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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

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!

March 16: Eric Lubrick chatting about photographing Succulents

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Image by Eric Lubrick

That kid Eric Lubrick is a dream.  He’s so talented and kind.  I cannot express how much I dig that dude.  He’s one of those cats that you say “Ohhhh!  I know him!!!” And I’m honored to call him friend.  In fact, he and his wife Cris are succulent fans from way back.  Scroll through their blog and find all the plants.  Dreamy.  Check out what he has to say about photographing my look-book for Windham Fabrics.  I mean, I’m not gonna lie, I was super stoked to be able to style the photographs but this kid knows what he’s doing.

Find his and his wife Cris’s lifestyle blog at http://oartooar.com

Find Eric’s portfolio at http://www.ericlubrick.com/

Happy Monday, y’all!  This big ol’ blog tour will yield fourteen fat quarter bundles being given away.  Be sure to let us know what you think about these projects, these fabrics, these plants each day for MULTIPLE chances to win one of fourteen FQ bundles.  What what?!!?  Move to Eric Lubrick’s blog for the first chance to win!! Amazing.

xoxo

Heather

Succulents is HERE! And I couldn’t be happier. Can you tell?

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Photograph by Eric Lubrick

Image by Eric Lubrick of ericlubrick.com

I’m pretty sure the squealing, yelling, and general bursts of crying joy have been a bit much. I apologize if it’s gotten out of hand.  I just can’t stop.  I continue to try to encapsulate the absolute magnitude of my awe but, I fear I haven’t quite captured it yet. Seriously, being asked to be a Windham Fabrics designer is one of the most thrilling things that has ever happened to me.  It’s like getting picked to work with your best friends on a major project, you pick the theme (SUCCULENTS), and you play.  Oh wait, this idea seems to carry me through my life everyday as I interact with this community of creative professionals in Indianapolis and beyond.  Each day is filled with people I deeply love and enjoy being around and I often say in wonderment “is this my life?”  I’m so honored and happy to be doing the work that I am.  There is a full circle of happiness that surrounds me and it’s a great place to be.  We definitely welcome you in to that circle of happiness at Crimson Tate whether it be in our physical space on Massachusetts Ave in Downtown Indianapolis or whether it be on the interwebs as the place where you connect with us, we’re glad you’re here.

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Image by Eric Lubrick of ericlubrick.com

To kick off a major celebration of Succulents, my debut collection for Windham Fabrics, we will be traversing the interwebs, peeking in on those creative professionals and seeing how they have used and interpreted the fabric.  From Eric Lubrick  (who is the bad ass photographer that took all of the photos in the Windham look book) to peeping inside the brain of world renowned quilter Karen McTavish (who my grandma loves) we’ll be traveling around this cool community gathering inspiration.  Here’s the rockstar line-up:

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/

Thanks for getting out the word to all of the succulent lovers in your life!  I think you and they will enjoy the next two weeks of Succulent joy!  Windham Fabrics is giving away fourteen fat quarter bundles during this hop!  So follow along, let us know what moves and inspires you.  The next two weeks are gonna be amazing.

xoxo

Heather

Shop Small at Crimson Tate – Open at 9:00 AM

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10805617_10152948525017425_8435825788809433222_n We’re giving away SO MANY THINGS today!  When you shop small at Crimson Tate, you’ll be rewarded with some awesome swag.  We have special gift bags from other merchants on the Mass Ave with goodies, incentives, and fun.  I’ve heard rumors of Silver in the City $50 gift cards and more! Three lucky winners will receive $25 gift cards to Crimson Tate!  Those Mass Ave merchant bags are for the first 10 people through the door. Then, every hour Crimson Tate will be giving away 10 SUPER SWAG BAGS filled with fabrics, notions, thread, books and more!  Several bags  contain fabrics that aren’t even out in the world yet valued at $65+.  Like the new Lotta Jansdotter, Jessica Levitt, and Iza Pearl — all Windham designers. For every purchase you make over $20 you’ll be entered into the drawing. If you spend $40 you’ll receive two chances. Every hour we will draw a winner and start again. 10304494_10152875665942425_292926937667838591_n Don’t fret, if you didn’t win on the hour we’ll enter you into THE GRAND PRIZE DRAWING where we are giving away a fat quarter bundle of MY new fabric called Succulents.  We’ll put all the tickets together and draw for the final prize once the day is done. You shopping online and can’t get into the store? We’re offering FREE SHIPPING on orders $50+ (using code SHOPSMALL at checkout), and we’re throwing in Shop Small tote bags as long as supplies last.  I’ll bet you’ll get some other goodies thrown in there, too. Thanks for loving on Crimson Tate!  We totally love you guys, too. xoxo Heather

A Big Old Thank You Annual SALE! Happy Independence!!

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25% off everything in the store! 15% off bundles!! If you shop in-store, we’ll offer you 30% off fabric when you take what is left on the bolt. For our on-line lovers, we’re giving you free shipping on orders over $100. Yay!! Thanks for being such faithful friends and customers! We crazytown have so much love for our community! xoxo

Hip Hop Hoooray! New Class Schedule is HERE!!!

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We are super dooper excited to announce the new class schedule!  We’ve got lots of Sewing 101, Beginning Quilting, and Beginning Garment sewing classes.  Head over to our class schedule page and take a look see at all of the classes we are offering this go round.

 

I’m pleased to announce that we’ve got a few new instructors, too.  I think you’ll enjoy Sarah Sharp of No Hats Quilts and Amanda Castor of Material Girl Quilts will be joining us.  Of course, Lindsay Lefevere of Ellesquare and David Barnhouse of Circle City Quilter (crimsontavid) plus a crowd favorite Deb Martin of D.A.M. Designs will be returning.

 

Let us know what other kinds of classes you’d like to see us host.  We’d love to entertain your ideas.

 

xoxo

Heather