Greek Quilt

History

The quilt was made in the late 1940s or early 1950s by a quilt maker (name unknown) on the Greek island of Lemnos. Eleni Kalenderidis, mother-in-law of the present owner, collected some quilts for her family. When the family migrated to Australia the quilts came with them. This one was owned by Steve Kalenderidis and now by his wife Effie. It is still used. "Effie's Paploma - Effie Kalenderidis was two years old when she arrived in Australia in 1955 with her parents Chrisoula and Trifonas Karpouzos. They came from the village of Kamenitsa, Arcadia, in the Peloponnese, the southern peninsular which is joined to mainland Greece by the Corinth Canal. There were several quilts around the Kalenderidis household, even a small cot quilt. They all originated from Atsiki on the island of Lemnos where Eleni Kalenderidis (Effie's mother-in-law) had collected them for her family. These two were most probably made by a local quilt-maker, as was the custom in those years. In 1955, Lucas Kalenderidis (Effie's father-in-law) migrated to Australia to begin a new life and hopefully create a better future for his family. When Eleni and their three sons Steve (Efstratios), Ross (Garifalos), and Theo (Theodoraos) arrived in 1956 to join him, their quilts came with them. The blue quilt, still in excellent condition, was originally owned and used by Steve, as he grew up. He left his quilt at home in Goulburn NSW when he began his training as a high-school teacher. He then took up a teaching position in Canberra ACT and later married Effie. When their first daughter Helena (Eleni) was born, Lucas gave this blue quilt to Effie as a sentimental gift. She in turn, will hand it down to Helena when she marries. The pink quilt was a special gift to Effie from Aunty Mary Kalenderidis, who was married to Lucas' brother George, and was also from Atsiki, Lemnos. This quilt also will be handed down to daughter Christine (Chrisoula) when she marries. So already these lovely 'paplomata' represent three generations in the family. Over the years, Effie has had much pleasure in using and caring for them; she has always loved the traditional handcrafts which are so much part of Greek life and culture. Effie grew up in Wollongong and later trained in secretarial work in Sydney. When she and Steve married, they moved to Canberra where their daughters were born and educated. Helena is a chartered accountant and Christine is currently studying commerce and law at ANU."
[Written by Lula Saunders and Effie Kalenderidis. Adapted from interview 10 January 2001 for the National Quil Register]

Description

Wholecloth quilt made from blue satin with turquoise blue cotton backing. The padding is cotton wadding. The quilting pattern is a large central motif of a daisy with a fan design in each corner. The in fill pattern is of curved and straight parallel lines and the border straight parallel lines. It is all hand quilted.
2000 x 1660 mm