2016 Crazy Quilt Calendar just released

It is still so hot but it is already September, only four months for the New Year!

Pamela Kellogg's 2016 Calendar just released, I'm looking forward to get my own copy to review it.

By the way, I'm so excited for being "May page" of that lovely project. I did a special block according to project format. My  friends, followers know it well that I keep some items for the special  projects, I used lots of them to create my "May block".Pam sent me a lovely blue bird photo, I printed and decided to create a block  mostly with blue+pink colors. 

I just used a dark blue color lace trim and golden color ric-rac and a beaded lace, I did all other seam treatments myself. 

There were some dark blue+blue+white combo little oya flowers, I put them on to pink patch, my little bird now looking them:)) The fabric of that mentioned patch specially hand dyed from our southern part. I love to use those fabrics for the quilts that I make according to paper piecing method,  their performance is great, no comparison with the standard cotton fabrics.

As I mostly do, I used a Chevron stitch as a base, kept stitching, added lots of beads, with some contrast colors. I especially made some long patches to create long seam treatments.

 I added some other stiff type oya flowers on the dark blue patch, they really popped up. I did spider rose flowers with variegated silk ribbon. It is our locally produced silk ribbon. I really like their natural color scheme. I also used same type of ribbons to create leaves and other SRE works, as well.

As I told before, I used many special items. My vintage Czech  buttons the most important ones. Their story is interesting for me. I was going to Ankara frequently during my daughter's college years. One day, I went to an old store that was selling elegant accessories in my youth, as being a naval family, we located in different places, one of them was Ankara, our capitol city. My mother's choice was always haute couture and she was getting real special things from that shop for her tailor made dresses. After all those years that little shop's goodies were still so exclusive. I selected lovely trims and I noticed a small button but it was on their little showcase. He told me if I've interested in with buttons he could bring me some boxes from storage. I waited a few minutes, he came back with two boxes which were full of Czech buttons. He said, these are only samples, most of them discontinued products, I bought them long time ago, nobody interested in with them, just select as you wish just pay a symbolic money. You can imagine what I felt that moment, I bought lots of wonderful buttons. But, I still blame myself, why I didn't buy those two boxes with all those buttons!!! In those days I was a Newbie, I didn't know the value of  them.

I tried to catch color harmony as much as I can, colors of my block are so soft, I tried to take photos in day light however, I believe that they don't justice real colors but I'm happy with outcome, I  really enjoyed so much to create something for the coming year. 

It is a great honor to take part in that project among all those well talented&experienced Ladies:))

So, I tried my best to create a special block using special items from my stash. I hope you like my "May page" and entire calendar. Wishing you all the best....

My new Czech buttons!

During our recent trip, we visited Czechoslavakia too Other thatn visitn an amazing city, my main was purpose to find Czech buttons as being a real keeper Crazy Quilter!
I didn't have long time to search info where to find Czech button sellers in Prague, I just found one place after my online searches. I also asked at the hotel, but front desk responsible Lady didn't have any information about their famous buttons, however she brought me some information next day which was the same place I've found. Most probally she found same info at internet:)
It was around 16 degrees santigrade when we left Istanbul, Prague's bitter cold and constant raining didn't let us to tour first day, we just hang around the hotel, had delicious food.
Anyway, in our second day, sun started to shine and we had a chance to walk  from Charles Bridge area to Namesti Republiky 1 to find OC Paladium which is very nice shopping mall with full of famous and expensive brand stores.  After a small search we found , Filium but I must admit that it was a real disappointment for me, it is a big quilt store, carrying good brands of goodies but only  half wall of the back side of the store belongs to buttons section. There were only 4-5 models of real Czhec buttons we got used to know, the rest of the buttons were plastic!  I selected only three tubes of three models went to the cash-desk.  I bought all three  buttons of three models, I hope they had more stock refill those tubes after my purchase.

 These were the only elegant model of buttons! They are polished dark green glass beads.

 These cute clock type buttons are 1 and 2 santimeter-small types, I was searching clock type buttons sometime ago, glad they will find their places soon on a wallhanger.

So, these are all what I found in Prague but it is better than nothing!
I found a factory address  before we went to Prague but it was impossible to go there with our limited time. Maybe I couldn't find what expected but at least I know a nice quilt store at Prague now.
By the way, there were crystal bead skeins with lovely color tones at all souvenoir shops but I was warned about cheap far east glass beads.
Our bead stores here in Istanbul carry all kind of Swarovski beads, no need to buy them anymore with paying different money currency.  Because, most of the Czech stores accepts only their own currency, no Euro no credit cards!
So, it was a nice trip to an amazing city, maybe I couldn't find my expectations for the Czech buttons but to visit Prague was so nice at all....No problem, I'll keep searching to find interesting buttons via Etsy, e-bay again.