Thessaloniki Quilt Guild
As you already know, we moved back to my hometown a few months ago after getting tired of living in a small village, far away from everything and everyone.
Being closer to our friends and family has helped us in many ways, but the main reason was simple: we wanted to return to a bigger city, meet people with similar interests, and socialize more. Living in a village had started to feel very isolating.
And since quilting has become my biggest passion over the past few years, one of the first things I did after moving was join one of the biggest quilting groups in Greece.
At the heart of this group is an incredible American woman named Kristine. Honestly, she is impossible to describe properly. She has the energy and enthusiasm of a twenty-five-year-old who wants to change the world — and in many ways, she actually is doing exactly that.
Her mission is to spread the love of quilting all over Greece, and believe me, that is a very ambitious long-term plan.
The most exciting part? She recently opened the very first dedicated quilt shop in Greece: The Quilt Bar. Finally, we have a place in Greece dedicated entirely to quilting supplies and fabrics.
Thank you, Kristine, for being exactly who you are.
Kristine began teaching quilting from her home around seven years ago, gathering together people who wanted to learn something completely different. She teaches hand quilting and hand piecing — yes, without sewing machines!
Many of her first students now teach quilting themselves in different groups around Greece.
Every first Tuesday of the month, most of her past and present students gather in a space provided by the YMCA. Together we work on a quilt using a different block technique every month, and once completed, the quilt is donated back to the YMCA.
I have met some truly amazing people through these meetings.
Even more exciting, some of the more advanced quilters meet weekly at Kristine’s home to create even more quilts for philanthropic causes.
I honestly cannot describe how happy I am to have found people who not only love quilting, but genuinely want to promote and grow it throughout Greece.
The photos below are from Kristine’s shop and from our weekly quilting meetings.
I still have so much more to share about this wonderful group, especially the beautiful projects we’ve been working on together.
Stay tuned for the next post!
If you would like to know more about our quilting group and our amazing teacher, here are a couple of interesting articles:
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