Monday, October 17, 2016

The Name Game (The Pretty in Pink Special Edition): Pink Penguin

After a detour into a travelogue, we return to our regularly scheduled program of quilting and creating.
October is associated with an emphasis on breast cancer awareness, and along with that, the color pink is often associated with breast cancer awareness.  When I revived my Name Game series awhile back, I had planned ahead to feature blogs with the word "pink" in them during the month of October, and I'm thrilled with the three people who will be featured in the Pretty in Pink series this month.

First up is Ayumi Takahashi from Pink Penguin. I have been a fan of Ayumi's work for years.

I would love meet Ayumi in person. I adore every single thing she designs, her patterns as well as her fabric. I'm glad I had the foresight to hoard her hard-to-find line, Lighthearted, and I'm sure I could sell it for a pretty penny. But of course I'm completely unwilling to do that as I'm pretty smitten with it.

So while I have not met Ayumi in person, I feel fortunate to have the connection of being in a collaborative book with her, Make It, Take It, by Krista Hennebury. (That great tote on the cover was designed by Ayumi--it's a really fun project.)


Ayumi has also written her own book, Patchwork Please! with many wonderful projects in it. Highly recommended!

Before you read the answers to how Ayumi chose the name for her blog, I want to first show you a picture of the quilt I made for our granddaughter, Ella (with help from friends in two bees I belong to).

In her book, Ayumi has a block called "Books for Baby," which always remind me of the Golden Books I grew up with.
Even though I still have to add the binding to the quilt, Ella has enjoyed looking at all the "books" in her quilt. I'm sure it will be a special quilt that she will enjoy for a long time.
Ayumi, how did you choose the name for your blog?
Back when I started blogging (in a different blog) for the very first time, my husband who was my boyfriend then was frustrated with the amount of time I spend on my laptop doing some 'blogging stuff.'  He once made fun of me, saying 'You must be writing a random comment like 'I like pink penguins too!'" This cracked me up! I knew Pink Penguin has to be a title for my new blog! And I certainly love the color pink and penguins and wish pink penguins existed! ;)

Were there any other names you considered, and can you share them with us?

Hmmm.. I didn't think of any other names. 

Now that you are known by Pink Penguin, are you happy with it or do you wish you could  change it to something else?

I am happy with it. I think the sound of Pink Penguin gives some whimsical, lighthearted feeling, the way I feel when I create something and I hope it does for others too ;)

Thanks for being here today, Ayumi. Whimsical and lighthearted are exactly the words I would choose to describe you. 

Ayumi is so creative and yet such a humble person, which comes across in everything she does.

If you haven't had the opportunity to check out her blog, I hope you will take the time to get to know her. Besides her creations, you won't want to miss pictures of her adorable children. 

I hope you come back next week to see the second installment of the Pretty in Pink series here on The Name Game.

9 comments:

05 08
Charlotte M. said... #

I love the Name Game series. I also love to look at Ayumi's creations. Sew fun and inspiring.

Tu-Na Quilts said... #

This post was a fun read. I also checked out part 4 of your cruise and will have to read the others. Looks like you had a great time.

Heidi Staples said... #

I love Ayumi! She's such a sweetheart. And yes, I'm hoarding my Lighthearted too!

Heidi Staples said... #

I love Ayumi! She's such a sweetheart. And yes, I'm hoarding my Lighthearted too!

Debbie said... #

As one who has made nearly every pattern in Ayumi's Patchwork Please, you can say I'm a fan! Fun to read your post and hear from Ayumi a bit.

verykerryberry said... #

That was a sweet read Cindy x

Lucy | Charm About You said... #

So sweet! I do think the name is perfect and Ayumi makes such wonderful projects! Lovely to see the name game back :)

OPQuilt said... #

Ayumi is a fav of mine! So glad to see this post about her.

Anne / Springleaf Studios said... #

Love her paper piecing patterns. They are just so cute. I enjoyed playing a little part in your book quilt with her block. It's fun to imagine a pink penguin. Such a fun name.