“Quilt Cave’s” Last Day

Our work was interrupted with champagne, cake, songs, presents, tears, and lunch.

For the last two days the temperature has been over 30C. Today, inside the “Cave” the temperature was no cooler because there were 19 of us, rather than the usual 5-10. Most of the women started learning quilting from Angela or joined the Cave because of their quilting hobbies, and everyone came to say goodbye to Angela and share the last Cave quilting and lunch.We started with the usual routine of showing our quilts that we made or have been working on lately.Before lunch we celebrated Therese’s birthday with champagne and we sung for her “Happy Birthday!” in English and Portuguese. She was shining today, not just because it was her birthday but because she had already finished her “Daffodils” quilt, and even brought fabrics to make “Wonky Quilt”, which she immediately cut and started to sew together.The lunch table was laden with bacalhau, salads, quiche, noodles, spring rolls, etc; it would need to be cleared a bit before the desserts could follow later.

But before that it was tears time for Angela. 24 quilt blocks were made for her, presented in a folder, all different but all in the colours of Portuguese azulejos – blue, white and yellow. Anneliese made origami star from printed Cascais map as a present for “Cave Lady”.
Lunch was delicious, made by eager American, German, Dutch, Portuguese, British, South African, Indonesian, Jordanian, Mongolian hands with an explosion of different flavours. Several different cakes were on offer for dessert, including a tree of cupcakes made by Anne-Marie Scherman, but for me personally Ana’s fruits dipped in chocolate remain the highlight of the meal.We hereby declare this Quilt Cave closed… See you next Thursday – in the Quilt Cabin!

Photo and post by Javhlan (Jackie)

Angel, the Quilter

In August 2004 Angela Whiston arrived in Portugal from Mexico. She settled in Cascais, and joined International Women in Portugal (IWP).

IWP run many activities for women such as arraiolos (Portuguese carpet making), craft, tennis, walks, golf, cooking, games and card games, book club, writing, wine time, baby and language groups.

For Angela, or Mrs Snippet (the name given by her husband), who had been making quilts for more than 10 years, one thing was missing. She started teaching quilting to ladies in a craft group. Not long after this, quilting became so popular that Angela started a quilt group at her home. Her "Quilt Cave" and her blog was open to everyone who wanted to learn quilting in Portugal.

The group had beginners and experienced quilters from Germany, Indonesia, Jordan, Mongolia, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, South Korea, the UK, and of course, the USA. Angela taught all she knew about traditional, hand, paper and strip piercing methods of quilting to ladies who joined the group.

Angela taught quilting to many Portuguese at Arco Iris a Metro shop. Some years ago Arco Iris a Metro was the only shop in the greater Lisbon area to sell fabrics and tools for patchwork and quilt. At that time the most customers were the IWP's quilt group members. Angela also organised two very successful exhibitions of quilts made by her and her fellow quilters.

It could be said that Angela seeded a passion for quilting here. In the last few years, not only have more Portuguese women started quilting as a hobby but at least three more quilt shops have opened in the area.

Now, after living in sunny in summer and rainy in winter Portugal, but mostly sunny, for five years, Angela is heading back to home, rainy in summer and rainy in winter the United Kingdom, to live there for the first time in more than a decade. She would not complain for weather because she will be making her colourful quilts!

Many of us call her- an Angel! Adeus Menina! Ate logo!

Posted by Javhlan Byamba-Hughes
A Quilt Cave block made by Arabella Sabangeanu
An Angel block made by Ursula Ritter

Olá! Hello! Sain u! Guten Tag! Hallo! Bunã Ziua! Goeiemôre! Marhaba! Goed Morgen! Apa Kabar!

We are adding a new blog of quilters to the world of bloggers. Many ladies from all over the world joined by one obsession: patchwork and quilting.


We are Portuguese, American, Dutch, English, German, Indonesian, Jordanian, Mongolian, Romanian, Scottish and South African. There are in the world so many countries and if you are quilter or interested in making quilts, you are very welcome!


Portugal brought us together in one place to do quilting. If you have an interesting work, you are very welcome to be part of it.

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