QUILTING WITH A PURPOSE

 This is a photo of Kristina and her group, and her links are under the photo.

http://www.toquiltorknot.weebly.com/
http://www.facebook.com/?sk=events

Hello to all my friends!! I am  happy to help a friend that is trying to do something wonderful for Christmas , she has a goal to make 50 baby quilts for the Orphanage in the city in which she lives ,she  needs help with baby quilt tops which she can add the batting and the backing and do the quilting on her machine,  she is located in Thessaloniki ,Greece and she has set up a studio in her home .   She is very actively showing and helping women learn the  craft, she is also planning on having the lady's which she has taught go in and show the young girls in the orphanage learn the craft and help familiarize  the craft , which is lacking in Greece.
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I want to go back a bit as to how I met Kristina ,I met her through her facebook before I started blogging,  she cleverly titled Quilters of Greece Unite. I quickly became a member and wrote to her and soon we talked on the phone and got to know each other.     I have even met her in person and is just as sweet in person as on the phone.  I met up with her when she and her hubby had come to Athens with a friend visiting the City, we had arranged the day, and so we met and sat down at a little cafe under the Acropolis on a sunny day early spring , and we had even brought fq's with  us and swapped ,I have since used some of her fabric in my applique  ,just the right green for a tree .

Kristina has been quilting for over 15 years and is very active in her community she is also planning on going to the local senior citizens center and to the same ,and then she plans on going to the home for human Trafficking and offer the comfort of her quilts and to
teach the women the craft.  Kristina and I would greatly appreciate a baby or any small quilt top that can be stuffed in an envelope and sent to her in time to be quilted  for Christmas .  I myself have a couple atarted and plan on  finishing  them today ,I thank all of you for taking time to read ,and or help out in this great charitble cause , My best wishes to all.

MY CAPSULE PILLOW

 Yea!! that's what I call it a capsule pillow , how does it look ?

I had two pieces of fabric  , and I put the two colors together and sewed lines 2 cm. and about 7-8 cm. apart at a tad apposite alternating angles, and then cut in between the seams  , and then cut down the middle .

And sewed them together  and this is what the result is ,it sort of looks like an accordion..

 

   I added a boarder and around them ,and added a larger piece to it and put it a zipper, I didn't really have a plan I saw the size and just whent with it ,but I did have a pillow in mind. I then had a tubular shape and decided to cut out two round pieces of  satin cream fabric which I have had for years , and sewed around the edges .





The circle that I had cut out was a tad large and cut it again,I also decided to line the  inside with the same fabric that I made the circles on the sides . I was working on this project for 5 day's a little at a time and I just love finishing a project ,don't you  ?? I have it now on my sofa and it looks nice with the other little pillows I got ,

  One of these days I will take a photo of all of them together ,I just love the mixture of different shapes, colors,and sizes.



The reason I love to make cushions and pillows is that with small amount of fabric ,with different combinations from my scraps you can make something that doesn't take to long to make ,and it's something that the whole family can enjoy while sitting on the sofa, I wish all of you Happy Sewing !!!

























FREE MOTION QUILTING

I had time last Sunday to try out the free motion quilting , I was so nervous as you can see I did some flowers I had seen them somewhere and decided to do some ,I think they aren't so bad for the first time ,the gloves that I was using didn't give me a very good grip ,so I got creative I wound masking tape around my fingers and that helped I recommend to put it on every other finger I got my fingers stuck together,

I also did some mopping motion which is easy for me cause I'm always mopping my marble floors so it's a natural for me ,I think I should of started with something easier ,but these came to mind at the time I have some  designs noted down from Christina's blog and I will be doing those this Sunday I am also going to get some rubber gloves and try that out easier than taping my fingers even though it went OK. ,but it is a hassle.



This photo is the back from a certain distance it looks good.





I also did some stippling ,but as you can see I'm not up to it yet ,the machine goes fast and you just have to be ready to move the quilt pad fast so I just wasn't  very decisive on the direction, I started with the U shape like the video I saw on Christina's blog ,but then I couldn't keep up with the machine and this is the result, I believer with practice It will get better ,this Sunday I will go at it again .  So happy quilting ,crafting and sewing,



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THE APPLIQUE QUILT

This applique quilt is something I had been working on for more than a  few years ,I made it for my son's boss's little girl ,when I started it she was a baby it took me to long to complete it while she was still a baby so ,I added a boarder

to it in order to make it larger, I started adding flowers and butterflies and that made me take even longer .

So it became larger for a single bed and that took a lot of quilting by hand and some by machine ,at any rate I finally finished and I delivered it to it's home last Sunday .    The little girl happen to be at her grandmas ,but the mother was ecstatic over it she called her mom and described the quilt to her ,and that made me so happy that it is appreciated ,and I am sure the little girl will like it to .

                                                                                           

MY TRIP TO LAMIA

About a month ago I took a trip to Lamia it is a city about 3 hours north of Athens , the purpose of the trip was to rent out the bottom floor of a home that we have there. MY mom had built this home in the 80's for the purpose of retiring there ,but fate didn't go her way ,she remarried and now lives in Oregon near the boarder of Idaho , actually her home is up on a hill that overlooks the boarder which is the snake river. She does visit  often and stays in it for for the time that she visits with her husband Joe.

 

I arrived there the renters were waiting for me they have two little girls and as soon as they got out of the car they ran and picked some grapes and I just had to snap a photo they were so cute ,I am so happy that is will be inhabited again.

This photo is the rear of the yard , it has vineyards and fruit trees  all around the property not to mention a huge fig tree which I forgot to take a photo of.  I am so HAPPY that a family with children will be able to bear the fruits of this house and the huge yard that they can play ball and ride bikes around it for it is paved all around.

I quickly took care of the lease agreement , and proceeded to look around and noted some things that need repairing and then I left.

I started walking towards the train station which is a 15 min walk , I started thinking I can't wait to retire and to live here , maybe I will make it a quilting retreat and put some life into it with a purpose instead of enjoying it alone, it is centrally located near many wonder full places to visit mountain villages, Delphi, there is a town with a port to visit the Aegean Islands  ,there is a hot springs resort nearby  ,I can plan various fun excursions , I am planning what to do when I retire as you can see, but I have to wait I am still to young to retire darn it.

As I took the long road down to the train station some Gypsy women asked me for the time and then they asked me if I wanted them to tell me my future I quickly said no and proceeded my way they were a bit insistent ,but I refused !! the last thing I wanted was that !! I don't believe in anything they wanted to say to me.

 

I snapped a photo as they walked away fearing that they would turn and look .I arrived at the train station and left on time to be home in time for dinner I was so tiered I went to bed early .  I will be going again in a couple of weeks now since its been over a month to check out how everything is .

FINALLY FINISHED A QUILT TOP

I am so proud of myself  I finally completed a quilt top that I had started so long ago I can't remember because I feel so embarrassed to remember OK.  you bent my arm it's been 12 years can you believe it , during the hot day's I just couldn't concentrate on cutting  out new blocks for the Amy's quilt along when it's hot measuring and decision making on what fabric to use and all that ,as I was organizing I found these pieces and I decided I am going to finish this I did !! so now that I will be doing free motion  it will be perfect to practice on. 

I started sewing two ,then two with other two  ,and then fours together to make eights and so on .

I just love the way the  stack looks all piled up ready to be run through the machine.  So my quilt is ready to be quilted , I can't wait to start I think it will be challenging and most of all fun.