You know me.  I’m Heather Givans, spelled with an A. I’m not here to confuse anyone or create a big old kerfuffle but I wanted to draw your attention to Tina Givens, spelled with an E.  Givans with an A (me) and Givens with an E (Tina).  We are both fabric designers.  We are both pattern writers.  But Tina with an E just recently completed her latest collection for FreeSpirit Fabrics called Piecemeal.  Vibrant, citrusy, and chock-full of stunning color, the 24 piece collection is fun and I LOVE IT!!! So when I had the opportunity to work with her latest fabric collection, I jumped at the chance.  Just so you know, my next collection of fabric isn’t announced until January.  So for now, let’s focus in on Tina with an E’s fabric and my newest quilt creation.

Tina with an E describes her colleciton as being inspired “…by change in my family life, and how we can piecemeal the happy parts of our lives back together. Crazy life.”

When a design is created with hope in mind, I can’t help be drawn in.  I paired 15 Piecemeal fabrics with my chosen 16 coordinating FreeSpirit solids and bam.  This is what happened.

Inspired by friendship bracelet making, because you know that I’m a former camp counselor, adventure trip leader, and outdoor educator, right?  Yes, me.  Heather Givans with an A! My camp name was Heliotrope.  No kid ever knew what what a heliotrope was, but I chose it because it seemed to suit me more than names like Hay or Honey.  We chose our camp names based on the first letter of our first names.  I spent countless hours of my life at camp with a safety pin fastened to my knee knotting and knotting lengths of embroidery floss to make the perfect summer camp accessories.  Don’t worry.  I’ve got a lot of stories to tell about this time in my life later.

This scrappy quilt design has been rattling around in my head since my friend Lindsay taught a string quilt class at Crimson Tate nearly five years ago.  Combining the improvisation and scrappiness of string quilt block making with a little touch of organization, the Bracelet Making Quilt came to life.

This quilt began by foundation piecing strips to a page of our newly delivered telephone book.  It looked like a hot mess, as seen here.  I created four messes that looked relatively the same and squared those blocks to a common measurement.

I didn’t worry if pieces were the same size, or if they were cut and sewn straight.  I just sewed.  Larger blocks started to form as I made four relatively “same” sequenced blocks, which became the centers.

Eight more blocks, sewn in reverse order, surround the original four to make the greater, larger block.  I added half a square of solid so that the plus sign shape could emerge by contrasting against the background.   Take a look at how it morphed and formed.

 

Up on the design wall it went and pow.  The quilt layout was made.  If you’re interested in a tutorial on how to put this together, I’d encourage you to join our eNewsletter.  I’ll send out an alert when it’s ready.  You might also get some news on what’s happening at Crimson Tate along the way, too.  (Be cautioned, we don’t send many emails!  I promise not to flood your inbox and I most definitely won’t share your email address with anyone else.)

Utilizing my leftover scraps, I made something fun on the back along with some double gauze.  SO. STINKING. SOFT.

I love remembering and dreaming about my days as a camp counselor hiking, swimming, canoeing, basket weaving (for real), and bracelet making.  I love that this quilt serves as a marker for an important time in my life.

Want to win some Piecemeal of your own?  Wanna win a coordinating bundle of FreeSpirit Solids? We’ve got six one yard pieces provided by the kind folks at FreeSpirit to give away and Crimson Tate is giving away the solids bundle!!  You’ve got three ways to win!! Do all three, get three chances!!  Winner will be drawn Monday, November 27, 2017.

1. Leave a comment here and tell me about your experience level in friendship bracelet making.  Novice, intermediate, expert?  I’d love to know about your favorite flosses, patterns, and colors to create.  If you’re a stranger to friendship bracelets, tell me about your most important friendship and how you signify it. (I mean, if it’s not in the form of friendship bracelets, what form does it come in? Matching hats, friendship tattoos, etc.???)
2. Share this blog post on your facebook page (as a public post) and tag Crimson Tate :: Modern Quilter and FreeSpirit Fabrics in the post!  We’ll only be able to see it if you make the post public.  If you’re so inclined, be sure to give us a LIKE, too.
3. Take this game to Instagram!  Post the photo below and tag @crimsontate @sewtinagivens @freespiritfabric #BraceletMakingQuilt and tell me who you think spells their name correctly.  Is it Tina Givens or is it Heather Givans?  Total pretend bonus for choosing me. 😉  Of course, we’d love it if you’d follow Crimson Tate there, too, if it’s in your heart.

---

Wanna know what fabrics I used to make this quilt?  Here’s a list and even a kit to get you started in making your own Bracelet Making Quilt!!

Coordinating FreeSpirit Solids:

Almond Pink CSFSESS.ALMPK
Amazon CSFSESS.AMAZO
Apricot CSFSESS.APRIC
Asparagus CSFSESS.ASPAR
Brass CSFSESS.BRASS
Cranberry CSFSESS.CRANB
Dogwood CSFSESS.DOGWD
Fuchsia CSFSESS.FUCHS
Honey CSFSESS.HONEY
Lavender CSFSESS.LAVEN
Mango CSFSESS.MANGO
Olive CSFSESS.OLIVE
Pomegranate CSFSESS.POMEG
Solar CSFSESS.SOLAR
Sunset CSFSESS.SNSET
Wisteria CSFSESS.WISTE

Tina Givens with an E’s Piecemeal Fabrics:

Leafy Path (Aqua) PWTG194.AQUAX
Leafy Path (Orange) PWTG194.ORANG
Leafy Path (Smoke) PWTG194.SMOKE
Morning Walk (Orange) PWTG192.ORANG
Morning Walk (Purple) PWTG192.PURPL
Raisin Feast (Pink) PWTG190.PINKX
Screen Door (Aqua) PWTG196.AQUAX
Shade Tree (Kiwi) PWTG193.KIWIX
Shade Tree (Papaya) PWTG193.PAPAY
Spotty (Aqua) PWTG195.AQUAX
Spotty (Papaya) PWTG195.PAPAY
Spotty (Purple) PWTG195.PURPL
Troy Gardens (Purple) PWTG189.PURPL
Weed No More (Purple) PWTG191.PURPL
Weed No More (Smoke) PWTG191.SMOKE