Tammy L Deck: ARTepreneur

Award Winning Fiber Artist/Educator

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Tammy caught the fiber art and stitching bug during childhood from her artistic mother, JoAnn.  Tammy sewed for Barbie, stitched needle-point florals for grandma, altered and embroidered her jeans. She explored all types of making including candles, perfume, jewelry, basket weaving, home decorative items, gifts and fashion. 

 

Tammy enjoyed every sewing & stitching class offered in Junior High and High School.  She sewed half a dozen costumes for "The Princess & the Pea".  She  also attend business classes earning work program credits from her mall  job at "SoFro Fabrics". Tammy even competed in regional and state Business competitions, receiving awards at each level. Tammy graduated high school after her junior year.

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Tammy enrolled immediately at Harper College (Palatine, IL) in Fashion Design.  A Textile Design class at Harper sparked her interest and fueled a passion to  "make" and manipulate her own textiles/fabrics.  Tammy satisfied her passion when she transferred to Northern Illinois University (DeKalb, IL)  minoring in Fiber Art. Tandem to her studies, Tammy found time to design and construct costumes for the dance and theater departments.  Tammy also held an internship position with Chicago ArtWear designer, Paige Mayberry (Grass Orchids) who additionally contracted Tammy to hand weave and machine knit yardages and sweater parts for their Art to Wear clothing line....one of which was utilized in a dress for Oprah Winfrey's attendance at a celebrity wedding (she also wore it on her TV show). 

 

Tammy received a BS degree in Clothing & Textile Science with Fiber Art Minor in 1985.  She continued on at NIU with post graduate studies blending textile science & fiber art departments. She received a graduate assistant position, teaching "Sewing Skills 101" and TA for "Textile Science 101 -Lab".....all the while working on her personal passion and focus in wet felting, machine knitting  and hand woven ArtWear.

 

Tammy registered her company/label, "TLD Designs" January 1986 at the age of 22 & immediately entered the "indie" and "slow fashion" movement.  Her modest dream was to sustain and support herself in textile fabrications and wearable art.  Each item is made by Tammy, one piece at a time including techniques she has designed in hand weaving, hand and/or machine knitting, hand dyeing/painting/printing yarns and fabrics, hand-made felt, laminated (Nuno) felt, recycled sweaters/textiles, applique/reverse applique, stitching, embroidery, beading, fiber fusion, sculpting, assemblage, lampwork/fused glass and enameling.