Sunday, January 23, 2011

First post in 2011

Hello and welcome to my first post for 2011 and I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday , I have been a little under the whether first I got a terrible cold and I was in bed Christmas day  and then the following week I got an awful flu and was sick for 5 days or so ,that and running the shop and trying to  hand quilt this baby quilt for my best friend Zacharoula really didn't leave me with very much energy left to blog or to post .  So this is the quilt I made and hand quilted for my friends grandson doesn't she look cozy in it ??
This is the whole quilt and below I took some individual photos of the blocks.





This is just a close up of my hand quilting , how does it look??
This is what I worked on at night I got this little piece of flannel with little birds and I decided to cut in to it ,and matched it with some pinks and blues and cream that I think it looks nice together ,I got two baby size quilt tops out of it,not bad huh!!
 I have this calender with quilt patterns in it , a gift from a dear friend for Christmas last year and I found in my stash like colors and made it , this is the first time I actually made a quilt by looking at one and trying to make it look similar ,I think I did well with it, I made two throw size quilt tops out of the blocks I made.
 The day before Christmas I dashed downtown Athens for a print for a customer and I decided I had enough time to make it to a fabric store I found on the Internet by googling cheap fabric in Greek this is the firs time I tried to find fabrics and I found a shop in the center of town so ,I ran as fast as I could it there were 3 floors of fabrics ,but they didn't have very much in cotton quilt friendly fabrics the good thing was what they had was only 1.23 euros per meter and it was extra wide .  I bought 5 meters of each of the above and took a taxi home with my haul , I think that's how I got my cold for Christmas ,but it was worth it, don't you think so ?.
 I made a top with just blocks the pink flowery print and pink checked ,the blocks do look a little crooked ,but it will iron out OK. I think .
 I started cutting circles out and then decided to make little triangles on the edged ,but that is still in progress ,it is a little hard working with such small pieces.
 This is my completed quilt top , or one of them I made two like it and added a lighter blue boarder on it.
 This is another inspiration I made, I had a remnant of plaid that I was given and I worked by cutting strips and coordinating the colors to each other and I got this nice size quilt top.

 
I found a bunch of hangers from the clothing stores that they throw out ,so I had this piece of pretty tissue paper from a lady that brought something in to be framed ,so I used it to decoupage the hanger ,I think it is the first time I tried it but,I was in the store and bored ,since I was done hand quilting the baby quilt.
And last but not least I put the triangles that I fussy cut onto the machine with a white piece of triangle fabric and I was surprised to see how many I had ,I counted bout 40 of them ,now I am thinking what to do with the lattice blocks maybe I can cut them into a diff. shape and do stars I really don't know, but I will surely let you know . I think that is about it I am going back to my studio now to think of what else to do , some of you might have read in a previous post that I am saving up to by a quilt machine with a table and all so that is in the works ,and I am planning on putting it in the shop window so I can quilt  while in my store so people that pass by can watch ,that will be fun just to see there reaction quilting is unknown to most here, I can't wait for that to happen,  so keep in touch more to come ,may your scissors and cutters always be sharp and may you always be full of  inspiration and energy by for now, Theodora

20 comments:

Oops-Lah said...

My gosh, you have been very busy indeed. Are you telling us you've made all these quilts in the last few weeks? I love your "crocked" baby quilt. So lovely! So sorry to hear that you were sick over the holidays. Glad you got your energy back.
Hugs
Vreni x

Maria said...

WOW Theodora you sure did a lot of work after you got over you illness.
Love the hand quilted Baby Quilt.
Also you did a great job of copying the quilts from the calender.

Quiet Quilter said...

Welcome back! Sorry you have been sick. So glad you found a fabric store to roam around in.

I can just see it now...your store with all its' inventory of wood...turning into a quilt store as well! Quilting so everyone can see,,,that will bring people in!

Oh, yes...your creations are lovely!

MyCretanlife said...

Wow! you have made some lovely quilts there. I do like your hand quilting. You should be very proud of yourself. Pleased that you found some fabric , wish I could find some in Crete. Everything is so expensive.What do you use for batting? Sorry to hear that you have been unwell, I too have not been my normal self. Cold and a terrible upset stomach that is only just starting to get better now, so I can symphaties with you.

sunny said...

Well, I've been wondering where you were hiding, and now I know! What a bunch of beautiful quilts you have made. I didn't realize that quilting wasn't well known in Greece. How did you happen to get started. Glad you're feeling better, my friend.

Kim said...

Theodora, first off I hope you're completely well and back to healthy! Your quilts look wonderful and I love the hanger project!

Lynda said...

Wow, you have been busy. I love the wonky log cabin baby quilt. The fussy cut centers are so cute. I think it is a good idea to be quilting in the store window. Your hand quilting is very good. I don't hand quilt anything anymore. I find my favorite part is the piecing.

Melissa ;-) said...

Oh that baby quilt is wonderful!! So is everything else. You sure have been a busy bee. Glad you are feeling better!

Wacky Woman said...

I'm tired just reading your post. What a busy lady. I adore your baby quilt and your hand quilting. A special gift indeed.

Sammy said...

Hi my dear friend. I am really sorry that you were ill with flu, and I am glad that you are back to the blogland.
That baby quilt is beautiful theodora, I really love the design, and the color is beautiful too. This is one lucky baby.
I would like to thank you for visiting and your beautiful comment. These were past memories of our family. It is so cold in here I long for the warmth, and the SUN.
I know exactly what you mean, I will call it baklava, and assail ( Honey) LOL.
Stay happy.

Lots of love,

-Samya :-)

Kelly said...

So sorry to hear you have been ill! I hope you are on the mend. LOVE your quilts and your hand quilting!

Micki said...

Hope you feel better soon, and I love your hand quilted quilt.
It is just beautiful Theodora!
Micki

Laura said...

Good Morning!
So glad that you're back...hope you are feeling much better, my dear! Boy, have you been busy! I love all the quilts that you've been working on...especially the one in the first picture. You have been a busy little lady lately! I hope that you are able to get your quilt machine soon...and I would love to see more pictures of your "shop"...I'm so excited for you!

Have a blessed day,
Laura

Anonymous said...

Hello Theodora! I hope you are well now! Even you was ill, you have made many things and also working at the shop!
Your new quilts look wonderful and also that baby quilt you quilted by hand!
Thank you for your visit and lovely comment! I'll write you tomorrow.
Teje

Anonymous said...

Hello Theodora! I hope you are well now! Even you was ill, you have made many things and also working at the shop!
Your new quilts look wonderful and also that baby quilt you quilted by hand!
Thank you for your visit and lovely comment! I'll write you tomorrow.
Teje

Val said...

Hello Theodora, I am so glad you are feeling better, I had wondered where you were for such a long time :0)
I love your quilt for your friend's grandson and it was nice of you to take some close up photos, your hand quilting is really good. I do hope you manage to save up for your quilt machine, it will be very interesting to the passers by, you may even have queues outside the shop! You have been truly inspirational with this post,
I hope you have a happy and creative 2011 :0)
best wishes
Val xx Oxfordshire UK

Sheila said...

You have been so busy and such beautiful work ,love your quilts .
hugs Sheila

Sally Tharpe Rowles said...

So sorry you were sick....hope you are much better now. The baby quilt is beautiful & all the others. Love your idea of quilting in your shop window. Wish I could walk by & watch for a little while.

Best wishes for a happy, healthy & creative 2011!

beachvintage.com said...

Quiltmaking looks so fun. One day when i have some time I want to try and make one myself.

Unknown said...

I liked looking at your blog. My husband and I will be traveling to the island Hydra in June. Do you know of any quilt resources in that area?

Thank you.

Gail Willett
Cambridge, MA
USA