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Tina Givens of “Sew Tina!” dishes with QuiltersBuzz! New Book Launches and There’s A Giveaway too!

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Here is my interview with Tina Givens for her Blog Book Tour for her book “Sew Tina!”,

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 published by Lark. 

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Read my interview with Tina in this post andread more about the book and the give-away here.

Gina: Just got the book. Love, love, love it.  My favorites so far??? Bouncy Beret, Reverisble skirt and Brookies!..  Of course, you need to make a big people version as well!

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Tina:I definitely do need to make a big girl version… I sew for myself all the time so it would be a nice part deux…

Gina: How does your creativity flow….can you stop designing in your head or do you do it all night?  When you design either fabric or patterns.. .do you think clothing? home decor or quilting?  

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Tina: I sort of have to turn it off or I'd go nuts…. I create in cycles… I have to apply my art and design to different medium and production specs so for stationery and paper design I craft a collection… (but little motifs of characters and such come to me all the time); creating pattern and surface design for textiles is a whole other creative process and starts with an idea… then it grows from there. And when I am in the 'zone' I can't shut it off. I need my sleep so I sort of shut it off before bedtime by having a quiet read, a cup of tea and just shutting off the mind. When I design clothing or specific home dec pieces… those designs are always there.

I seem to pull from a massive inventory of designs in my head…. I do have sketch books and constantly add to them so if I reference these for add-ons, similar themed shapes and such to bring a collection together.

For a quilt pattern I have my math hat on and begin with a shape I like that talks to the fabric I am making the quilt from. So Opal Owl focused on a simple bird house block, and then went from there. MY new fabric collection, Haven's Edge has a lovely trellis shape pattern and I am working on using that within the quilt….. 

 

Gina: How do you balance motherhood and work?

 Tina: I have help! As women we are amazingly talented at multitasking the kids, the menu, the home and the kid activities… not to mention reading to them, loving them and playing the tickle game… However, for the small bits and pieces like laundry, cleaning the house I make sure someone other than myself is responsible for that!

We all pitch in in this house but there are just some things that take my time that I'd rather be with my kids… Very important to my psyche as a mom and as a working mom. They do their homework with me in my home studio, they each have a desk near by. I do spend a lot of time at the gymnastics school and on the soccer field. I also have a Kevin! He's the sweetest and the best dad in the world… he does car pool when I can't.

My advice: list the activities and must-dos with your kids including quiet time for reading, and the things that take you away from them and start assigning those tasks to the husband, the mother-in-law, sister without children, cousin, or hire someone one day a week. Even every 2 weeks will make a difference!

Gina: Are you messy when you create or have a method and system?

 

Tina: So messy…. I do have a methodology of sorts but no one would ever get it other than me… I throw things on the floor, fabric gets everywhere, I lose things but find them again… I am a sad mess.

When I paint I am sort of tidy but not really. I paint in one place in the studio, and I need quiet to do so… but I jump from one painting to another.

When I am on the computer working repeats in the fabric I get tidier even still. Not much to throw around there, but I do have a to-do list prepping files for engraving, or printing.

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Gina: How free are you to create and let it flow in another direction–or do you try to keep on track?

 

Tina: It's never on 'track' and never ever ends up being what I thought it would be. In some cases it's kind of close but in others it's so far from the original it's funny. It's like a journey for me, and as I start with an idea other things come into it and influence it into other things… the collection sort of evolves and grows along with me.

Gina: I like the thought that your designs are "everyday glorious".

 

Tina: I like that! 'Everyday Glorious!' there's a tag…. I always have believed if you like a fabric use it whether it's for a baby item or a grown up piece. If you love it use it. My fabrics and designs are not for everyone because they are, I think, I little eclectic and have a little twist. But I see them as unique little pieces of art in brilliant color. 

 

Thanks Gina for such a sweet interview. I hope your readers will enjoy it. I am proud of the book and think it will bring some joy and creativity into any stitcher’s library! But most of all to inspire sewing and creative thought!

 

All my best

tg

 


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