When Tamara Harper ’06 was eight years old, she received her first cross-stitch kit, and became enamored with the process of detailed handwork crafts.

“As a kid, I loved beading, sewing, or any other crafty-type project,” she says. “My parents have always been supportive of anything I wanted to do. At a young age, working on small detail was comfortable to me. The worth ethic of working by myself on a project suits my personality, and I enjoy being able to rely on that work.”

Harper is the founder and owner of Smallwoods Studios, an online embroidery shop based in Birmingham, which features embroidery, pieces made from upcycled upholstery remnants, and crocheted items.

Performing music is also one of Harper’s many talents. She began taking piano lessons in first grade, and continued to play and perform her own compositions as an adult. She received a B.A. in music with a concentration in piano from Birmingham-Southern.

“I would not be here today without the way that Birmingham-Southern encourages student-initiated creative pursuits,” says Tamara. “I took full advantage of those opportunities. BSC was always willing to support any initiative I had as a student.”

With the help of the late Dr. Ron Hooten, who was the BSC director of bands, Harper formed a jazz ensemble and wrote and performed her own compositions.

“Along with a saxophone player who did not own a sax,” she says, laughing. “That positive experience of having people around me who were willing to cooperate was invaluable. You also have to learn how to ask for support from others. This empowered me to start my own small business as an artist.”

Harper has often collaborated with other local and national artists, including Bib & Tucker Sew-Op, and Nest. She became the first Alabama artist to partner with Madewell, a national clothing brand featuring handmade and upcycled designs, as part of their Hometown Heroes Collective.

In 2022, the Clinton Foundation commissioned Harper and The Red Sari to collaborate in creating one-of-a-kind, handmade silk scarves from upcycled saris, featuring 220 hand-embroidered names of historically influential women. The idea was based on a red silk dress designed by Joseph Altuzarra that Secretary Hillary Clinton wore to the Met Gala in May 2022, with the same names hand-embroidered along the hem. A few of the scarves were gifted to VIP attendees of the Women’s Voices Summit in December 2022. The remaining scarves are on display alongside Hillary’s dress and available for purchase in person at the Clinton Museum in Little Rock.

During January E-Term, Harper led a group of BSC students in an embroidery workshop, where each participant was able to sew their own version of her design for the Year of the Ginkgo.

Watch Harper’s TEDxBirmingham talk online. Her book, Living Restfully: A Skeptic’s Guide to Raising Children Screen-Free is available on Amazon.