish me luck! Hugs and kisses!

TEJE

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BLUE WONKY COLOUR CIRCLE FLOWER

… that is a monster word … but how else can I describe this …

Hello my dear friends!!! I hope you are fine! I am today all the day at home and I had so many plans as you can guess. I am making the binding for the ‘Pink Birds’ quilt and it will be finished today! I think it’s quite cute!

For this colour circle project – perhaps I could have left out that ‘flower’ but even I don’t know exactly how this project will end. I have now the red and blue but I am missing yellow – iiiiiik – I don’t have yellows! Yellow is not really my colour but now here it is very much needed.

Have you seen a cat who doesn’t care about mouse? I have to say that Nelli is very good hunter but as a sewing assistant I can’t say the same … she prefers to see dreams than my scraps.

I’m almost sure that this winter we have had the worst weather in last 20 years, that I have been living in Crete. It just doesn’t stop raining! Today there was few times a little bit sun, but every one hour again very hard rain. And that means also very cold!

Yesterday I came again from that road where I met those two dogs. I didn’t see them but when I stopped to take photos they came to me. So quickly they learnt to recognize me – last time they didn’t come to me but I went to them. Now I need to buy more crackers to have in the car.

These circles begin because there is so much mini quilt inspiration around these days. Here are few more links to you: Nichi from Quilty Cat makes really beautiful and unique quilts and other sewing crafts! I enjoy also the colours she uses! 

If you like inspiration and quite much challenge, you find it from Megan at Canoe Ridge Creations! Look her earlier post. (I’m sorry but I can’t make the link to go straight to that post).

If you have heard about New York Beauty, you know what’s going on. Those blocks are just amazing and can make so many different kind of amazing quilts! I would love to join …. but I’m a little bit worried about the paper piecing. From Megan I found this site - for example good dog and cat blocks!

Yesterday evening I was going through my ‘quilt’ notebooks. They are quite a mess because I’m always so busy to mark quickly something just to remember my ideas. I found something which I thought would make a great mini quilt – and easy. So I have a plan to make a small mini quilt and tutorial for that. I know that many of you would like to make a quilt or start patchworks. I want to encourage you because I should have started loooooooong time ago! I am thinking to name that mini quilt: candy something …

Look carefully – there are two rainbows and they were almost full! Wow – that must mean something good!

I wish you very good day and I hope to see you soon! I’m on my way to choose some caramel colours!

Hugs and kisses!

TEJE

PS. Oh – I just noticed that this is my 200 th post! Wow – how time goes! What on earth have wrote to all those posts?!

I am linking at:  Amylouwho, Natural Suburbia, Visions of Sugar Plum, Wisdom Begins in Wonder and Love affain with my Brother!

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RAINY FRIDAY IN CHANIA

Hello my Dear Friends! Here we are spending this Friday again mostly at home, because it’s rainy, rainy, rainy and rainy! I feel that these last days we have had all for seasons and sometimes in one day!

Weather has been mostly rainy but some days it was changing every half an hour … from lovely sunny moment to …

… storm, rain and unbelievable strong wind. One day the wind was so strong that many trees were falling down not to mention all the smaller things like tables and chairs ‘flying’ around! Sea looked amazingly beautiful – full of ‘white sheeps’ and white dusty going with the wind!

Our little village. Those mountains you see are the lowest and behind in the clouds are the snowy ‘White Mountains’. Our house is on the far left.

Then again some beautiful springly moments …

There is already some flowers giving us hope, while waiting the spring! And so much green grass every where!

Sunny view from our super-market’s parking place!

These creatures had fun playing, before they were hidden again in the old fabric from the rain. For many sweet creatures this cold, rainy season makes life difficult …

… yesterday on my way home, I met these beautiful friends. They were sleeping under the tree. It was soft and ‘cosy’ corner … but it was windy and raining! Fortunately I had crackers with me to give. They didn’t take them from me, even the smaller let me pet her. But after I left they took the crackers.

The beach of Kalathas is on the left side and behind these trees is one taverna. Where you see now water (behind the dogs) is normally a parking place! In the winter the rough sea brings the water far a way from the beach because that place is a little bit lower!

So I guess it’s going to be enjoyable weekend in the sewing attic, because they say that this weather is going to continue … who knows how long.  Finally I am thinking to catch the pink quilt top with the wadding and the backing. And then the fun part begins … quilting!

I would like you to meet my sweet friend MAUREEN! Her BLOG is so wonderful and full of her beautiful crafts and designs! She has today give away for lovely fabrics, so why not to go to say hello to her!

With Nero we like to wish you wonderful weekend! If you can’t enjoy sunshine outside, take some sunny colours – fabrics, yarns, paints – and make your own sunshine!

Thank you so much for your visits and sweet messages you have wrote to us!

Hugs and kisses! TEJE & NERO

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