National Sewing Month Featuring Tina Givens

Tina Givens shares her sewing story for National Sewing Month! 

My first memories of needle and thread was 12” talking doll. She was beautiful but her clothes were shockingly ugly to me. So I planned and proceeded to remove her clothes and remade them in my own ‘style’. I stitched each garment by hand and was delighted at my work. I started dreaming of the way a needle can magically go in and out of cloth, and piece parts together. This thrilled me and after begging my grandmother and mother to let me learn on the machine, they finally sat me down and taught me the basics. All to happy to provide me with a new hobby! I was so excited I almost passed out. Once I’d experienced the machine there was no stopping me. They ensured I had a stock of fabric when I was young to prevent me from cutting up the curtains, sheets and anything else I could find!

Make sure to sign up for a chance to win fabric from Tina Givens along with our Coats Quilt+ thread! You will also be entered for a chance to win our Grand Prize giveaway featuring SEW many goodies including a Janome AMH-100 Machine!

ENTER TO WIN HERE!

Inspiration behind Tina Given's Riddles and Rhymes Collection

My new fabric collection for children captures a dreamy fairy land of friendship fairies, giant birds with crowns in the sky and floating castles. Bubble balloons lift elephants up up and away. Warm and huggable bears, bunnies and unicycle girls are on their way to the soiree in the sky.

My fairy tales don’t have poison, nor witches’ spells, wicked stepmothers or mean sisters… they’re filled with magical flights and floating clouds with crystal rain drops and feather light ships. My little creatures love to play, giggle and flit through the air, granting wishes and dreams.

 

Do you hear tinkling music with sweet rhyming whispers? A tiny piano and flute playing their riddles all the while the creatures dance in the air.

DOVECOTE by Tina Givens

There’s never a lull in the beautiful fabrics our designers keep turning out, collection after collection. With such a great team of artists, you're bound to find a collection that suits your tastes and personality. Today, we highlight Tina Givens’ Dovecote.

“Flutter by in play feathered dove, Around your chamber of velvet, High in the sky. Your company is true and sublime as you dance Before mine eyes. My head soars as you fly and glide For love and in joy. I soften in thanks as I see thee graceful wing Allowing your beauty to rest upon. The air begins to soften, and pink blush on your wing Glitters by. Drift to slumber and stillness my love, the quiet of Your Dovecote in peace and joy.” Tina Givens

Tina explains the inspiration behind this collection. “I do find inspiration in all parts of my life. Being as busy as I am, I make sure I have a constant supply of imagery coming my way, whether in books, online or outdoors on my hikes. And came across an amazing image of a French pigeon with a sprout of amazing head feathers. I carried this image around me for the longest time, then forgot about my feathered friend.

One afternoon I sat on a quilt on the sidelines of the normal day activity of soccer practice for my John – I noticed a beautiful weathered Dovecote. This was a pigeon dovecote the nearby neighbors had apparently planned but it looked abandoned. As I sat there with intended paperwork for the 90 minutes in the late afternoon sun my attention focuses on a pair of doves who’d apparently made a home in the dovecote. They were darling and floated about, he left and returned and she playfully kissed him and took food indoors to her little brood. All the while my French pigeon had stirred my imagination yet again. Thus I wrote the above poem and sketched and played in color. Inspiration does come from everywhere. You just need to watch for it. “

Dovecote is arriving in quilt shops this month. Now it’s your turn to be inspired and make these beautiful prints shine with your creative touch.  Tina provides a place to start with her Framed Applique Art project available as a free download- Click Here!

 

 

 

12 Weeks of Christmas-Week 12!!

This is the LAST tutorial for our 12 Weeks of Christmas tutorial posts! You know what that means, Christmas is DAYS away! So check out the amazing tutorial below and get sewing!

Hey! This is Kati from From the Blue Chair! One great way to wrap gifts is in gift bags. Gift bags have a downside though. They are both expensive and wasteful. Fabric gift bags are a great alternative. This simple, reversible tote is roughly based on fairly standard gift bag sizes. The bag comes together quickly and can be a second gift on top of what is inside.  These bags are made from fabrics from the Fortiny line by Tina Givens.

STEP 1: Cut fabric, interfacing and template plastic as shown in chart for bag size.

STEP 2: Apply interfacing to bag pieces and handles as instructed on interfacing directions.

STEP 3: Make handles:

• Fold handle pieces in half along the length with wrong sides together to find center. Press crease. 
• Open, then fold each long raw edge of the fabric to the center line. Press.
• Fold along the center line, matching the now folded in edges.
• Edge stitch along the length of each long side.  Leave short ends unfinished.  

STEP 4: Make removable base:

• Match smaller fabric rectangles with right sides together.  
• Sew ½” seam along both long sides and one short side.  Clip corners.  Turn right-side out.  Press.  
• Slide template plastic inside this sleeve.   The plastic should fit snugly.  Trim plastic slightly if too difficult to slide into the sleeve.  Make sure seam allowances lay flat.  
• Tuck raw edge inside the sleeve, around the plastic.  Use wonder clips rather than pins to keep this raw edge in place while stitching closed.  
• Edge stitch 1/8” from edge.  This may require stitching through the template plastic.  Stitch slowly.  Do not press this piece once the template plastic has been inserted as it will melt and warp with the heat.

STEP 5: Make the bag:

• Fold each large rectangle in half along the width and sew a ¼” seam up both sides.  Press seams open.
• On each bag piece, smooth and flatten bottom corner to make boxed base.  Make sure seam is centered.   Draw a line the length of the base for the bag size as shown on chart.  (i.e. If making the small bag, draw a 4” line for a 4” base.  Draw a 5 ½” line for the medium size bag. Draw a 6" line for large bag.)  Stitch across this line, backstitching at the ends of the seam.  Trim excess fabric.  (see photos)
• Baste handles to one bag piece.  Mark the center point on the front and back of bag piece.  For handle placement measure and mark on either side of this center point.  (Measure 2” for the small bag, 2 ½” for the medium bag, and 3” for the large bag).  With right side of bag out, place handle ends  over marks allowing end to overlap past bag top about ¼”.  Stitch to secure.  Ensure that handles are not twisted before attaching.
• Sew bag sections together.  Place the bag piece with handles attached inside the other bag piece, right sides together.  Line up side seams.  Pin or clip in place.  Pin along the top of the bag.  Sew ¼” seam around the top.  Leave a 4” hole for turning.  Backstitch well.  Reinforce handles with zig-zag stich. Turn bag and lining through the hole.  Press well.  Press raw edges of the hole in.  Edge stitch 1/8” along the entire top rim of bag.
• Fit finished bag base inside bag.  

Finished!

Pernilla's Journey by Tina Givens

If you haven't already taken a look at Pernilla's Journey by Tina Givens, here's your chance. This collection is inspired by one of Tina's favorite childhood books about a young girl who lived in a Parrot Jungle. Through Pernilla's journey she encounters exotic animals, brilliant gardens and fountain pools. This whimsical collection emulate's Tina's light and hopeful style with elephant's lightly parading across the width of the fabric and seahorses dancing in the middle of medalions. Pernilla's Journey is available in 100% cotton and a linen cotton in three colorways; licorice cloud, cotton candy and sweet treats. It is easy to see Tina's imaginative, artistic memories of Pernilla's journey.