Blog - PATCHAOURI

Easter Thursday..

29/4/2021

Easter has come and although our traditions are being stifled by the pandemic we can still celebrate the meaning wherever we are . I usually decorate the house and have people coming and going , overseas visitors come and stay and in general it is an active time of year. This year I haven’t bothered with the decorations or the cooking as such ...However, I came across a box in my sewing den...sewers understand...you know those boxes with bits and pieces...underneath were 4 unfinished chickens. Why did I not finish these a decade ago? ....I can find fault in anything and had decided these were the duds of the batch.

The chickens were based on a gift from dear friends who had gone on one of those distant holidays ...remember that pre covid life ...an upcycled brown patchwork ( log cabin style) Cuban chicken which seemed to be stuffed with socks ...I named mine Flaouna chooks, as they reminded me of the sometimes triangular cheese pastries we Cypriots have only at Easter ( most are square nowadays)..Another year, I made an unstuffed baby chooks version to hang and decorate lampades ( Easter candles we take to midnight service on Easter Saturday) for all my friends...I finished and stuffed my newly found chicken family in no time and they have cheered up the house and brought some Easter spirit ...duds no more!...# lesson to be learnt.

Flaounes ...Cypriot food safari

Hit the link above to watch the clip and get a recipe!
Happy Easter , Kali Anastasi to all...and stay safe!
Maro...

Oh Christmas trees!

29/11/2018

We're getting into the Christmas spirit and have made a forest!

These trees have been donated.

Sydney Craft and Quilt Fair 2014...

9/11/2014

Woohoo!!!... finally uploaded some photos of ... the BIG ONE, the Sydney Quilt and Craft Fair that took place from July 9-13 . To give you a general feel for what I saw...

These are some of the shops that were selling their goods at the show...

These were some of the gizmos and some of the talks/demonstrations I attended, and, some talented people I met..

One of the Exhibitions within the exhibition, this one was this years AQC challenge titled "Ten". I managed to take some of the entries before my camera finally ran out of battery...well there were more than 400 quilts displayed and both days I went my camera was working overtime taking happy snaps whenever I could.

If you would like to see all of the quilts from this challenge I have included a link button....I will post another blog before the end of the year with some more quilts to feast your eyes upon..promise...Maro

link to all of the Ten challenge finalist quilts

How much do you love your pooch ?!!...

26/10/2014

Have been in DOG mode recently ( in more ways than one !!) ... just for a break from bigger projects or the usual sitting at the computer filling in paperwork and forms...Made a quick cushion for a doggy friends red chair and she gave me the idea to make pouches for the pooches...doggy owners know they need to take bags and treats on walkies, for the happy dogs of this world. The pouches are waterproof so the treats don't get soggy and the pouches can be clipped onto the leash permanently so you don't forget to take your bags with you too..( I more than dislike people that don't pick up their dog poop).These are the first samples which are going to be distributed to special doggy parks and vets in Sydney. Yes, yes, I can hear all my doggy friends in Cyprus screaming out and...of course I wont forget about you all !!..Maro

ps...the girl and boy cushions were quick presents a friend needed...not doggy at all !!

pps....took me nearly a month to post this...you know the usual Australian internet connection..

ppps...I LOVE CABLENET CYPRUS !!!

Hunters Hill...

1/9/2014

Once every two years the community of Hunters Hill Quilters in Sydney put on a quilt show in aid of a chosen charity. This year, as they have done since 2003, they were supporting Giant Steps, a local school for autistic children. Having helped raise funds myself for Nicosia's Autism society in the past and recently having set up a special charity section at our Patchaouri 2014 exhibition for the Sophia Foundation for children, I was really keen to go and see how things happen for charities in OZ and in a quilty way!! They raise money from admission to the event , a raffle , the sale of donated quilts and through the sale of various handmade smaller items. I managed to take some really quick photos for all you quilters to get a feel for what was there...sorry about the quality but the lighting was not great for photos and you had to be really quick before someone stepped into the picture!!

There were a total of 51 quilts displayed by the members of Hunters Hill Quilters this year . I have linked a few buttons below to sites for those interested....Maro

PS. Happy first day of Spring/Autumn !!

hunters hill quilters

Sophia foundation quilts blog post

Sophia foundation for children

Still waiting...

25/8/2014

Unbelievable...got a call to say my stuff has arrived and will be delivered ...so I guess I am still waiting , but not for too much longer. So far it has been 5 months since I packed some essentials for the big move to Sydney. Have also still been filling in forms left right and centre and trying to source various crafty items. Found some bigger googly eyes and made up a few more kiddie purses....still haven't perfected the stitching on vinyl, pretty difficult for mum's machine. Have also made a few random cushions and a basket and some bunting for a special little girl's christening...

25m coiled basket...for baby Chloe.

By the time I got to finishing this post my stuff has arrived....

...so off to unpack and sort out...yay!!...Maro

Whilst waiting....

17/7/2014

I am still waiting for my 12 boxes of important stuff to arrive (packed mid march and won't be arriving now till mid Aug...grrrr). In a few of those boxes are my fabrics , notions and my sewing machine. I can't go a week without wanting to get onto my machine so you can imagine the frustration, but, luckily my mum sews and so I have had the chance to do something other that filling in all those red tape forms you have to fill in when you move to another country..( have realized I hate filling in forms as much as I hate ironing...maybe even more so ! )

Elena's 'Pocahontas' cushion , to go in her teepee...hand and machine quilted...

back...

Luka's 'Jaws cushion' ...

back...perfect colour combination of fabric

Leo's "Dinosaur"

back...very proud of the way I managed to sew the sides exactly on the seams, wasn't even a millimeter out !!! yay

and a few monster experiment purses for the kids to take on holiday...and a big red one for me , hand sewn to avoid damaging mum's machine !!..Maro

Woolly Sensations....

17/7/2014

All seen at the Craft and Quilt Fair I visited in Sydney last week. Sorry to those who are breaking out into a sweat just reading about wool, at home, locked inside due to the summer heat...
When I managed to pries myself away from looking at quilts I took a few snaps of yarns and fibers that caught my eye. Some of the photos do not do justice to the colours and textures but hopefully give an indication of the standard of the artists and crafty people who were exhibiting.

Prudence Mapstone's creations of
http://www.knotjustknitting.com/

Have no idea, but, this seems a good way for knitters to get rid of their left over bits of wool...These pieces were stunning and had so much texture and detail...great patchwork look...could do that in fabric...oops a thought !!

I spotted a couple of shops which make and sell patterns for knitted or woolly toys and dolls ...

My two favourite yarn shops ...feel like I really have to start knitting, crocheting or weaving...something ...

Last but not least...the revival of knitting machines....yes , not just to make skirts and tops but also wall hangings. This one is called 'Autumn' and was created by Angela McGregor who is a member of the Machine Knitters Association of Victoria.

There are quite a few knitting machine clubs around the country...one just 10 minutes away from here...mmm... now that's a thought ... and funny that mum actually mentioned where her knitting machine was and that she has not had the chance to use it for a few decades....will have to sign her up!!...might get her to knit up a few squares for a woolly quilt... thoughts that are never ending...stop NOW and GO AND SEW SOMETHING!!!
...Maro

Much to do about Christmas...

16/12/2013

I have been busy with a variety of things....big and small. Some things were for a Xmas Bazaar...

Maxine key rings ...a great character.

kitty key rings made with fabric given to me by a friend who knows I'm a cat lover..love camels too but have never seen camel fabric come to think about it...

a couple of the many kitty keyrings with a halloween flavour...

A whole batch of pyramid purses for coins, pills ...whatever !!

Took Nonie and I a while to figure out the templates for these wool felt,xmas, hat styled purses...our other results were a bit of a laugh...

and some from ribbon purchased in 2008 in Australia and also using upholstery samples..

...Some, because I have been into recycling/upcycling anything I get my hands on or have had stored away to use in some way at a later date...you know...years!!

Samples of some of my upcycled projects...more of these in various stages...

more samples of upcycled... in various sizes for various uses...of course forgot to take photos of the others...

...Some for presents, new and old.

A tummy heat pack...just in time for these freezing temperatures we have been experiencing.

... a welcome gift for baby Malvinas' room...born 7/12/13

A one off crazy brooch with a vintage black and white button.

close up to prove to myself, that, I can stitch straight when I try !!

A room organiser for swimming gear for a special person. Made it 2 years ago and am pleased it's used and treasured..took the photo recently when I visited and saw it hanging ...

Inside view of pillow...totally lined front and back!!..yes , a tad anal...

...And, some, just to be silly...

Have also had an important charity project to finish ( my next blog post)....and other projects need finishing before I can get onto what I prefer
...starting a NEW quilt .

I call these Angel Stockings.. /!@^&??

Just too much to do...and Christmas has come way too soon.

Christmas 2013...

Merry Christmas and happy times to all.                                      Maro

One fish ,two fish, bouquet fish, hair fish ...

11/9/2013

My nephew Paris was baptized this summer so it was once again time for Bomboniere. The theme chosen was fish. After about making over a 100 of them it became apparent that we didn't really know what to do with them. All these cute little fish with no purpose. Various ideas were heard - scroll down to see some and the final product.

" One fish, two fish , red fish , blue fish" Dr. Seuss.

Fish on a string.

Final product!

Loose Fish!

These were put in threes and thrown around by our young jugglers.

My number 1 helper Artemis brainstorming to find a purpose for the fish.

These were two of her ideas - fish hair and fish bouquet!

I always wonder what people do with these gifts afterwards. A few weeks have passed since then and I have seen the fate of some of the fish. One was hung on a door, three on the floor (keep practicing), one on a key chain, one hanging from a car mirror, and one fed up juggler put them on his desk as a paper weight !

I have saved mine for the Christmas tree!

And we all made cup cakes as well. My daughter Irini decorated them! - Nonie.