March 26 :: Amanda Castor of Material Girl Quilts :: IT’S HERE!!! SUCCULENT SHELF PATTERN IS HERE!!

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Total hearts in my eyes for Amanda Castor of Material Girl Quilts.  She is total happiness and incredibly creative. I can’t wait for you to see all of the variations of Succulent Shelf, a paper pieced pattern that she has created!  I’m thinking I’m going to make a bed sized version of all of these cute little potted plants. Heather4112Photo by Eric Lubrick

Head over to her blog and see what she’s been up to and make sure to find her pattern.  It’s a keeper!!  You’ll find her at https://materialgirlquilts.wordpress.com

Let her know what you think and don’t forget, we only have two days left of the blog tour.  So join in.  Get inspired.  Leave comments on each of the blogs for fourteen chances to win!! Thank you Windham Fabrics for giving away fourteen complete fat quarter bundles of Succulents.  Tomorrow we meet Heather Jones.  Love that kid!

March 15: Heather Givans of Crimson Tate
March 16: Eric Lubrick of Eric Lubrick Photography
March 17: Sarah Sharp of {no} hats quilts }
March 18: Lindsay Lefevere of ellesquare
March 19: Karen McTavish of McTavish Quilting Studio
March 20: David Barnhouse of Crimson Tate
March 21: Meghan Eschbaugh of Calvin and Carolyn
March 22: Brooke Starnes
March 23: Matthew Wheeler of Kapa Quilts
March 24: Samantha Howard of Bobaloo Kids
March 25: Amy Garro of 13 spools
March 26: Amanda Castor of Material Girl Quilts
March 27: Heather Jones of Heather Jones Studio
March 28: Heather Givans of Crimson Tate
xoxo
Heather

March 25 Amy Garro of 13 spools :: Tutorial + Giveaway

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Local girl Amy Garro of 13 spools is top drawer.  She recently published a book titled Paper Pieced Modern through C+T Publishing.  It was a pleasure watching Amy work and choose fabrics for the book and then to see it come to life!  Outstanding.

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Head over to Amy Garro’s blog 13 spools and see what she created using Succulents and don’t forget, we’ve only got a few days left to be entered into the  fat quarter bundle drawing (fourteen bundles!!!) courtesy of Windham Fabrics.  So head to all of the blogs, check out how this creative community is using the fabric.Heather4154

Photo by Eric Lubrick

March 15: Heather Givans of Crimson Tate
March 16: Eric Lubrick of Eric Lubrick Photography
March 17: Sarah Sharp of {no} hats quilts }
March 18: Lindsay Lefevere of ellesquare
March 19: Karen McTavish of McTavish Quilting Studio
March 20: David Barnhouse of Crimson Tate
March 21: Meghan Eschbaugh of Calvin and Carolyn
March 22: Brooke Starnes
March 23: Matthew Wheeler of Kapa Quilts
March 24: Samantha Howard of Bobaloo Kids
March 25: Amy Garro of 13 spools HEAD HERE TODAY!!
March 26: Amanda Castor of Material Girl Quilts
March 27: Heather Jones of Heather Jones Studio
March 28: Heather Givans of Crimson Tate
xoxxo
Heather

March 24 Sam Howard of Bobaloo! Kids + {GIVEAWAY}

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So, Samantha Howard a total keeper.  Married with two lovely kids, an entrepreneur who is the chief creator and mastermind behind Bobaloo! Kids, but on top of all of that, she is a ROLLER GIRL!  Seriuosly.  You don’t get much cooler than Sam.  Here’s what she has to say about using Succulents. Here she is pictured with her daughter.

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photo credit: Eric Lubrick

Take it away Sam:

When my lovely friend Heather Givans asked if I would sew something up with her gorgeous new fabric line Succulents, I jumped on board in a flash!  We decided a dress for my daughter would be a great way to show off Succulent Parade in Blue, the gorgeous light blue border print. After considering many worthy pattern contenders, we landed on the darling Library Dress from Oliver + S. It’s the perfect mix of classic and modern while still appealing to a little girl with pretty strong clothing opinions. 

The Library Dress and Succulents turned out to be a match made in heaven! The skirt only has a few pleats, which minimizes folds at the hem and really shows off those succulent drawings. The border fabric is also used in the bodice. How darling is that collar? I have always loved sewing Oliver + S patterns and this one is no exception.

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photo credit: Eric Lubrick

I love mixing prints and Succulents offers a ton of great mix-and-match options. I wanted to balance the tiny repeating motif on the bodice with a larger print for the sash.  The yellow Greenhouse in Avocado was perfect, adding a pop of color while still mirroring the blue of the dress.

If you look closely you can see Moveable Type in Green peeking out as piping around the sash.  Man oh man, do I love a text print!  It adds such a great border to the sash.

 

Despite years and years of sewing, I still tend to chicken out on buttons and replace them with a different closure.  However, this time I put my big girl pants on and committed to the long row of buttonholes. I’m so glad I did because those yellow buttons are one of my very favorite parts of the dress.

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photo credit: Eric Lubrick

It was such a delight to sew with Succulents knowing the love and care that Heather put into every part of the design. I can’t wait to see what comes next!

The lovely folks at Windham are giving away fat quarter bundles at all FOURTEEN stops of the blog hop, including this very post. Make sure to follow along and comment at each stop to up your chances of getting your hands on some!

 
March 15: Heather Givans of Crimson Tate
March 16: Eric Lubrick of Eric Lubrick Photography
March 17: Sarah Sharp of {no} hats quilts }
March 18: Lindsay Lefevere of ellesquare
March 19: Karen McTavish of McTavish Quilting Studio
March 20: David Barnhouse of Crimson Tate
March 21: Meghan Eschbaugh of Calvin and Carolyn
March 22: Brooke Starnes
March 23: Matthew Wheeler of Kapa Quilts
March 24: Samantha Howard of Bobaloo Kids (YOU’RE HERE!)
March 25: Amy Garro of 13 spools
March 26: Amanda Castor of Material Girl Quilts
March 27: Heather Jones of Heather Jones Studio
March 28: Heather Givans of Crimson Tate

Matthew Wheeler of Kapa Quilts Blogging about Succulents + {GIVEAWAY}

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IMG_5403QuiltCon 2015 was INCREDIBLE.  I can’t emphasize enough that if you haven’t been, you need to make room in your schedule, if possible, to attend the Modern Quilt Guild Convention.  Did I ever tell you about the time that Denyse Schmidt tried to throw me under the bus?  It’s a good story.  You should ask her about it.  Here we are after sitting on a panel together with Jacqueline Sava of Soak and Mary Fons, formerly of Quilty Magazine.

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While in Austin, I had the pleasure of meeting Matt Wheeler of Kapa Quilts and in no time, this kid created the cutest set of baskets using Succulents.  I wanted you to see his creations so we reserved this date for him.  Head over to his blog and look at what he’s whipping up.

Don’t forget, your comment on each blog will be entered into a drawing of fourteen fat quarter bundles of Succulents!!  Here’s the line-up.  We’ll see you back here tomorrow to hear what Sam Howard has to say about using Succulents.

March 15: Heather Givans of Crimson Tate
March 16: Eric Lubrick of Eric Lubrick Photography and Oar to Oar
March 17: Sarah Sharp of {no} hats quilts
March 18: Lindsay Lefevere of ellesquare
March 19: Karen McTavish of McTavish Quilting Studio, blogging at Crimson Tate 
March 20: David Barnhouse of Crimson Tate
March 21: Meghan Eschbaugh of Calvin and Carolyn
March 22: Brooke Starnes of Crimson Tate
March 23: Matthew Wheeler of Kapa Quilts (today’s stop)
March 24: Samantha Howard of Bobaloo Kids,blogging at Crimson Tate
March 25: Amy Garro of 13 spools
March 26: Amanda Castor of Material Girl Quilts
March 27: Heather Jones of Heather Jones Studio
March 28: Heather Givans of Crimson Tate

March 22 Brooke Starnes (my dear friend) BLOGGING RIGHT HERE!

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Let me present the beautiful and lovely Brooke Starnes.  A long time customer of the store and a dear friend who agreed to not only help sew projects made from Succulents but agreed to have her entire family involved.  Here she is with the whole gang.  I LOVE THEM ALL!!!

Image by Eric Lubrick

Image by Eric Lubrick

Take it away Brookie:

Hi, gang! SUCCULENTS! This fabric is tops and the colors are perfect much like the lady who designed it. I met Heather a few years ago when she opened Crimson Tate, the best quilt shop in the history of quilt shops. I was sitting in the shop just a couple of weeks after it had opened, cutting fabric and chatting with Heather. She told me, “the shop is great but what I really want to do is design the fabric.” And here we are! Dreams coming true, tears of joy being shed, and aprons with Heather’s fabric being made…

Image by Eric Lubrick

Image by Eric Lubrick

I made Amy Butler’s Domestic Goddess apron with two prints  (Inventory and Greenhouse) and made the mid length apron. You guys! This pattern is so great — simple and intuitive and ADORABLE. Amy Butler knows how to write a good, solid pattern and this one is a winner. It is a perfect way to showcase big cuts of great fabric. It came together so quickly but you wouldn’t know it – the pleats are surprisingly simple and the construction of the ties is genius.
Image by Eric Lubrick

Image by Eric Lubrick

Image by Eric Lubrick

Image by Eric Lubrick

And would you check out these great dresses sewn by Crimson Tate friend Kathy Crose? How perfect is Succulents for this summer maxi dress by Heidi + Finn? Simple and sweet. Annie’s dress is made with Personal Garden in teal and Jude’s is Personal Garden in blue. Perfect perfect. Those girls happen to be my daughters and were thrilled to be wearing some of Heather’s fabric. They are huge fans. Annie is an honorary Crimson Tate employee, after all.

And if all of that wasn’t great enough – a giveaway! The great people of Windham Fabrics will send a fat quarter bundle of the entire Succulents line to a lucky winner. Just leave a comment and at the end of the tour, a winner will be chosen at random. Fourteen chances to win!

Image by Eric Lubrick

Image by Eric Lubrick

Now for the tour! To use Heather’s words exactly, here’s the rockstar line-up. Even if a date has passed, stop by each post during the tour and leave a comment to enter the FQ bundle giveaway:
March 15: Heather Givans of Crimson Tate
March 16: Eric Lubrick of Eric Lubrick Photography and Oar to Oar
March 17: Sarah Sharp of {no} hats quilts
March 18: Lindsay Lefevere of ellesquare
March 19: Karen McTavish of McTavish Quilting Studio, blogging at Crimson Tate 
March 20: David Barnhouse of Crimson Tate
March 21: Meghan Eschbaugh of Calvin and Carolyn
March 22: Brooke Starnes, blogging at Crimson Tate (You’re Here!)
March 23: Matthew Wheeler of Kapa Quilts
March 24: Samantha Howard of Bobaloo Kids,blogging at Crimson Tate
March 25: Amy Garro of 13 spools
March 26: Amanda Castor of Material Girl Quilts
March 27: Heather Jones of Heather Jones Studio
March 28: Heather Givans of Crimson Tate

March 21 National Quilting Day + Meghan Eschbaugh + {GIVEAWAYS}

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Heather4379Image by Eric Lubrick

Happy National Quilting Day!!  No better way to celebrate the day but by quilting and looking around at the amazing things this community of sewers is creating! Before heading over to the talented Meghan Eschbaugh’s conversation on how she has used Succulents, I wanted to be sure to highlight Annie Unrein of By Annie’s who created this amazing Catch-All Caddy.  Annie is a LOVER of succulent plants, just like me.  I was floored when she asked if she could use my fabric to construct this beauty.  What a dear.  You should know her.  She’s the real deal.

On with the tour!!

Meghan Eschbaugh is a quilter THROUGH AND THROUGH.  This girl, all sciencey and techy in her day job treats quilting like her second full time gig. Meghan is often found dropping by Crimson Tate on a Saturday and by Monday, her project is complete.  I was honored when she agreed to help sew for Succulents.  See what she has to say about her involvement on her blog Calvin and Carolyn.  Meghan and I can also get along quite well talking about northern climates.  She’s a good kid.

Don’t forget, you can win one of FOURTEEN fat quarter bundles courtesy of Windham Fabrics.  Bam! Drop by the blogs celebrating Succulents and leave a message.  Fourteen winners will be drawn at the end of the tour, so don’t stress if you’re late to the game.  Just be sure to check out all of the goodness.

March 15: Heather Givans of Crimson Tate
March 16: Eric Lubrick of Eric Lubrick Photography
March 17: Sarah Sharp of {no} hats quilts
March 18: Lindsay Lefevere of ellesquare
March 19: Karen McTavish of McTavish Quilting Studio
March 20: David Barnhouse of Crimson Tate
March 21: Meghan Eschbaugh of Calvin and Carolyn
March 22: Brooke Starnes of Indianapolis (and my dear friend)
March 23: Matthew Wheeler of Kapa Quilts
March 24: Samantha Howard of Bobaloo Kids
March 25: Amy Garro of 13 spools
March 26: Amanda Castor of Material Girl Quilts
March 27: Heather Jones of Heather Jones Studio
March 28: Heather Givans of Crimson Tate

Succulents Blog Hop :: David Barnhouse (you know, @crimsontavid)

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@crimsontavidWhat the what!! It’s me, the Right-Handed Right Hand Man of Crimson Tate hijacking Crimson Tate’s blog for the first time ever! Brace yourselves – this is gonna be fun, gang.

When I heard the word that bestie Heather Givans was designing a fabric collection for Windham Fabrics, I knew that it was going to be a hustle and bustle, nonstop, but most of all THRILLING year for her and for Crimson Tate. I have to say that amongst all of the excitement, I feel so lucky that I got to go along for the ride. It has been such a joy to see Heather, as Quiltmaker-in-Chief and owner of Crimson Tate, work so very hard to make Succulents become a reality. Hip, hip, hooray! Three cheers for Heather!! It is BEAUTIFUL, and I am so proud of you!

Photo by Eric Lubrick

Photo by Eric Lubrick

As part of our creative community here in Indianapolis, I was stoked when Heather needed some projects sewn from Succulents to show at Quilt Market. At the time, I was knee-deep in teaching the Aeroplane Bag at the store, so I knew that I wanted to make one from Heather’s fabric! The Aeroplane Bag can be quilted to your heart’s content and serves as the perfect go-to for your carryon luggage. It can even be used to tote a smallish sewing machine! Succulents, meet Sew Sweetness.

Photo by Eric Lubrick

Photo by Eric Lubrick

IMG_3459Let me take one moment to give props to Sara Lawson of Sew Sweetness, who created the Aeroplane Bag pattern. Her pattern is concise, precise, and easy to understand. It is such a fun bag to build… I’ve made more than a few and I’m ready to sew another! Thank you Sara, for the great design and instructions.

And of course, the giveaway portion of today’s show. If you’re itching for some Succulents, the cool kids at Windham will be giving away FQ bundles at every stop of the Succulents Blog Hop.  That’s 14 chances to win!  Check out all of the fantastic talents on the blog tour:

March 15: Heather Givans of Crimson Tate
March 16: Eric Lubrick of Eric Lubrick Photography
March 17: Sarah Sharp of {no} hats quilts }
March 18: Lindsay Lefevere of ellesquare
March 19: Karen McTavish of McTavish Quilting Studio
March 20: David Barnhouse of Crimson Tate
March 21: Meghan Eschbaugh of Calvin and Carolyn
March 22: Brooke Starnes
March 23: Matthew Wheeler of Kapa Quilts
March 24: Samantha Howard of Bobaloo Kids
March 25: Amy Garro of 13 spools
March 26: Amanda Castor of Material Girl Quilts
March 27: Heather Jones of Heather Jones Studio
March 28: Heather Givans of Crimson Tate
IMG_3541To be entered to win, you just need to keep following along over the next two weeks and comment on the posts.  Easy peasy. If you’re just getting started, no worries! You can still visit past blog posts and play along. Winners will be drawn at random at the end of the hop. So what are you going to make with Succulents?! Any bag patterns come to mind? Let me know – leave your comment below!

March 19: Karen McTavish of McTavish Quilting Studio Blogging RIGHT HERE!

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25496_944292128978_6367354_nSo, I used to live in Duluth, MN.  Have you ever been there?  It is one of the most beautiful places on earth.  But holy cats! It. Is. COLD.  Right on the edge of Lake Superior, I found myself, as a transplant, taking in all that Northern Minnesota has to offer with hiking, kayaking, skiing, sledding, and an endless sea of quilters.  Karen McTavish lived in my town and while I never had the chance to know her before she moved to Wisconsin, my grandma and I stalked her from afar. Her studio was next door to a pizza place and we’d drive by very slowly trying to catch a glimpse of what was going on inside.

When it was time to quilt this monumental object of a lot of firsts (first fabric collection, first published quilt pattern Succulent Garden) it was an occasion to be celebrated and treasured and I wanted the quilter to be a part of my story, my journey of quilting. Karen won the debate in my head.  I wholly respect and admire her work and felt like it was the right decision to send my quilt to her given the Minnesota and grandma connection we share.  I gave her no direction on how to approach the king sized monster and realized that she is known for her intense and complicated quilting — SHE INVENTED McTAVISHING!! and I wasn’t sure that a dense ornate approach would work with this quilt — but I trusted her.  Here is what she came up with and has to say about being given this modern quilt.

Succulent Garden
Karen McTavish writes:
I’m a modern quilter, although you wouldn’t know it from my past work. Modern revolves around the Gee’s Bend quilters in Alabama and boy, do I love my quilting history. As a quilter, I try to remember perfection isn’t as important as inspiration & interpretation. My take on Succulents is about adding texture, not complicating the fabrics with a motif or over quilting. In this piece, it’s about fabrics and piecing- I’m just the texture guy. Texture is my role in this project – the quilts over-all impact is the most important element.
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When I opened the box coming back to me from Karen, I cried.  Karen McTavish is an artist who understands how to make fabric sing and I cannot thank her enough for using her talents and honoring this project in the way that she did.  The note in the box she sent with the quilt stated “this quilt was free-motion straight-line quilted by Karen McTavish.”  Free-motion straight-line.  Brilliant.

Follow along on the tour:

March 15: Heather Givans (me!) of Crimson Tate :: http://www.crimsontate.com

March 16: Eric Lubrick of Eric Lubrick Photography :: http://oartooar.com/

March 17: Sarah Sharp of {no} hats quilts :: http://www.nohatsinthehouse.com/

March 18: Lindsay Lefevere of ellesquare :: http://www.elle-square.com/

March 19: Karen McTavish of McTavish Quilting Studio ::http://www.crimsontate.com/

March 20: David Barnhouse of Crimson Tate :: http://www.crimsontate.com/

March 21: Meghan Eschbaugh of Calvin and Carolyn ::https://calvinandcarolyn.wordpress.com/

March 22: Brooke Starnes :: http://www.crimsontate.com/

March 23: Matthew Wheeler of Kapa Quilts :: http://www.kapaquilts.com/

March 24: Samantha Howard of Bobaloo Kids :: http://www.crimsontate.com/

March 25: Amy Garro of 13 spools :: http://www.13spools.com/

March 26: Amanda Castor of Material Girl Quilts ::https://materialgirlquilts.wordpress.com/

March 27: Heather Jones of Heather Jones Studio ::http://www.heatherjonesstudio.com/

March 28: Heather Givans (me!) of Crimson Tate :: http://www.crimsontate.com/

What are your thoughts on “being the texture-guy”?  Got words for Karen McTavish?  Leave a comment for her here and be entered to win a fat quarter bundle of Succulents courtesy of Windham Fabrics.  Fourteen bundles will be given away at the end of the tour so be sure to head to all of the blogs and check out what is going on.  To find out more about Karen McTavish, head over to her website.

See you back here tomorrow when David Barnhouse shares his experiences.

xoxo

Heather

March 18 : Lindsay Lefevere of ellesquare

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This cat Lindsay Lefevere is creative through and through.  From engineering these awesomely cute pin cushion cuffs to designing a quilt specifically for Succulents, I love Lindsay’s style and unexpected perspectives.  Her use of color every time surprises me and gets me simultaneously.  Head over to ellesquare to see what she’s been up to and how she interpreted Succulents.  Don’t forget to leave a message for her and be entered to win one of FOURTEEN fat quarter bundles from Windham Fabrics.  Duh-dang!

See y’all tomorrow right back here where Karen McTavish will be chatting about her involvement with Succulents.  Yahooo!

xo Heather

March 17: Sarah Sharp of {no} hats in the house Is Amazing

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sarahsharpIf you haven’t met Sarah of {no} hats in the house, you need to know her.  As a majorly talented and speedy quilter, Sarah can be found paper piecing fabric swatches the size of her pinky nail.  PINKY NAIL! She amazes me and overwhelms me in her ability construct sophisticated beautiful work in what seems to be three minutes. (I know this isn’t true but she always seems to whip things together in no time flat.) Wait until you see what she has to say about working with Succulents.  When we discussed the possibilities creating a pattern that uses my fabric, she texted me a photo of her sketch and crying ensued.  Seriously.  The execution is even better than the drawing, so hold the phone.  Amazing.

Head over to Sarah’s blog and check out what she created and don’t forget to leave a message on her Succulents post for a chance to win fat quarter bundle two of fourteen courtesy of Windham Fabrics!