Timna Tarr’s work is strongly tied to the long history and tradition of quiltmaking, but hers are not your grandmother’s quilts
Tarr’s innovative use of color and design have thoroughly modernized the art. Her vibrant quilts are designed to be hung on walls.
A graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the 41-year-old South Hadley resident has been winning competitions nationally for her bright, imaginative quilts, including a recent award for “Best Whimsical Quilt” last year at the Vermont Quilt Festival.
Hampshire Life: What is your creative process like?
Timna Tarr: First, I take two fabrics that I like, and sew them together into a block. Then I find two more fabrics to make another block, then a third block. By the time I have 10 or 20 blocks I can see how they work as a group and I am able to decide if it is an idea worth pursuing.
H.L.: What do you do when you get stuck?
T.T.: When I get stuck, I take a walk. When I am really stuck, I clean my house.
H.L.: How do you know when a work is done?
T.T.: I never know what a finished product is going to look like when I start. There is always a voice in the back of my head telling me what isn’t working or what should be changed. Sometimes I try to ignore that voice, but until I fix the problem, I hear it. Once the voice is gone, I know the piece is finished.
H.L.: What did you do most recently that relates to your art?
T.T.: I finished a small wall quilt for an upcoming show, worked on a quilt for Quilts of Valor (an organization that donates quilts to military veterans), and filled out an application for teaching at a quilt show. I try to mix up my day between the fun “making art” part and the not-so-fun paperwork part of running an art business.
H.L.: What is your favorite tool?
T.T.: My Innova longarm quilting machine. It is 12 feet wide and allows me to easily work on large pieces. Unlike a domestic sewing machine where one moves the fabric under the needle, the longarm sews layers of fabric and batting together while it moves over the quilt. The quilt remains stationary while I move the machine, which is a track and wheels, to create a stitched line.
I also love a good pair of scissors.
— Kathleen Mellen
Timna Tarr’s quilts will be on view at a Trunk Show and Exhibit Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Phelps-Hatheway House in Suffield, Connecticut (www.ctlandmarks.org/page/phelps-hatheway-events).
Her quilts will also be exhibited at the International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas, Nov. 3-6 (www.quilts.com/quilt-festival-houston.html) and at the Karen and Ed Adler Gallery at the Port Washington Public Library in Port Washington, New York, Dec. 2-30 (www.pwpl.org/adler-gallery).
For more info, visit www.timnatarr.com.