It’s Kismet

Kismet is one of our 2019 faves! From the creative mind of Aurifil Designer & Aurifilosopher Tammy Silvers of Tamarinis, the Fall 2019 Island Batik collection is just now hitting stores. A brilliant range of bolds and brights, Kismet pulls together a series of motifs that are near and dear to Tammy’s heart. We think this was a bit of a passion project for her, and it shows through with her projects and her marketing.

We’re delighted to be one of the final stops on Tammy’s Kismet Blog Hop. It’s been a wonderful week full of project showcases, so make sure to check out all of the other stops along the way!

As for us… we’ve already shared a few Kismet posts courtesy of Tammy — a holiday themed project (It’s a Kismet Christmas) and one for Valentine’s day (Your Love Gives Me Wings). Tammy has been actively creating with these fabrics, experimenting with threads, and sharing her experiences along the way. We love that she’s featuring the 28wt threads, highlighting the benefits, introducing tips for working with a slightly heavier weight. Every thread needs a champion and Tammy has been shouting her love of 28wt from the hilltops!

We’re thrilled to showcase her fabrics and a variety of project here today. Settle in and take in the glory of Kismet!

THREAD COLLECTION DETAILS
Kismet
10 Small Spools 28wt, 109yds each
3910, 2810, 1100, 2545, 2235, 2479, 2888, 2220, 2135, 2692

Want your very own copy of Kismet? Check out a list of our Aurifil Dealers or check in with your local quilt shop and make a request!

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THE INTERVIEW
How did you first connect with Island Batik?
Oh my – a LOOONNNNGGG time ago! I’ve been designing projects for Island Batik almost as long as I’ve been designing. How that happened? Hmmm…to be honest, I can’t even remember! But however it happened, I’m so very glad it did!

What do you love most about working with batik fabrics?
Batiks have so many amazing qualities. Depending upon the print, you may not have a “wrong side”. The colors are so intense, and the brights are really saturated. The higher thread count means so much less fraying, and makes it possible to get super crisp seams and amazing accurate points. And then there’s the range of prints and colors – what’s not to love about that?

Can you tell us a bit more about Kismet and how it all came to be?
Kismet is one of those heart projects. The motifs are some that I’ve used in appliqué designs in the past and hold near and dear to my heart. The colors are from my go-to palette of brights. Several of the motifs have multiple meanings, and I’ve been working on a series of small ornaments that focus on the individual motifs and their meanings. So the combination of lovely, swirly motifs and bright, saturated colors are, for me, a combination worth waiting for. I tried to keep the projects in keeping with the feel of the line – bohemian, bright, inspiring.

Do you have a favorite project or projects made with this collection?
Gosh, that’s a tough one. I, of course (she says modestly) love my projects done in Kismet. Of mine, I especially love Fate and Fortune’s Wheel. I was also fortunate enough to have other designer friends that played with the Kismet line as well. To pick a favorite among them would be like choosing your favorite child – can’t be done! I do want to give a shout out to the ladies, however, for working with the line and really making it shine!  I LOVE LOVE LOVE how their projects were so very different from mine, and yet showcased the line to it’s best. What I found especially interesting is that most used a white or light background – which I tend to NOT do, and the combination of their projects and mine really made my booth at Quilt Market one of my best yet!

We’ve loved following along with your project posts and it’s clear how versatile the Kismet colors can be. Do you have any other project tips that you’d like to share with our readers?
While I love the saturated colors, I would recommend prewashing all of those rich lovely fabrics first. There can sometimes be a bit of excess dye, especially with the deeper colors, and you want your project to maintain it’s glorious awesomeness even after washing.

I also want to encourage you to mix in Kismet with other fabrics – it will play nice with them. It’s exciting to see those combinations and how they can compliment each other to make a project sparkle.

When did you first discover Aurifil threads?
I just had this conversation with a quilter at my most recent Aurifilosophy lecture. I was first introduced to Aurifil thread back in the early 2000s (don’t remember the specific year) at a quilt show.  I remember the vendor talking at length about the smooth, long fibers and the amazing colors.  So true.

What do I love about Aurifil thread?
This reminds me of “how do I love you, let me count the ways!”

I adore that my machine has much less lint when I use Aurifil (and let’s be honest, I ONLY use Aurifil). I love all of the different weights I can get almost any color in, and how they can be combined for fun results. I am always amazed at how well the colors seem to match so many fabrics – batiks, wools, prints.

Do you have any tips for using Aurifil 100% Cotton Threads with Island Batik Cotton fabrics?
I would encourage you to go big – as in heavier weight threads for embellishment and quilting – on your batiks. The higher thread count cotton batiks really let the threads stand out! Play up the motifs of the batiks by tracing along the motifs, either by hand or machine, to give some wonderful texture to your batik project. And match your needle (sharps please) to the size of your thread for the optimal stitch!

What is coming up next for you, where can we find you this year?
I’m so fortunate to have received several invitations to teach at different guilds across the US.  I’m thrilled to be visiting South Carolina, Kentucky, Ohio, Arizona and Colorado, as well as several local guilds here in Georgia.

I’m pleased to be launching a new fabric line this spring (stay tuned to see it – it’s amazing – just saying!), along with a new Block of the Month with my good friend, Kate Colleran of Seams Like a Dream.

And of course you can always find me online – at my website, on my Facebook page, Instagram and Pinterest.  Stop by and say hello!

ABOUT TAMMY
Blog — Facebook — Pinterest — Twitter — Instagram
Tammy Silvers is the designer behind the brand Tamarinis. She’s been designing quilts for 10 years, and prides herself on offering bold, fresh new patterns for quilters of all levels. She enjoys working with almost any fabric, but her favorites (the one that makes her drool and blow a carefully constructed budget) are batiks, bold prints, and chicken prints. Having a background in art and literature, another of her guilty quilty pleasures is finding ways to use “words” in her work, be it in the fabric itself or by adding them to the piece.

Tammy is a Georgia native and currently lives in Acworth with her husband, children (when they come to visit!), dog, and her favorite fat cats.

Under the label Tamarinis, her designs are regularly published in a variety of quilt magazines, including Quilt, McCall’s Quilting, American Patchwork and Quilting, Stitch, Fons and Porter’s Love of Quilting, Quilty, Quilt It…Today, Sew It…Today, Stitch and Create and Decorate. She also works with some of the major fabric manufacturers designing projects to showcase and promote their fabric lines, including Island Batik (of course!), Northcott Fabrics, Blend, Camelot and Fabri-Quilt.

To learn about Island Batik and the batik process, please visit their website. For a peek at the full range of Fall/Winter 2019 releases, in-stores now, click here or on the image above to browse the catalog.