Skopelos, Agnondas and Amarantos

As mentioned previously, during our stay on Skopelos island, we stayed in Agnondas, small fishing bay, 8 km south of Skopelos Town. Here is the picture of me and our lovely host, Ms Angeliki.



What I loved about Agnondas is that the beach was very close to the apartment and that there was plenty of shade from trees that come right down to the shoreline. There is a very narrow strip of sand and shingle in front to the tavernas, offering good food, especially fresh fish and other sea food.

Agnondas beach shelves gently into the sea protected by the steep hills on either side of the bay so it is safe for children. Also, the bay is very protected from the prevailing winds and is sometimes used as a second harbour, when the weather is bad.










On the main road between Agnondas and Skopelos town is a new dirt track(the first on the right after Agnondas) which branches though the forest leading to several secluded small coves at AMARANDOS or AMARANTOS where pines sweep right down to the crystal water's edge offering privacy and shade.

It is the place where some of the scenes of the Mamma Mia musical were filmed. The place with most breathtaking views of the rocks, pine trees and the azure, clean water. Loved it!!!

Skopelos, the city

As , mentioned before, here is the first blog post about the gorgeous Skopelos island, in Greece. It is dedicated to the main city, Skopelos.

You can maybe watch this nice video about the island, I found on the net. There is also very useful Skopelos website that has many great pictures, info, maps and other things and I've booked our apartment through that website.
Let's start with a bit of info from the net as: Skopelos is a Greek island in the western Aegean Sea. Skopelos is one of several islands which comprise the Northern Sporades island group. Sporades, are a group of widely dispersed islands in the Aegean Sea whose collective name means ‘Scattered’ from sporas. The Skopelos island is located east of mainland Greece, northeast of the island of Euboea and is part of the Thessaly region. Skopelos is also the name of the main port and the municipal center of the island. Skopelos has an area of 37 square miles (96 sq. km.). The interior is covered by a series of low mountains, the highest peak being Delphi which reaches a height of 1188 ft. (362 m). The entire 40 mile (67 km.) coastline is blessed by an abundance of natural harbors which provide safe haven from Aegean storms throughout the year. The name Skopelos comes from the ancient Greek word meaning “rock” indicating its rocky nature. Despite this, eighty percent of the island is covered with pine trees giving Skopelos the notoriety of being amongst Greece’s greenest islands. Other trees commonly seen on the island are olive, almond, plum, and fig trees. Another one of Skopelos’ valuable natural resources is its many natural springs and its plentiful fresh water supply. For many years the island’s main export was its wine. In the 17th century it was said that Skoplos had “the best in the Aegean.” Pine resin, dry plums (prunes), and dry figs were also exported in the past. Since the late 1980’s, few farm or tend to their land, and tourism has taken over as the island’s main industry.





Worthwhile sightseeing on the island includes many churches, chapels and monasteries. The deep religious convictions of the islanders are evident in the sheer number of structures dedicated to this or the other saint. In the main town of Skopelos alone there are 123 of the total of 360 chapels that dot the island.

 














While climbing the who knows how many stairs taking us up, at the top of the old town, the kids were searching for cats and dogs, while I was looking for the nice corners to photograph, almost entering into the houses of people, as the stairs in some parts are very narrow and you may almost feel like uninvited guest, until Greeks welcomes you with a smile and a "yassou," the actual Greek word for hello:)











The two and three storey homes have a panoramic view of the harbor and beautiful balconies showered in colourful bougainvillea and all kinds of blooms decorating small balconies and walls with visible, decorative, wooden frames. The roofs of the houses are covered with schistolith (a type of shale) or tile. Because of the remarkable architecture of these traditional houses, the town of Chora has been declared a preserved settlement by presidential decree. In the old town aerea there are still houses over 500 years old dating from the Byzantine period. The capital of Skopelos is beyond any doubt, one of the most beautiful villages in Greece.



Now, said all that, I would never suggest renting the hotel or apartment in the Skopelos city. It is very nice to see, take a walk, eat etc, but being the harbour and the main city on the island, it can't have the most beautiful beaches. The town's long, sand and shingle town beach may look inviting from a distance but closer inspection reveals it to be little more than a squalid, litter-strewn dump. Facing north against the prevailing summer wind, it attracts more than its fair share of flotsam. Rubbish regularly creeps round from the harbour, swept in by the current. The water is very murky and not recommended for swimming unless you are both desperate to cool down and have all your inoculations are up to date. Sewage pipes that once ran straight into the harbour now extend out to sea but it is hardly a solution to the problem. Fresh water from a covered culvert trickles into the sea. In the spring, many wading birds can be observed pecking their way through the debris and plastic. Nevertheless, in the high season, the beach is packed with holidaymakers - mainly Greeks. The back of the beach at Skopelos Town, once a nice area for walks, has now been built up with several small hotels and apartments. There is another beach that is somewhat cleaner but it is very small and made up of stone and pebbles.



And the nearest nice beach(but not anything special) is the Agios Konstantinos beach.




 There is another small beach in the bay of Skopelos Town to the west at GLYFONERI. It is not much to look at though, just a narrow string of stone and shingle though it does have a very nice fish taverna above it.






 After  Glyfoneri, there is Glysteri beach. Daily boat trips to GLYSTERI beach are widely advertised in Skopelos Town. The beach lies about 2km north of the port and can also be reached by road. There is a small, stone and shingle beach set in a deep and secluded bay with a large taverna set back from the beach and sometimes a waterside cantina in the summer months. There is also a campsite at Glysteri in the nearby olive groves for those who prefer roughing it. The only drawback for those trying to escape the crowds are the fairly regular visits from caiques which drop off day trippers en route to the sea caves at nearby TRIPITI. The more adventurous can head a little further north to the small bay at VATHIAS, wild and unkempt with a steep winding road down to a scrap of rock and   shingle.



I'll blog about the rest of the beaches in my next post including, Agnontas or Agnondas, the small village where we were situated.

Skopelos vacation

Hello friends! We are back from our wonderful Greek vacation and I've uploaded tons of pics in my flickr album. Must say that Skopelos island is as far the most beautiful island I've ever visited and it deserves a few separate posts, so I will start writing them soon and hope to show you at least a tiny bit of the beauty that can be found and enjoyed there.
See you soon,
Katarina, xx

Greetings from Skopelos

Just a quick note that we are on Vacation in Greece and that we will be back in a couple of days. Can't wait to post regularly from home(as the internet connections are terrible) and to show you the beautiful pics I took here.
 Katarina,xx

Birdie bag tutorial

Last year, when I created this bag, I mentioned writing the free tutorial. So finally, here it is.
You can see all pictures in bigger format here in my flickr album.

PDF pattern

The finished size of the bag will be approx. 16x12". If using regular quilting cotton, than you need to use the interfacing, and if using linen cotton canvas and cotton twill, you don't need any other additional interfacing fabric.

Needed supplies:

1. fabrics - 1  1/2 yard for the 44" wide fabrics or 1 yard for the 54" wide fabrics
2. interfacing - 1/2 yard
to obtain the more durable bag.....you can even use the piece(cut in the long stripe) of some light interlining for the handles to obtain the straps that would be padded and therefore would provide more comfortable and durable wear
3. sewing machine, thread, scissors, pins
4. two buttons for closure 
5. 2 metal rings and 2 Swivel clasp snap clips



 Print the BAG TEMPLATES

Template pieces includes:

1. bag body and lining
2. flap

Additionally you need to cut:

1. handles ( 2 pieces) : 27 x 8"
- additionally if you want another long handle, cut 54 x 8"
2. pocket: 30 x 10"
3. loops x metal parts- one small strap- 2 x 10"

 Instructions:

1. cut all pieces including the interfacing for the 2 main body pieces



2. on the dashed lines within the bag's body stitch the ribbon or other embellishment: there are many options to mix, match and combine, so be creative here:)


3-4. stitch the pocket: you can use the whole pocket piece number as one big pocket or you can cut it and make 2 smaller pockets to be sewn into the lining, after the embellishing line



5. use the small triangular parts on the bag’s body and lining(on the bottom line) to create darts



You can do the darts 2 ways: visible (like I did on this bag)-that little triangular folded shape is visible outside or in classical - "invisible" way (triangles are made on the inside) -like shown on the following picture.
There is even another version of making darts on each corner separately before sewing one side of the bag to the another. That's the method I prefer, but is a bit more complicated for the beginners-as they have to match nicely.
Here is one example how;)



6. don’t forget to snip the corners and clip the curves



7. make the handles- the fabric pieces number 5 : there are a few ways to create the handles, (where the inserts will be smaller or bigger-also depending on size of the material available), but the easiest way is to fold them in half lengthwise and iron it, then open and press both sides toward the center crease, press center crease close again and stitch

 

If using the larger bag version, you will need to create also one large handle that will be attached and taken away easily with some rings and snaps



You'll need to make some small fabric straps and to pull through the snap clip on one end and the ring at the other. The second ring and clip will have to be inserted in the both sides of bag's body in the steps 10-11


 



8. using the pieces for flap (cut it on the central dashed line) create the flap by sewing the both pieces on the top of each other, right sides together, leaving the dashed line open as gap to turn. Make the button hole and sew the finished gap on the center of the outer side of the body bag on the center of the outer side of the body bag, placing the front and back pieces on the top of each other, right sides together

 

9. sew the buttons (being help with the other body part with the sewn flap, making sure it would be closed correctly) and sew the handles on both outer body parts



10-11. sew all around body to body parts and lining to lining parts right sides together,leaving the bottom gap open on the inner lining part of the bag that will allow turning bag inside out



12. place lining part inside of the body part of the bag(right sides together) and stitch all around the top

 



13. turn the bag inside out through the lining's gap and hand stitch the opening gap closed and press the seam around the top line of the bag and do the top stitching(for security reasons)





 
 








Enjoy, Katarina