Enjoying the Ride
Written by Linzee Kull McCray
Who’s that woman with pink flames on her helmet, riding down an Iowa highway on the back of a Harley Davidson motorcycle? Why, it’s Avis Shirer, one half of the design team Joined at the Hip. And chances are, in addition to enjoying the wind in her face and some time with her husband, she’s taking in the scenery and solving design dilemmas.
“When I’m riding, I can’t multitask, I can only sit there and think,” says Avis. “It’s amazing the problems I’ve solved on the back of the motorcycle.”
Joined at the Hip’s other half, Tammy Johnson, also gains inspiration on a motorized vehicle. But in her case, it’s a tractor. Tammy’s husband farms, and in the autumn, while she helps with fieldwork, the colors and textures of the plants, skies, and woods around her find their way into the sketchbook she takes with her.
“I’ve done a lot of designing in the tractor,” she says. “It’s always so beautiful in the fall.”
Avis and Tammy, close friends for many years, take their designs home to complete them, then come together to produce patterns and projects for their company, Joined at the Hip. Each design is created by Tammy or Avis, but people often have trouble telling who is responsible for a particular design because their style and tastes are so similar.
“Designing this way works very well for us,” says Avis. “I’ll think ‘mittens and snowmen’ and so will Tammy. It’s like our brains are intertwined.” They’ve been friends since 1980, when they met working at a grain elevator near their Iowa homes. Avis, an avid seamstress, would come to work excited about a project she’d completed—she sewed nearly all her family’s clothing, down to her husband’s underwear and daughter’s Barbie clothes.
“When you’re passionate about a hobby, you want to share it with everyone,” says Avis, who encouraged Tammy’s early sewing efforts.
Continued on Page 2: Quilt Makers, Authors, and Fabric Designers
More to check out:
Green Pinwheels
Four-Square Pillow
Dotty Stars |
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