The Name Game: That Girl...That Quilt

This week I am so happy to have Jennifer here from That Girl...That Quilt. Jennifer and I have been friends for quite awhile, sharing some of the more personal details about our lives, along with the passion for quilting that we both share. It's so easy to share things with her--very comfortable--and I'm sure that's the way she is in real life too. Jennifer lives in the Dallas area, and so does my brother, so I am looking forward to meeting her in person soon.

How did you choose the name for That Girl...That Quilt?

It's silly how I chose the name, That Girl... That Quilt.  My husband, Steve, and I like to joke around a lot.  Early on when we were dating, I would tell him funny things that happened throughout my day and I would say, "I was almost that girl who..." or "I was that girl".  In return when he would {and still does} tease me and say, "you are so that girl" or "don't be that girl".  So when I fell in love with quilting I became That Girl who is covered in thread... That Girl who buys more fabric than clothes... That Girl who wishes she could sew while sitting in church... That Girl who free motion quilts her sleeve to her quilt... etc.

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

I don't recall thinking about other names.  When I set my blog up one late night I typed it and liked the way it looked.  I didn't put much thought into because I never really planned on my blog being much; I just knew that I loved to write and wanted a place to keep an online journal of my quilts and thoughts.

Jennifer's Moda Bake Shop patterns: here and here

Now that you are recognized by That Girl...That Quilt, are you happy with it, or do you wish you could change it to something else?

I am happy with the name and don't think I could ever change it.  It fits me and my personality.   I am That Girl... my daughter even knows me by that name and freely shares it with her friends, teachers and anyone else she thinks should know!

 If you aren't already a big fan of Jennifer, I hope you will go over to her blog and say hello. You will not disappointed so plan on spending some time looking around. Not only is she a great designer, she is a wonderful writer.

And, if you are looking for a project, That Girl is hosting a quilt-along. It's called Chasing Chevrons.  

Jennifer is always organized and full of helpful information so this will be a great quilt-along, even if you are fairly new to quilting. So think about joining in--it's going to be a lot of fun.

Farmer's Wife Friday: Independence and Charm

After an absence of a few weeks, we have a farmer's wife today from Jasper County, Missouri. I really enjoyed this letter. It almost made me want to pack up and move to the farm. "There is spring time, blossom time, fruit time, harvest time and the long winter evenings by the fireside. There's a flower for every month of the year." This is a farmer's wife who works hard, but with careful planning she can find "a number of hours for reading, writing and social pleasures and in this day of autos and good roads, has time and opportunity for movies, concerts and lectures."

I liked her next sentences the most: "The woman who is a drudge on a farm will be a drudge wherever you put her. It is lack of management, lack of order and lack of backbone and brains that make drudgery." I'm sure there is a lot of truth to that.

By her definition, I most certainly have at least moments of drudgery, especially as I look at my sewing room, which has no semblance of order at the present time. Right now I'm okay with that because it means things are being accomplished in the sewing room.

Both blocks this week have names inspired by birds.

No. 27, Darting Birds:

No. 52, Hovering Hawks:

Neither the names of the blocks nor the letter itself gave me any color inspiration, and Darting Birds had a few too many pieces for my taste in a 6" block. I have found that the 6x6 grid in a block this size with so many HSTs kinda makes me grouchy. Hovering Hawks, which had slightly larger pieces, put me in a much better mood.

I didn't count how many blocks I've made so far, but it's getting to be a nice little stack!

See what Carla thought of this week's farmer's wife.

WIP Wednesday

Progress on only one project this week:

Quilt Name: Crazy Traditions
Block: Dutchman's Puzzle
Color: Kona Ocean (and we were actually attending a wedding in a small coastal town by the Pacific Ocean--so it was an appropriate color choice)

I'm sure there are a lot of great projects here:

The Name Game: Blue Elephant Stitches

I'm thrilled to have Jolene from Blue Elephant Stitches here today. I've been reading her blog for a long time. Her creative style speaks so deeply to me--her use of color and her design, her writing and, wow, her photography. Everything is clean, cohesive and colorful. It always cheers me up to spend some time there.

Jolene, how did you choose the name for Blue Elephant Stitches?

Here’s a page from my little journal, put together about 8 years ago.  I saved this little elephant from a 1970’s birthday card and here’s part of what I wrote beside him.

 “My dream has always been to name my future?! business Blue Elephant something-or-other.”

 At that point, I had no idea what, or even IF, that business would be.  But as far back as I can remember, I’ve always like elephants (the cute motifs, not so much real elephants!).  So when I decided to open a little Etsy shop selling a few baby quilts, I never even questioned this part of the name.

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

I never questioned the Blue Elephant part of my name, but I remember debating what to finish it off with.  Blue Elephant Quilts?  Blue Elephant Designs?  Blue Elephant Studio?  In the end I went with Blue Elephant Stitches.  I think it was a nice compromise, because it still implies sewing, yet doesn’t box me in with just quilts.  

 Now that you are recognized by Blue Elephant Stitches, are you happy with it, or do you wish you could change it to something else?

I like the name from the standpoint that it stems from my dreams as a teenager, so it feels quite authentic that way.  But to be honest, I’d change it right now if I could!  Why?  For one thing, it feels a bit cutesy – babyish.  I’d really like something a bit more classy!  For some reason I always feel a bit silly when I actually say it out loud.  It’s quite long and a bit unusual.  I often have to repeat it for people.

 (of course I couldn't resist adding a picture with selvages!)

I love names that have numbers as part of their name, or even using full names as a brand.  I wouldn’t want my own name, but I’d love to use my daughter’s name… ok, why am I torturing myself by thinking about all the possibilities?!  I wonder how much effort it would take to change?  Would it be worth it?  I’d love to hear from those of you who have! 

 (there is something about this picture that just draws me in...)

If you aren't already a faithful reader of Blue Elephant Stitches, I encourage you to head over, say hi, and be sure to spend some time looking around. And by all means, if you have changed blog or business names, please share your thoughts. 

Thanks, Jolene. It's been an honor to have you here this week. 

WIP Wednesday

Our newest grandson, Gabriel, is already one month old. During Charlotte and Levi's first year, every month I made a fabric postcard (tutorial here). With Charlotte, I didn't really have a "theme," other than trying to make something appropriate to the month. She was born in September so it was nearly Halloween when she turned a month old. Sports seemed like a good theme for Levi, and when he turned a month old, baseball season was just starting (have I mentioned that his daddy is a Dodgers fan--I'm pretty sure "Dodgers" was the first word each of them said...)

These are the cards they received when they were one month old.

When it was time for Charlotte's April card, I found the cutest paper piecing pattern of a little person in a rain slicker.

After making this card, each month I found a little paper-piecing pattern for her card.

Now it's Gabriel's turn.

I thought and thought about the theme for the coming year. I had already settled on animals, and then realized that his first and last name has 12 letters in it. Awesome.

And the "poetry", along with this year-long Work in Progress, continues...

The work continues on Crazy Traditions and Ticker Tape Parade. The plum block is so pretty.

Crazy Traditions so far:

Ticker Tape Parade so far:

Azekura (Japanese log cabin) so far:

The color progression in each skein of Noro Kureyon yarn is amazing!

So that's what I have been up to in the last week. Check out other great projects here:

The Name Game: I have to say.../Fresh-Squeezed Fabrics

Do you purchase fabric online? I sure do. I look for excellent selection and superb customer service. And that is why I'm thrilled to have Randi here today, sharing the background on both her blog, i have to say..., and her etsy shop, Fresh-Squeezed Fabrics.

How did you choose the name for "I have to say..."?

When I first decided to start a blog, I wasn't crafting or sewing at the time (it took me a while to discover the wonderful world of craft blogs) so the blog name I chose was more about "me".  A friend of mine had noticed that I often used the words "I have to say" when I was summing up something that I was saying, so it seemed a fun name for my blog.  At first my blog was more about books and homeschooling and exploring ideas, so in a way the name fit better back then. Now my blog is more geared towards crafting, family and whatever I am doing at the moment, but I do think it still fits.  It's kind of funny to think that when you start up a blog you pick a name that will stick with you, most likely for a long time, but it's not until you start blogging that you realize the direction things will go.  I suppose it's that way with anything in life, right?

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

Hmmm...the other names I picked seem rather silly now!  One idea was "A Room of My Own" based on Virginia's Woolf's essay and the idea that a woman needed space and freedom to create.  Although I agree with and like that idea, that name for a blog seems a little lofty and I am glad I didn't choose it.  Also, I considered "The View From Where I Sit".  That one makes me laugh now.  I guess at the time I was very interested in my blog being a place for me to create, express myself and be heard.  All of those are good things, of course!

Now that you are recognized by "I have to say...," are you happy with it, and do you wish you could change it to something else?

I am generally happy with my blog name, but I do occasionally wish I could change it to something more "crafty".  "Seams to Me" would be a good blog name, and I do realize that it is just a crafty version of the name I already have.   I also wish it matched my shop name a little bit better, but at the time of starting my blog, I had no idea that owning a fabric store was in my future!

I have purchased a lot of fabric from Randi, and the thing that never fails to impress me is her excellent customer service. Lots of times she will receive an email from me, asking for a custom order, something like this: "Randi, could you make a custom order for 1/2 yard of all the dots in the 'Ruby' line." She pulls it all together and sends me the link.

So, Randi, how did you choose the name, Fresh-Squeezed Fabrics?

The name Fresh-Squeezed Fabrics came from, well, my imagination. I was dreaming of opening a shop, and I was sitting around trying to think of what I would name it, and Fresh-Squeezed Fabrics popped into my head. It seemed fun, modern and "bouncy". By bouncy I simply mean rhythmic.

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

My other ideas were Candy Shop Fabrics (too childlike), Shadow Mountain Fabrics (kind of boring), and Fresh Cut Fabrics (too close to the name of Heather Bailey's collection).

Now that your shop is recognized by Fresh-Squeezed Fabrics, are you happy with it or do you wish you could change it to something else?

Fresh-Squeezed Fabrics seems fun to me, although I do find myself having to explain the name quite often--mostly to men. The shop name says "fresh, modern, and new" to me. Kind of like a fresh-squeezed glass of lemonade.

Please go to Randi's blog, say hi and spend some time looking around. And then be sure to check out the store too. You will definitely find something to add to your stash.

Want to add some Ruby to your stash?

Here's all you have to do. Leave a comment here answering one of these questions:

Is there a phrase that you say a lot? Mine is: "Here's the thing...," which actually would be a pretty good blog name, too.

Or What is your favorite fruit?  Mine is a toss-up between fresh raspberries or those yummy fuyu persimmons that are finally available this time of year--the ones you can eat like an apple. Soooo good.

Answer one of the questions for a chance to win four Ruby fat quarters, generously donated by Randi, from her shop.  Random Number Generator will choose the winner on Wednesday, 11/9, at noon PST.
 
Randi, thanks so much for playing the Name Game this week!