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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“BLOG OF THE YEAR 2012″ Award

Hello and Thank You for reading my blog! Nero and I have received the “Blog of the Year 2012″ Award! Thank you Anna Hergert for nominating our blog! This was amazing surprise and the most wonderful start for the New Year! Anna Hergert is very talented fiber artist, lecturer and writer. You will enjoy her blog with her beautiful works, art and other things!  I am so happy that she appreaciates and enjoyes my blog!

The rules for this award are simple:

1. Select the blog(s) you think deserve the ‘Blog of the Year 2012′ award.

2. Write a blog post and tell us about the blog(s) you have chosen – there is no minimum or maximun number of blogs required – and present them with their award.

3. Please include a link back to this page ‘Blog of the year 2012′ Award – http://thethoughtpalette.co.uk/our -awards/blog-of-the-year-2012-award/ and include these ‘rules’ in your post (please don’t alter the rules or the badges)!

4. Let the blog(s) you have chosen know that you have given them this award and share the ‘rules’ with them.

5. You can also join Facebook group – click ‘like’ on this page ‘Blog of the Year 2012′ Award Facebook group (sorry but I’m not in fb) and then you can share your blog with even wider audience.

6. As a winner of the award – please add a link back to the blog that presented you with the award – and then proudly display tha award on your blog and sidebar … and start collecting stars!

THANK YOU AGAIN ANNA!  I appreciate very much this award!

My nominations for this award are following blogs (in no particular order). I follow so many fantastic blogs that this was a difficult decision. I chose these blogs because they give to me many kind of inspiration and enjoy! They inspires me to create, sew, knit and to try to take better photos, write better posts and make my blog better …

* Lori times five - Lori’s blog is just amazing photo journey! She takes us with her to Africa, Alaska etc. Her knittings and decorations are most beautiful and she knows how to show them!

* Helen Philipps - Helen’s blog is full of sweet and adorable crafts! She makes bunnies, little houses, cross stitching, quilting, crochet etc. and always shows them with beautiful, cute items and lovely flowers!

* Stitched in Color - Rachel is very talented sewer and quilter! She loves colours and hand stitching! Rachel creates always something new and she challenge us to do the same. Her blog is full of inspiration but also information – beautifully and well organized!

Thank you ladies for taking the time to show and share your talented work and life!

I want to thank you my readers and followers! You make this worth of it! I love to read your comments and I’m happy to receive e-mails! I hope we can begin the New Year together … in the new address with the same name … with lots of new adventures and celebrations!

Sunny wishes!

TEJE, NERO AND HANNA

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Pink Presents and More Stars

Hello my Dear Friends! I hope you have had wonderful Christmas! We had quiet and relaxing Christmas this year plus the best weather! Sunshine and warm, perfect to spend time outside! Presents have been opened  and there was something special …

… painting of our sweet, little Foxy! My dear friend has painted this and it’s so precious to me! I was so surprised and touched when saw this! My artist friend lives in Finland but she met Foxy many times. I haven’t framed this painting yet, but I hope to get it done with frame like this …

Pink for a sweet girl! and more pink … I got the most soft and warm blouse in pink! and pink original Marshmallows!

I won’t take this furry blouse off before it’s warm spring! Today it was almost too warm outside and Nelli enjoyed there, too! She made me company when I took photos …

Cats have so funny way to keep all they feet gatherd together! This time of the year Nelli has so shiny and beautiful fur!

I have made more stars. I felt that this is a little boring project because those diamonds are big and also this is not so colourful as I usually make. But now when I started to make the y-seams, I’m happy that the pieces are big and there is not so much to sew. Lucky me I didn’t want to make this pattern in the beginning of my quilting career! It would have been very short career. Y -seams are not too difficult but you have to know how to do it and they need more time,  concentration and patient.

I’m not totally sure yet if I should leave those orange/brown stars out or if I shall include them. I have to see when I can see all the stars layed together. Only problem is where to to do that? I wish so much that I could have a design wall!

 

Now it’s difficult to believe that some years ago Nelli was so affraid of Nero that she didn’t go anywhere near to him. She was always somewhere more up so that Nero couldn’t reach her. Now Nelli is all around and even in the same bed with Nero. She does her best to fit in the gang. She eats Nero’s dry food, she wants every morning piece of cheese like Hanna and Nero use to have. In the afternoon she eats the same food with the dogs, for example rice with some meat. She even wanted a Christmas coocie!

All our puppies has been really good and they got so much presents … some of them have been eaten already …

Thank you so much for all the wonderful presents, wishes and messages!!! I wish you Happy New Year but I hope to see you still this year! Nero just came to me and he wants company, hugging, massage and surely some goodies! I wish you wonderful and relaxing end of this year! I think I go to eat my marshmellows …

TEJE

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Nero’s and Hanna’s Christmas Post!

Vof Vof Vof!!! Tomorrow it starts, the Christmas celebration! I have been out and tried to see if Santa is coming …

I wear my Santa hat so he can see me from far away! I asked Hanna to help me and look to the other road – we don’t want to miss Santa.

Nero, do I really need to wear this hat? It’s too big and I have just fixed my hair! Okey, I’ll do my best because I want to meet Santa, too …

Hey, Nero, come here … please help me! Something has stucked to my fur … huge snowflakes … I don’t know if I like this  …

Relax Hanna, I’m here! Everything is fine and we are ready for Christmas party … you see what Santa has already sent to us …

… and we have doggie goodies, too (I ate half of them, but don’t tell Hanna)! Teje has started her traditional Christmas puzzle …

… one sleeve = one star … someone is loosing his shirts, I hope Santa brings him new shirts …

This will be puppie-friendly quilt. Teje said that she uses only strong fabrics because anyway I’m the one who makes the bed every morning. This beautiful design is from Kaffe Fassett. She tries to follow the pattern this time …

Our dear artist friend has made this quilt and she was so kind that she sent her templates to us. Here is her wonderful quilt with her beautiful, sweet puppy …

We have put Christmas lights and cristalls to the windows …

Now we shall go for the last food shopping and then we can just relax and enjoy this magical time! Look,  there he is! I’m sure I saw Santa …

… oh and my hat had felt down! If he didn’t see me? Hey Santa, I’m here and I have been really good boy all the year!

Thank you so much for all your lovely comments and beautiful Christmas cards! We sent our cards three weeks ago but it seems to be that everything we sent that day, has disappeared in the post. We are so sorry if you haven’t received our Christmas cards.

We wish you the most wonderful Christmas time and all the best, health and happiness for the New Year 2013!!! We hope to see you before the new year! Hugs and Kisses!

NERO, HANNA & TEJE

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TEA COSIES!

Hello my Dear Friends! I hope you have warm hands – here it’s raining again and mine are cold! But I have very warming news – Cindy’s newsletter from ‘Fluffy Sheep Quilting’ has came out and there it is – my tutorial for  a tea cosy!

Cindy sent to me beautiful fabrics to make a tea cosy and tutorial for that. I couldn’t make up my mind, what fabrics to use, so I made two tea cosies!

First I made this colourful with more blue and green fabrics and the bird which I wanted absolutely! I thought this will be mine – I love this! When my friend saw it, she said the same and I had to say by by to my bird …

As soon as I have time, I shall make new ‘Bird tea cosy’ for me! When I was cutting these fabrics I thought that perhaps many people like something more modern style and I made the second with only polka dots and beige fabrics.

The newsletter from ‘Fluffy Sheep Quilting’ has this month again two tutorials! One is from my friend, Katherine from ‘Sew Me Something Good’ and one from me! Did you receive your newsletter? If not, you can subscribe on the homepage of ‘Fluffy Sheep Quilting’!

Choose your style, colours, prints and fabrics and create your own tea cosy!

I hope you enjoy my tutorial and find it easy and helpful! If you make your tea cosy, I would love to hear about it and even see it!

Now I wish you wonderful time and hopefully you have lovely weather – somehow the weather seems to be quite interesting issue – when it’s hot we miss cold, when it’s dry we miss rain and now when we have only rain, we do miss sun and dry! Is it so that ‘you get what you wish’?

Thank you for joining me today and thank you for your wonderful comments! Welcome and thank you also all my new followers!!! I hope you enjoy my sewing and other stories!

TEJE

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MINI QUILT TUTORIAL for mug rugs and coasters

Hi! Tutorial for coasters and mug rugs is ready. When I made these coasters I realized that even it’s so small project, it has all the same basics as a big quilt. I took lots of photos and now I hope that you find this tutorial helpful. If you haven’t made any quilt yet, but would like to try, I hope this little patchwork inspires you to start!

This time I have made the tutorial so that you can upload or print it. Because this is my first time using this method, I would love to hear your opinions. All the feedback is welcome – if there is anything you think should be explained better or any mistakes, please let me know.

This link will take you to the tutorial:

 MINI QUILT – COASTER – TUTORIAL

I made these coasters with small patchwork block. Squares are 2″ x 2 “. There is white around and the backing is white. Binding is double foulded quilt binding.

First coasters I made, where with raw edge applique. I had made the ‘Butterflies’ quilt and it gave me idea to use that theme also for coasters.

There is endles way to make these tiny quilts! Fabrics, prints, colours, binding, quilting … all these change the look!

I made the tutorial with the patchwork block, but it’s very easy to make also something with raw edge applique. Just take a piece of fabric, cut any picture or shapes you like, and stitch them around as you like.

If you are interested about tutorial for raw edge applique, please let me know and I shall make that, too.

Enjoy making mini quilts and coasters!  If you make some, I would love to see them!

Have a wonderful time and hope to see you soon!

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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GREEN TEA, PLEASE?

Something on a sunny Sunday – Hi everyone! Did I say something about socks last week? I had to take my cool summer dress again because it’s summer here!

Orange is good but I wanted also green. Green and turquoise are good, too! They are quite a nice couple!

Have you entered or visited ‘Blogger’s Quilt Festival’? I have seen there so many beautiful, interesting and inspiring quilts! It’s great to see quilts from friends (“ah, that I have seen, it’s hers”) and to find new blogs and talented people! I saw some quilters that I remembered they had last spring fantastic quilt and now I was happy to meet them again!

My latest project has been something related to these tea cosies, but can’t show you yet …

Nero and Hanna eat they salad every day. They enjoy having all the soft and fresh grass after those rainy days we had last week.

When ever it’s sunny, Hanna enjoyes her sun baths!

My sweet girl! She had a shampoo bath also yesterday and now she is so smooth and smelling so good!

I hope you don’t remember that one year ago I started to knit ‘Rainbow’ jacket … because I never made it. If you haven’t read that post, there is also a funny ‘scrap’ pillow that I really like. It’s in a new home … I should make a new one!

About the jacket … I was asked about the yarn and it’s from Finland. It’s from famous Finnish company NOVITA. Unfortunately their site is only in Finnish and as I saw they sell online only in Finland. Perhaps I should tell that there are many knitters who would like to order abroad?!

So I didn’t manage to knit the rainbow jacket. I started it many times but never the pattern felt right. I am also sewing so much lately that there is not much watching tv with a knitting. When I was in Finland last spring, I bought natural colour yarn for a jacket (from Novita again). Their, biggest in Northern countries, yarn factory is in my town. I sarted to knit it straight away in the spring but then it got too hot … can you imagine that I used to knit all the time? If I didn’t have planned next project when the other one was coming to an end, I got panic! Now I need fabrics and my quiet corner. But about this newest yarn … here it is …

After several tries I created this simple pattern. First sleeve is going well … my lovely project paper-bag from Novita … I think I shall spend my Sunday afternoon knitting in the garden …

My give away is still open HERE!

Thank you for your visit and for all the adorable, sweet comments you have wrote! I want to say big thank you also to all my readers and followers – you make this worth of effort! I’m so happy that you like my new ‘Butterflies’ quilt and that it has given inspiration to you!

If you see me ‘no-reply’ it’s a wordpress-blogger issue and I hope you take the time to write me an e-mail, if you have any questions or just want to say hi or what ever you have in your mind! my e-mail is nerospost(at)gmail(dot)com, it shows also in my sidelist after my photo. I love to hear from you – new and old friends and followers!

WISHING YOU A WONDERFUL TIME!!!

TEJE

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Blogger’s Quilt Festival: ‘BUTTERFLIES’

Hello! Welcome all our friends and new visitors – welcome to Nero’s Post and Patch and to Greece! It’s show time!!! ‘Blogger’s Quilt Festival’ starts today! Big Thank You Amy for organizing and hosting this festival! Amy from ‘Amy’s Creative Side’, makes amazing work organizing this festival every spring and autumn!

I’m joining with my ‘Butterflies’ quilt and this time I had the ‘Blogger’s Quilt Festival’ in my mind all the summer … or some where in my back thoughts … because I started to make these blogs in spring and thought that this could be just ready for the festival. Summer is busy season here and there is not much time for sewing, but I did make butterflies!

In spring I visited my home country Finland, and returned luggage filled with colourful fabrics! I just had to see how they look sewn even I didn’t have time or plan for some project. Now and then I make some crochet butterflies and I wanted to try how I could make butterflies with fabrics.  Beginning of this butterfly quilt is here …

I draw and cut wings from hard paper, cut them from fabrics and sewthem with raw edge applique on the white squares … and more and more butterflies …

This was the perfect project for my busy summer! It was so fun and relaxing to see these cute butterflies in different colours and prints! But I had to make a plan. What to make with these? I don’t have much free wall for a wall quilt and I didn’t feel like making a throw quilt with these. Then I realized that over the bed is just perfect space for a wall quilt. I had to stop making more butterflies, because the size had to be this …

Now one day Amy had posted about the coming ‘Blogger’s Quilt Festival’ and I couldn’t believe that it’s already autumn and time for an other festival! I had to continue and I decided to add here a border to make it like a butterfly collection. I had used the same border and white binding in my ‘Patient’ wall quilt and I really enjoy watching it. So the same was made here …

I have made the butterflies with raw edge applique. I love that method because I can make any kind of shapes very easily and it gives beautiful alive and shabby look for a quilt! I have made many quilts, pillows and fabric pictures with raw edge applique.

Other thing in quilting that I really enjoy is hand quilting! For me it’s like a part of painting process, it makes the last details and gives beautiful deepness and shadows to the quilt! Today I was really lucky because after three days rain we have blue sky and sun is shining! I finished this quilt just before yesterday, then washed it yesterday and dried it inside and wasn’t sure if I can give you sunny photos. Yesterday there was sunshine for a while and I took the quilt and camera … opened the door just to see that it was raining … with the sunhine!

When I started to write my blog two years ago, there was this quilt festival and I remember so well thinking if I’m ever able to join. And here I am now for the fourth time! This time I thought it’s my turn to show and tell about my quilt because till now my furry friends have helped me. First time Nero showed his ‘Nero’s Garden’ quilt, then he showed ‘Orange Stones’ quilt and last spring Hanna showed ‘My Dream Quilt’.

This time Hanna was joining only by keeping me company, as usually, with photographing. We live in Chania in Crete, the most loved place by tourists. But now it’s the end of the season and the last tourists fly home …

All the summer the sun is shining and it’s so straight over us that there are not much shadows anywhere during the day. But now there is beautiful warm autumn light and shadows …

I hope you have lots of time to visit all the quilters who are joining ‘Blogger’s Quilt Festival’! This is something really special because you can see so many fantastic quilts, find wonderful ideas and get lots of inspiration!!!

I’m sure you think that I have a quilt on our bed – of course … but unfortunately not, because someone else is there when they think we don’t see … ‘Butterfly’ quilt is going to place those paintings for a change …

That small footstool is for Nero to look from the window. He has arthritidis in his back legs and like this he can look out more comfortable. Nero, when you wake up, could you please sow some spinach and cabbage to the vegetable garden because I’m on my way to the quilt festival !

QUILT DETAILS:

‘BUTTERFLIES’: designed and made by me

Quilt size: 27″ x 56″

Special technics: Raw edge Applique

Quilted by hand with ‘Perle’ cotton n:o 8

Category: Applique Quilt, Hand Quilted Quilt

Nero’s Post and Patch # entry n:o 112

Thank you so much for your visit - I hope you enjoyed your visit to Greece and perhaps had a moment to look around Nero’s and my blog! We wish you wonderful weekend and lovely autumn!

TEJE & NERO

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“TEA TIME” tea cosy

Hello my Dear Friends! Beautiful sunny Sunday – what could be better time for a lovely tea time!

I love tea cosies and tea pots! Long time they were ‘troubling’ my mind and many ideas were running around and not only for tea pots … other cosies may be on their way, too. But first thigs first and here you are brand new, happy and unique tea cosy or cozy …

What a fun project this was! I enjoyed making this patchwork and the little tea bag. I’m in fact a coffee person (really) but now I know what you or at least I, need to make a wonderful cup of tea! Yesterday I took all this …

Friend of mine brought me while ago this tea from Finland. I boild hot hot water, warmed my tea pot hot, add the tea and waited … then add Cretan honey (the most delicious and healthy) to my beautiful tea cup (treasure from my trip to England long time ago) and then poured  this adorable tea to my cup … what an enjoyable tea time that was!

Because I have many dear friends from England and you are absolutely specialist for making tea, I would like to hear your tips! Do you have any practical tip how to empty those tea leaves from your tea pot? Jane at ‘Jane’s Journal’  from England was the only one who guessed in my last post what I was working on.  10 points and the parrot mark goes to Jane!

This wonderful tea I got, is from ‘Pentik’. I should have told you about Anu Pentik in spring when I returned from Finland but … any way … Anu Pentik is a Finnish artist and she has a gallery-shop in my town. It used to be in the next town but now all the next towns are together so it’s in my town. Anu Pentik started with ceramic but during the years she has made all kind of art and now the company is big with all kind of products! Have a look on her beautiful and colourful page HERE! (it is in English too).

In this beautiful shop there were two most sweet girls! So polite and helpful, happy and smiling! I asked if I could take photos for my blog and they were happy to hear that I live in Greece and write a blog. I’m so sorry girls, that I haven’t shown these photos before – I do hope you still sometimes visit my blog!

In Pentik collections you can find all kind of things:  fabrics, decorations, bags, kitchen things, dishes …

This was a ‘dangerous’ place but because of the weight limit at the airplane, I was in ’safe’.

When I was finding these photos, I saw that there are still many to share with you from my Finnish trip. So now and then I shall continue my Finnish posts. And here it is the Pentik gallery-shop from outside in very early spring.

Last weeks project was a tea cosy. Oh there is never enough time… I have so many things in my mind that I want and need to do. For example in no time there is the ‘Blogger’s Quilt Festival’! When I saw Amy’s first post about that, I didn’t realize what she ment because I couldn’t understand that’s it’s already time for that! And it’s 26.10. – 9.11.2012! Last year I made suddenly a quilt in one week to join the fun. It was ‘Orange Stones’ quilt. Now I have the quilt quite ready, only the quilting is missing and the binding of course. So this afternoon I shall sit outside with Nero and Hanna and at least start to stitch all those butterflies!

I would love to keep this tea cosy for myself, but it is now in my TEJESARITA etsy shop because I want to make many more cosies! Bags has been asked and this week I planned new one. It’s almost ready and this bag has almost everything! Only few moments in the evening and it’s ready. Here you have a little sneaky peaky …

If you somehow happen to be out of inspiration or ideas, have a look  ’Quilt Inspiration’s’ site and their Pinterest! There you have all the inspiration you need!

You find buttons for the Blogger’s Quilt Festivat and Quilt Inspiration from my sidelist!

Have a wonderful time and enjoy your tea times!

TEJE

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