“Amongst the early morning dew and the rays of sunshine emerge the sounds of summer. The delicate wings of the hummingbird whispering to me – Hello! Good Morning! My heart fills with love and happiness as my garden comes to life with their energy and grace fluttering among the sunflowers. Murmur was inspired by these magnificent creatures and the wonder and delight they bring.” -Valori Wells
My earliest memory of meeting Valori Wells was at the Kansas City Quilt Market in 2011 when I ran into Val walking to the convention center and my friend Lindsay Lefevere said, “Hey!? I know you!?” Lindsay is a big fan, obvy, and in that moment, a friendship was born. With each subsequent quilt market, I have admired Val’s bold choice of color and design. As a fellow printmaker, I love peeking in on her process, inspirations, and layered approach to fabric design. Murmur, this vibrant hummingbird inspired collection, sways me into loving her even more.
When my buddies at FreeSpirit asked me to hop on the Murmur blog tour, I happily accepted. I mean, Grandma Mac (Lois) would not have liked it if I passed up a chance to make something from a fabric collection that celebrates the star of most bird feeders in North America.
Twenty-four delightfully beachy-colored fabrics are found in Murmur. I paired Val’s work with twelve electric FreeSpirit solids, which truly are my favorite to use plus I added good old Arctic white. I mean, if it’s gonna be beachy, we gotta cool it off with North Pole sashing, y’all. Because FreeSpirit solids coordinate so seamlessly with many of my favorite designers like Amy Butler, Denyse Schmidt, and Tula Pink, I can’t stop using them. I’m in love!! The hand is incredibly soft and is the same weight as other FreeSpirit fabrics, which makes me very happy. Nothing is compromised in the making of these babies. If you haven’t used them, I would encourage you to give it a try.
Through a series of trial and error, I came up with a design that incorporated stripes, a ginormous 60-degree ruler that I use in my Succulent Garden quilt pattern, and for fun, I wanted an overall emphasis on vertical design. Here is my process.
First, marvel at Murmur.
Next, coordinate the soft and luxe FreeSpirit solids.
Now, look at them all together, tilting head left then right, squint at some point.
I then separated all of the fabrics into two piles that had equal value and scale and chopped them into .75″ – 3.5″ strips.
Through the magic of the internet, I made a quilt. 😉 I’m not gonna lie, I went through a couple of versions and layouts and landed on what I think is a light and airy design that compliments the brightness of Val’s fabrics.
My quilt obviously celebrates city-dwelling hummingbirds or perhaps the country hummingbirds on vacation in the big city? Across the street from Crimson Tate, the fabric store I hang out at, there is a massive construction project. On the day that I took photos of my Murmur quilt, they were full out digging up utilities in the street. There was no angle that wouldn’t have caught their workings, so I embraced it and kept it in my frame. Now you get to enjoy it, too. I’m happy to report the construction is no longer spilling into the street but rather more contained within the parcel of land that is being developed.
I love the way the FreeSpirit Mesa (orange) vibrates against the oranges of Murmur. Some might suggest they love the way oranges and yellows of the construction site pairs nicely with Murmur, too.
Big thanks to the people of FreeSpirit fabrics who invited me along for the ride. I love this quilt and plan on using it all summer. #bestsummerever
NOTE: GIVEAWAY IS NOW OVER. Now for the nitty gritty. I’ve got THREE things to giveaway! Are you ready? I’ve got a fat quarter bundle of Murmur. I’ve got the entire lot of Murmur as long slim quarters measuring approximately 9″ x 44″, and I’ve got the leftover strips of of both Murmur and FreeSpirit coordinating solids that are already cut into long pieces ready to be sewn. There are probably enough strips to make a lap-size quilt. Thank you to the nice folks at FreeSpirit fabrics for the Murmur and to the lovely Crimson Tate for the FreeSpirit solids. Here are three ways to win!!
- Give Crimson Tate on Instagram a follow, like, and comment on the Murmur post telling if you’re a city-dwelling humming bird or a country-dwelling hummingbird. WINNER IS:
- Comment on this very blog post with your favorite song to hum. Or if you don’t like humming, tell us the one song that makes you happy. WINNER IS:
- Added bonus. Give Heather Givans (that’s me!) on Instagram a follow and see what’s up. I recently started an Instagram documenting the stuffs I’m working on and what other people are making with my fabrics and designs! Big news coming down the pike July 1 and I don’t want you to miss it! In order to be entered, please follow my instagram, like the Murmur quilt post, and tell me what your favorite bird is, it’ll give you a third chance to enter. Be very specific as to the type of bird you love. There may or may not be bonus prizes being awarded for most creative stories about birds told. If you don’t like birds, you’re ineligible to win. Just kidding! Tell me what critters you do like. WINNER IS:
All the bird lovers will enjoy this bird-friendly melody. It’s hilarious. You’re gonna love it.
Check back here on Tuesday, May 28 to see who won! If you want to know what we’re up to at Crimson Tate, join our email list! We don’t send many emails (I’m the one that writes them which means it doesn’t happen very often), so you don’t have to worry about your inbox being jammed with emails all the time. I do send out awesome news and what is new to the store from time to time and to let you know when we’re celebrating or having a sale. I’d love for you to join in on the fun! Sign up here.
Thanks for reading all the way through. You’re a keeper. I appreciate your time and thank you dearly for being in my creative circle. Have a great holiday weekend.
xoxo,
Heather
Heather Givans 
As a camper you may know my favorite humming song, “Linger”. 🎵 “mm I want to linger, mm, a little longer, mm, a little longer here with you…”
My happy song is Yellow Submarine by The Beatles.
Oh I hum alright and it’s whatever pops into my head… music is my heartbeat!!💗💗💗
I am not a hummer or singer, more of a listener of which my family and friends are grateful! I like to listen to 70’s classics. Takes me back to the past…
No one wants to hear me hum or sing but…one of my favorite songs is an old camp song about Loons. When campers would come back from a trip (1-10 days) they would sing the song they made up while out. Sometimes those songs stuck and became “camp songs”. “The loons call in the wind, waters flowing deep, if …. (can’t remember all the words but do know the tune!)
We currently have a few grands staying with us.. I find myself humming Baby Shark…do do do do do.. baby kale do do…and so forth…ha!!! Fun times!
My favorite song to him depends on my mood. Usually it is What a Wonderful World, but some days it is You are my Sunshine.
I’m always humming something different – today, I woke up with What the World Needs Now is Love in my head!
Beautiful colors! I love music, so I’m singing or humming all day, but my favorite song is Be Happy!
I love anything James Taylor….it makes me happy!
I’m not big on humming and I may sing along if I’m by myself. The tunes I listen to depend on my mood…sometimes it’s oldies, sometimes jazz/blues, sometimes classical.
I sing to the radio. I guess when I hum it is to John Denver songs.
Hmm, I rarely hum along or sing along, I don’t even sing in the shower! But if I did it would have to be a Beatles song or maybe some hard core rock and roll!
You likely won’t find me humming a song, but my favorite son lately is Beyond by Leon Bridges
Well currently it’s HUSTLE by Pink.. I may not hum it, but I do sing it in my head, especially at work!
NANCY!!!! You WON!!! Yayyyyyy. Email me winner at crimsontate dot com and I’ll send you some fabric!!!! Congratulations. I like PINK, too. xoxox.
I usually hum whatever was the last thing I listened to on my Pandora stations but I do love a good James Taylor song!
I rarely hum, but I do sing. I’m similar to Nancy M of the comments. I’m currently singing stuff from P!nk’s newest album. “Can We Pretend” is what’s going through my head right now.
I have two toddlers, so I find myself humming “Baby Shark” quite a bit, which is infinity better than the Paw Patrol theme 😳😳
I listen to classic 70’s ballads, so a lot of Sweet Baby James is running through my head 😀
As I was reading this post I was humming Sarah Lee Guthrie’s song, Go Waggaloo! Then I got to the descriptions of the comment requests and had to smile. My girls and I listen or sing this tune about daily! Very catchy. I find myself humming it unconsciously often during the day.
She’s a Mystery to Me sung by Roy Orbison. Heard it on Aquaman last week and it’s stuck in my head!
Lately of been thinking of my mom and the music she listened to when she sewed. One of her favorites that I’ve been humming is Neil Diamond’s “Forever in Blue Jeans”. Miss you mom.❤️
I hum and sing all the time, my son plays guitar and drums, keyboard and harmonica, I love blackbird by the beatles, I am always asking him to play it lol
I love playing the piano and singing the old hymns. It’s refreshing to my soul. While sitting at my sewing machine, I’m grooving to either 90s country, 2000s pop, or 50-60s music.
One of my favorite humming tunes is “Morning has Broken” by Cat Stevens. It wakes me up in the shower. Love your quilt!!!
The “Days of the Week” early learning song set to the tune of the Addams Family theme song is currently what’s humming in my head…because it’s preschool graduation at work today and they are singing it!
“The Rhythm of My Heart”, Sir Rod Stewart”!!! Playing it now…the rythm of my heart is beating like a drum! Just like the sound of the hummingbirds wings … Murmur …. a beautiful fabric collection by Valori Wells and I will have it, win or lose here!!! And(!) with those lovely coordinated fabrics!!!
We currently have a few grands staying with us.. I find myself humming Baby Shark…do do do do do.. baby kale do do…and so forth…ha!!! Fun times!
Ha ha ha!!! Ummmm. Yes. I totally understand this one!
i don’t hum but I love listening to sound tracks from my favorite movies while I am sewing!!
Hey Heather!! I usually find myself humming whatever song my grandkids are singing currently. Right now it’s a song about funky feet! If I really need a pick-me-up, is there anything better than Footloose!! Dance party!!!!
I like to hum Pharrell Williams’ Happy. I have a little quilt that I made singing it! I also am constantly humming the song from the latest commercial over and over and over!
Not much of a hummer, but when I do it always seems to be “camptown races” — no idea why????
Lately, it’s been Blessed Assurance, the old school church hymn. But there’s so many pretty ways to hear it.
That quilt is a stunner! Looks great, Heather!
I don’t have Instagram so this li’l comment here is my only shot to win some of that gorgeous fabric! 🤞🏻 What I’m usually humming is the last tune that my husband rewrote the lyrics for to be about our dog—I get unfortunate earworms all the time!
I hum all the time — often to distract me from all the adjacent conversations in the open floor plan office….my daughter plays violin (level 4 suzuki) which mean often it’s something by Vivaldi or Bach which is running through my head because I hear it every day during practice sessions.
You can’t go wrong with a Raffi song. My fav is Baby Beluga!
I don’t hum a lot, but my favorite song is “Forever Young” by Rod Stewart. Thanks!
My husband always says you can’t be grumpy when you hun. I’ve been trying to prove him wrong for years. But it’s true, you can’t!
So I hum… “Daisy daisy tell me your answer do…”
Wheels on the bus
My favorite song to hum is an oldie but a goodie – You are my sunshine. I started singing it to my daughter when she was little and “you are my sunshine” is now a refrain between us. Thanks for the chance to win this awesome fabric! Your quilt is beautiful!
“My Favorite Things”! Lovely pairing of design and fabric!
To start a day happy, listen to It’s a Beautiful Morning by The Rascals. Feels good, and works where you are. I could see you humming that song Heather. 🙂
I usually hum holiday songs – a favorite is Rudolph the Red nosed Reindeer! No idea why!
I don’t hum as much as I sing and there are several songs I can’t help but sing out loud when I hear them, no matter where I am (including the grocery store). Colors of the Wind from Pocahontas, Just Give Me a Reason by Pink and Nate Ruess, and any song by FUN. especially We are Young and Some Nights.
I always seem to hum the last song i’ve heard, usually a Preschool Song as that’s what I teach!
I don’t tend to hum, my family objects, so I mentally sing along to whatever is on the radio.
Thanks for the giveaway. I suspect the fabric will also go really well with Alison Glass.
Somewhere over the rainbow by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole. It reminds me of my visits to Hawaii and makes me smile.
Hmmmm, I don’t think I have a favorite song to hum. I tend to random hum. But I do like listening to southern rock while cutting pieces and sewing them together.
If I’m humming a tune, it’s probably something from the 70’s or 80’s or whatever the last song that was playing in the car. Today my ear worm has been Hooked on a Feeling by Blue Swede! This quilt and these fabrics are beautiful!
I don’t really hum a whole lot, if I’m going to have music come out of my mouth it normally has words with it : ) My go to songs are anything Disney or anything by the Decemberists!