Here is my interview with Tina Givens for her Blog Book Tour for her book “Sew Tina!”,
published by Lark.
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!
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?
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…..
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?
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.
Gina: I like the thought that your designs are "everyday glorious".
tg