Beads and Buttons – tierneycreates

Well we’ve finished up the endless saga of our Wyoming, South Dakota, and Nebraska it’s time for a craft shop post – this time in Victoria, British Columbia!

In early July John and I headed to Washington state to visit his cousin who lives in Bremerton, Washington. On a whim we decided, as long as we were in the Pacific Northwest to add to our trip a visit to Mt. Rainer National Park, and an overnight visit to Victoria, BC which I’ve visited several times before (and absolutely love) via the Black Ball Ferry Line out of Port Angeles, Washington.

More on this Pacific NW adventure in future posts, but for now let’s focus on the fabulous time I had exploring the Button & Needlework Boutique in the Downtown/Inner Harbour section of Victoria, BC.

John and I were wandering after dropping off our bags at the hotel and we turn the corner and see this:

Walking into the Button & Needlework Boutique I was greeted with this delightful sight:

This shop is filled with embroidery patterns and supplies; yarn and fiber craft supplies; and loads and load of buttons!

The also had beautiful Japanese Sashiko kits and supplies, as well as beautiful examples of Sashiko stitching on display:

I couldn’t leave without picking up some buttons (I also bought a Sashiko kit which I forgot to photograph):

I fell in love with these owl buttons. There were many buttons to fall in love with but I behaved.

Beads and Buttons

Buttons (repost from October 2016)

October 4, 2023September 16, 2025 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

Do you love buttons as much as I do? I thought it would be fun to re-post this post from October 2016 on my button collection (smile)

BUTTONS (Repost post from October 26, 2016)

I just wanted to randomly post about one of my guilty pleasures in life – buttons!

I did not to intend to collect buttons, my button collection just sort of crept up on me…

Trying to be organized with my button collection

I am not sure how it began but I remember as a little girl playing with my grandmother’s button jar and being fascinated.

Then, many years later, my love of buttons was rekindled when I started making miniature kimono wallhangings and wanted to embellish them with interesting buttons.

Screen Shot 2016-10-25 at 11.01.55 PM.png — Miniature Kimono with an antique button

I began picking up interesting buttons here and there – from craft shows, from shift shops, antique shops, and from a bookstore.

Card of antique buttons picked up at a used bookstore

I was even lucky enough to have a friend who let me raid her old button collection in search of cool buttons for miniature kimonos.

A couple of these buttons were raided from my friend’s antique button collection

This past May, my friend Dana, who was my “secret quilt sister” at our annual quilting retreat, surprised me with an “Vintage Button Jar” as part of my gift.

The jar contained lots of fun buttons such as the ones below:

Some cool large buttons courtesy of my friend Dana

Upon returning home from the retreat I attempted to cram my entire button collection into my new “Vintage Button Jar” but my collection was overflowing from the jar.

So now I keep the jar in my sewing studio to hold small packages and cards of special buttons.

Anyone else have an issue with buttons? Any secret (or not so secret) collectors?

Beads and Buttons, Books, Music, Podcasts

Buttons

October 26, 2016September 16, 2025 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

I just wanted to randomly post about one of my guilty pleasures in life – buttons!

I did not to intend to collect buttons, my button collection just sort of crept up on me…

I am not sure how it began but I remember as a little girl playing with my grandmother’s button jar and being fascinated.

Then, many years later, my love of buttons was rekindled when I started making miniature kimono wallhangings and wanted to embellish them with interesting buttons.

I began picking up interesting buttons here and there – from craft shows, from shift shops, antique shops, and from a bookstore.

I was even lucky enough to have a friend who let me raid her old button collection in search of cool buttons for miniature kimonos.

This past May, my friend Dana, who was my “secret quilt sister” at our annual quilting retreat, surprised me with an “Vintage Button Jar” as part of my gift.

The jar contained lots of fun buttons such as the ones below:

Upon returning home from the retreat I attempted to cram my entire button collection into my new “Vintage Button Jar” but my collection was overflowing from the jar.

So now I keep the jar in my sewing studio to hold small packages and cards of special buttons.

Anyone else have an issue with buttons? Any secret (or not so secret) collectors?

Postscript

In an earlier post this week, Revisiting Traditional Piecing: The Blocks Part I, I shared I recently listened to The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz.

Well I am working on incorporating first of the four agreements into my life:

Be impeccable with your word

I am not challenged in general of keeping my word to other and keeping my commitments to other people; but I do struggle with being on time to appointments with other people. So in essence I am not being impeccable with my word (that I will arrive at a specific time).

I am easily distracted and I struggle with getting out of the house and to appointments on time. I was very pleased with myself when on Monday I was early to meeting my friend at the coffee shop. I am tired an embarrassed that I appear to be “chronically late”.

Another area I struggle in regards to being impeccable with my word is is in keeping my word to myself! Keep my “self” commitments.

So I am starting small (like going to bed on time, being sure to get out each day and go on a walk, making healthy food choices) to work on becoming impeccable with my word to myself. I plan to build up to the bigger commitments to myself which I hope include to do some sewing each day!