Tammi launched Yarn & Whiskey in Brooklyn, sewing project bags from the African print fabrics she had spent years collecting. She left her career in Information Technology to make a leap: she enrolled at the Fashion Institute of Technology to earn her BFA in Textile & Surface Design. Today pieced that leave her studio carry her own digitally printed artwork, her product line has grown well past project bags into silk scarves, shirts, crossbody bags, and pouches. Her work pulls from New York City, the African Diaspora, Hip Hop, modern art, vintage clothing, and her travels.
She is a maker in every direction: a knitter, a weaver, and a seamstress who turns her own fabric scraps into something new rather than letting anything go to waste. We're so glad to share her story with you.
photo credit Clay Williams (@ultraclay on Instagram)
Q. You started Yarn & Whiskey by transforming bold and vibrant African print fabrics into project bags while working in Information Technology; since then you've earned your BFA in Textile & Surface Design and your bags and apparel pieces showcase your original textile designs. What was the process like when you decided to be the one creating the prints, not just curating them? And now that your designs are available on everything from scarves to kaftans to non-project bags: what do you look forward to working on next?
Going back to school for Textile & Surface Design was born out of a desire to have complete creative control over the canvas of my project bags. The process was completely unlocked for me during a semester at Heriot-Watt University in Scotland. I basically lived in the print lab, peppering the digital fabric technician with questions and diving deep into the chemistry of color fastness and printing methods. It bridged the gap between raw creativity and technical execution.
Because I run an intentional, boutique studio, I have the luxury of testing designs and ensuring the print quality is impeccable before anything goes into production. As for what’s next—I am currently redesigning and sourcing for the return of my signature kaftans! They are the ultimate comfort outfit and the perfect dramatic canvas for my prints. I can't wait to bring them back to the shop.
Q. Can you walk us through what it looks like to bring one of your textile designs to life from start to finish? We'd love to hear about the full arc: from the initial spark of an idea through research, painting, scanning, color decisions, and finally seeing the printed fabric in your hands for the first time. Are there stages in that process where the design surprises you and becomes something different from what you first imagined?
My best work happens when I allow myself total freedom to play. My sketchbooks are a messy, beautiful playground of watercolor, gouache, inks, and random scraps of paper. While my time in design school often emphasized rigid trend reports, I quickly realized my strength lay in trusting my own intuitive vision over standard commercial forecasts. I do utilize trend research for color palettes -- because color is the emotional hook that draws a person in -- but the motifs and stories are entirely my own.
When I receive my printed fabric yardage from my suppliers, there are rarely negative surprises. Because I am meticulous about color referencing and work with incredible partners, seeing the final fabric in my hands for the first time is just pure, rewarding validation.
Q. When you worked with Toni Lipsey on a custom design for her TL YarnCrafts YarnHive, the process started with Toni's mood board whch lead to your own concept board and visual direction. Your Cozy Canines print worked differently: customers submitted pet photos, voted on the fabric color, and you transformed each animal with your signature styles. What do you look for in a collaboration, and how does working with someone else's vision (or inviting your customers into yours) change what you make?
Collaborating is an incredible alchemy when the chemistry is right. Working with Toni Lipsey on the YarnHive design was a dream because she provided a clear emotional mood board, which allowed me the space to interpret it through my own visual lens. With Cozy Canines, the spark hit me in Rome, and inviting my community to submit their own dogs made it a deeply collective piece of art.
For me, a successful collaboration requires two things: a resonant theme and mutual respect for medium boundaries. I look for partners who want an organic synergy, not a copyist. If I’m working with a yarn dyer, we need to be equally obsessive about color precision. If I'm working with a knitwear designer, the goal should be to create a cohesive collection where my textiles and their stitches complement each other, rather than trying to literally translate a graphic print into knit stitches. I am interested in creating a dialogue between two different crafts, creating something elevated that neither of us could have made alone.
What we love about Tammi's work is how much care sits behind every piece she makes, long before it reaches anyone's hands.
If you want to see her prints for yourself, they're waiting at yarnandwhiskey.com, where the project bags that started it all now keep company with silk scarves and crossbody bags.
You'll find her on Instagram at @YarnAndWhiskey for behind the scenes looks at new fabric designs, mini elephants, and other joyful, colorful moments.
Thank you, Tammi, for sharing your story with us.
