Monday, April 18, 2016

The Name Game: Twiggy&Opal

I think I "met" Jayne Willis of Twiggy&Opal on Instagram. And since then I have been amazed over and over by her work. She loves working with solids. Just like me. But she also does a lot of beautiful improv designing. Which is one of the reasons I love looking at what she creates--improv does not come easily to my symmetry-loving brain. I would enjoy watching her process in person. I sure hope we can meet for real someday.
How did you choose your name?
Honestly, choosing a name was the hardest part!  It all began with Etsy.  Encouraged to start a shop by my daughter, I agonized over a name.  Eventually I decided to go with my heart, pick a name that was personal and had meaning.  
When I started my blog, I considered picking an entirely different name.  In the end I thought it was best to tie the blog to the shop.  After all...I wasn’t even sure I could keep a blog going let alone write a post! 
(Go here to read more about this Confetti quilt. Seriously. You will want to see more pictures. We'll wait....)
It was always a huge deal to visit my Grama Opal in Minnesota.  Because of the distance we had to travel it always felt like an epic event once we arrived.  She was a tough old gal, full of vim & vigor (I guess Minnesota winters will do that)!  It never failed that sometime during our visit she would say to me, “Jayne, you're thin as a twig’!  A memory that has always stayed with me.  
As a tribute to her, Twiggy & Opal was born.  She lived to the ripe old age of 99 and is missed dearly.
Were there other names you considered, and can you share them with us?
Oh lord yes!  I’m sure ‘Sew, Designs, Fabric, Quilts, Modern’ were in many of them!  Can I remember them?  I think they are probably best forgotten!  Think of every sewing/quilting related cliche and it was considered in one form or another!
 Now that you are recognized by Twiggy&Opal, are you happy with it, or do you  wish you could change it to something else?
At this point, I wouldn’t change it for anything!  I feel like I have established me, my blog, my shop and my name.  And every time I see Twiggy & Opal, I think of my Grama!
These are the latest beauties from Jayne's blog and I had to include them. They are just so beautiful. 


I highly recommend you follow Jayne on her blog and on Instagram (@twiggyandopal), and check out her Etsy shop as well.

8 comments:

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SarahZ said... #

So now I know!! I "met" Jayne on Flickr...and it took the longest time to *face palm* go looking for her blog!! Lol! She is such fun!

Jayne said... #

Thank you so much for the feature Cindy!! You are the sweetest...ever!!!

Needled Mom said... #

Thank you for another fun introduction. Her work is really lovely.

Bernie Kringel said... #

I have been following Jayne for a while now and yes, her work is gorgeous. Fun write up Cindy!

Carla said... #

I discovered Jayne years ago too. Such a pretty blog to peruse through. Love her work and the name she goes by ; )

Paige said... #

Ahhh! I always wondered but had not asked! Great feature! My grandmama always told me (in the summer) "You're brown as a ginger cake", never once did she say thin as a twig!

Debbie said... #

I love Jayne's work and it was fun to hear more about her!

Anne / Springleaf Studios said... #

I know Jayne's work and love her modern design aesthetic. Nice to learn the meaning behind the name and know it's so special and personal.