My name is Inci (pronounce as “In-gee”), which means “Pearl” in Turkish. I am originally from dream city Istanbul, TURKEY.

I started to correspond with a Japanese girl named Tomoko-san as a part of my English studies when I was still a middle school student. Through her letters, I took an enormous interest in Japan, the Japanese language and the Japanese culture and I started to learn the Japanese language from a Japanese teacher as a hobby in Istanbul. Through my private Japanese lessons, I fell in love with the country and the culture and then when I took a Japanese-speaking tour guide license, my love for Japan and the Japanese language turned into a way of life. In the mean time, I made several trips to Japan and made a lot of friends over there. I had worked as a tour guide for 10 years and then I married to a Turkish-born American citizen and I moved to Oklahoma City, USA in January 2005.

So far the Japanese language was my passion, but in the US I gained another passion: patchwork quilting. And it’s also thanks to a Japanese lady named Midori-san living in Oklahoma City and she is coincidentally a friend of one of my Japanese friends in Japan.

Patchwork quilting is a new passion for me. I didn’t attend any courses to learn it. Midori-san was my first teacher. She kindly taught me the basic steps about patchwork. Right now, my knowledge about quilting comes from mostly the books and magazines. I like the self-teaching approach in learning things. And (ex now) my husband thinks that I am quite good at teaching myself stuff. I am hoping to make further progress in quilting in the future.

I like hand piecing, hand appliqué and hand quilting. I don’t know how to machine sew and I don’t have a sewing machine, but I am not sorry for that. I like the rustic feel of hand quilted quilts and I find the time spent in hand quilting to be soothing. The motion of stitching is very calming to me and during these quiet moments I can get in touch with my thoughts easily.

All the items in my shop are 100% hand-made. I don’t use a sewing machine. And all the fabrics I use are cotton. Please feel free to contact me about any of my items.

As of January 2010, I got a divorce and moved back to Istanbul. I'm working as a Japanese language tour guide and still love crafting and patchwork quilting.

My email address is: incigungor3@yahoo.com

And this is my personal craft blog: pearlsquiltedcrafts.blogspot.com

Please visit my Etsy Shop: "Pearl's Quilted Crafts"

www.pearlsquiltedcrafts.etsy.com

Thank you...:)

INCI

Istanbul, TURKEY