Greece is the Word

Another country, another fabric haul.   A slightly different blog post this time to give you a flavour of Greece and the beautiful island of Karpathos.

After a long summer full of hard work a September break was just the ticket for a tired dressmaker and I was really looking forward to dipping my toes in the sun warmed Aegean Sea and chomping some fabulous Greek food.

Lefkos Beach - clear and shallow waters - perfect for families

Our destination was Karpathos, reached via little flight from Athens (or a 9 hour ferry journey if you have a the time).  Karpathos, unlike it's bigger neighbours, Rhodes and Crete, is very untouristed and is perfect for relaxation.  The mountainous scenery is very dramatic and the beaches or even populated areas contain very little if at all, in the way of bars and music.  Activities centre around beach lazing and taverna eating yummy Greek food.

Achata Beach - pebbly with crystal water

Accommodation and car hire is priced moderately and we made the most of exploring a different beach each day. The one above had one small taverna - enough for lunch, and beautiful clear deep water for swimming.

Appella beach just had to be my favourite and is considered to be one of the most beautiful in the Mediterranean - something I can vouch for.  The road to reach this secluded paradise beach was hairy, requiring concentration for the hairpin bends and sheer cliff drops but was more than well worth it.

Glaros beach is breezy and has nice waves and a taverna with rooms of the same name where you can feast on the best Greek food.  I managed to wear my old me made strapless dress this day.

 

This shop in the main town, Pigadia, was a cute find and I did a bit of shopping at 10.00 pm on the day I was there.  It's a knitter's dream.

Popi's Studios in Arkasa where we stayed had an interesting car park entrance and great studio accommodation at a very reasonable price.

So, after our days of relaxation it was time to hit Athens for a spot of retail therapy.

Obviously, yours truly headed to the fabric quarter which can be found just off the main shopping street (Ermou) in a little road called Kalamioutou.

There's easily about 15 shops there with varying fabrics and something for every pocket.  It was kind of difficult to control myself but I managed quite well, only netting about 9 pieces of cloth in varying sizes for about 85 euros.

Said cloth

The yellow check taffeta was an astonishing 2 euros per metre so I bought 3 metres for a vintage style dress.  In the top right hand corner is some gorgeous Japanese style stretch cotton and my other favourite is bottom right, a heavy cream shaded wool with gold slub - perfect for a winter skirt.  The most expensive was the copper brocade at 18 euros per metre so this concoction will have to be thought about wisely before cutting ensues.  Mr P even gained 2.3 metres of striped brown wool for some 1940s trousers.

Yes, Athens definitely has a slice of fabric heaven.

So many rolls!  fortunately for Mr P there are lots of lovely little bars and, when you do get hungry, restaurants nearby so fabric shopping to your heart's delight if you're with your non-sewing other half, if definitely a possibility!

 

Karpathos resident

This shop in Ermou Street had a mind blowing amount of buttons.

Well methinks now I have a respectable amount of fabric to see me through winter sewing days, but have already booked next year's flight so that I can stock up on fabrics and have more Greek Island relaxation.  Who knows what material goodies will be on offer next year.

A final 2014 memory of Greece to keep me going through the winter months.

Happy sewing

Linda x