Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Guest Blogger - Tammy Silvers of Tamarinis!

Today I have a guest blogger!  We met through Island Batiks and I'm happy to welcome Tammy Silvers!

Thank you, Suzy, for not only guest posting on my blog, but also asking me to post on your blog!

One question I am often asked is how I come up with my quilt names.  It varies - sometimes, the fabrics inspire the name.  Sometimes the block or block layout inspire the name.  Sometimes something I've read just sticks in my brain - like that song you hear on the radio and then can't get it out of your head for days!  You know what I'm talking about, right?  But other times, I name a quilt in honor of someone near and dear to me.  That is the case with these two quilts, named for two lovely ladies I've had the pleasure of knowing for years: Ashley and Samantha .

Ashley Elayne
Ashley Elayne
       
For several years, I taught high school.  Yep - high school English.  Absolutely NOTHING to do with quilting, stitching, designing, sewing, or creating.  But I did have the opportunity to share my love of literature and writing with scads of teenagers, many who were probably less than impressed with the written word.  And yes, you guessed it, Ashley was one of those students.

She, however, did and does love the written word.  When she graduated, this awesome example of the Millennial generation (and I say that sincerely, without a trace of sarcasm - promise!) lamented that she could not find what she was looking for in dorm room bedding.  So what is any good quilter to do but stitch up a quilt as a graduation present, right?  And so I did.  

Of course, the quilt had to be an original design, and of course it had to be in her chosen color scheme.  Ahem....the one pictured above is NOT her chosen color scheme.  She is the proud owner of the original (pinks, gray, black and white,thank you very much).  Funny story - when I stitched it up, I thought - hey, this is pretty cute, and really quick (only 6 blocks plus a border!), and sure enough, one of my publishers picked it up.  So I was able to present it to Ashley for graduation, let her take it home to show her parents, and then confiscated it immediately so it could be shipped off to be photographed and published.  Six months later, it was all hers.

The inspiration?  Well, beyond the colors chosen specifically for her, there was the design.  Ashley is very straight forward and honest.  She also has multiple layers to her, with a wide variety of interests and talents that all weave together to make her the complex individual she is. Ashley Elayne reflects this multifaceted, complex personality.

Samantha Paige 2
Samantha Paige

And then there is Samantha Paige.  Samantha is my daughter, and very near and dear to my heart.  She was more than a bit put out by the whole Ashley Elayne quilt.  Never mind that she had the first PUBLISHED quilt (her dorm quilt was one of my magazine projects).  It was the whole "naming thing" that had her put out.  

Enter my favorite fabric company, Island Batik.  When they first asked to collaborate on fabric lines with me, and I saw the first line (Florida Oranges), I knew it was a perfect opportunity to design a quilt in tribute to my daughter.  The line is bright, cheerful, sunny - all the things that Sami is.

Then there was the design.  As another Millennial, I wanted the design to reflect Sami's modern style, her sense of adventure, her love of outdoors (arrows and mountains echo her love of hiking and climbing) and her sunny, bright nature.  Personally, I LOVE how Samantha Paige (the quilt) turned out.  Ok - I'm pretty darn happy with how Samantha Paige (the daughter) turned out too!  Funny - Sami is not as thrilled with HER quilt as Ashley is, but I think it is growing on her!

I'll be sharing more insight into other quilt names this year, and hope you'll get to know more Tamarinis designs with me!  I would like to invite you to visit my website and sign up for my newsletter.  You'll receive a free downloadable pattern when you join the subscription list!

Thanks again to Suzy for letting me share with you.
Happy stitching.

I hope you get to quilt today!
Suzy

1 comment:

  1. I have finished piecing all the rows for the Samantha Paige and wondering when to remove the paper. I don't find it in the directions. Only do not remove papers in the construction of each block.

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