New fabrics coming 2012 / FORTINY

FORTINY: Oasis

FORTINY: Train Window

Coming in the Spring 2012, this is a collection I actually created for our northern European markets, specifically Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark. And we all loved it so much we decided to market right here in the Americas...
A little bit of a departure for me I think the colors are within the earthy tones I like. I added a bit of that soft tangy orange and aqua in the Oasis colorway; and Train Window sports a beautiful happy green and rich chocolate mix. Although they have a more traditional flavor I think they will make some very cool modern quilts too!
By the way, the scale is much smaller for me too! You'll see a hint of Lilliput Fields (my last collection) in the patterning but again, a much smaller scale! I can't wait to get my hands on these to create some warm and rich quilts!
Tell me which colorway you prefer!

Biscuit & Poppet

The Biscuit and Poppet Kids clothing line is so beautiful. I am so proud of this little venture with Westminster Fibers/Coats... we launched it last October. Have a look at the new site at www.biscuitandpoppet.com, it features a new form of catalog that I had fun working on. The clothing is scrumptious and manufactured right here in the USA in smaller quantities... a couture like apparel collection for kids from infant to aged 7! Have a look I just love it!

Pour l'Amour du fil {For the love of thread}

I have been invited to exhibit at a wonderful French show in Nantes by Quiltmania. A publisher of an amazingly popular quilt magazine printed in 3 different languages. They also produce quilt and sewing books in Europe. So, they visited us in Houston at one of the Quilt Shows here, and loved my booth so invited me there. Well, we leave this Monday evening, hopefully if the Ash cloud from the burping volcano in Iceland lets up... The scary thing is that we decided not to ship any last minute stuff for the show because it may not make it in time! Yikes. So here we go, many bags, travel via air then train to Nantes... Hopefully customs will behave themselves.

A bit about the show, there is a website, see www.pourlamourdufil.com for more info. However, it is a boutique show open to everyone, not just the trade which will be a first for me and the fabrics... Usually we exhibit to the trade where stores and buyers from everywhere come to see what the fabrics look like and we provide a lovely aesthetic to look at.... I do this for each collection. It's an enormous task, where all sewing patterns are recreated in the new fabric collections, I can't help but design items around the new fabrics and naturally I always take way too much. I have to literally stand up and say, ok I think we have enough!!!

I am going to blog a little on what I have prepared for the show, and workshops... oh, yes did I mention I am scheduled for 3 different workshops... the trip in general. Of course it's Paris, and it's spring, so I must take the husband don't you think? Poor thing, but he loves every minute of it all. Guess who sets up the booth... he's known as Mister Lighting! Obsessive about how everything is lit! It's a good thing! So here's the itinerary:
Monday 19th April We hopefully leave for Paris
Tuesday 20th ... We arrive in the am, then take the 3 hour train to Nantes....
Wednesday 21st... Set up for the booth, show and fluff and stuff
Thursday 22nd ... show starts
Friday 23rd ... Workshop 1: Kimono Suit for Baby {Tailleur de Kimino pour les enfants}
Saturday 24th ... Workshop 2: Goddess dress and Zig Zag dress for little girls
Sunday 25th ... close of the show, return to Paris
Monday 26th ... Paris
Tuesday 27th ... Workshop in suburb of Paris called Marcoussis, Everything Bag and Reversile hat... I'll post all about the workshops too. The hat and bag is a new sewing pattern and is gloriously easy but has a little 'stunning' injected into the finished product.... wait till you see!
Wednesday 28th ... Home

So, it's a busy schedule but it's great. A lovely show, visiting with people I adore, a little inspiration, a tiny bit of teaching, a little practice with the french language, a little scenery, a little French food, a lot of wine, and a little romance... what more could I ask for.

So stay tuned... loads more to follow!

National Stationery Show

I am busy prepping for the National Stationery Show.... we skipped last year due to the fabric shows, and this year committed to returning! I love doing this show... there is much fuss, prep and highly enthusiastic competition for everyone! The creativity that goes into each booth, or in European and Australian terms, each 'stand', that it simply boggles my mind. At the International Quilt Markets we have won best booth twice in different categories... but at the Stationery Show, even we have not won the infamous award of best booth!!! It brings me back to our very first booth 5 years ago, with a pink flokati rug, chocolate brown fabric walls and sweetly framed pink felt to show off our hot off the press recently printed invites and cards.... down in the basement in our last minute booth space.... and wow were our heads spinning at the rush of stationers from around the world clammering for our sweet little collection, Cid Pear. Now we have walls and perfect lighting and manage a key space each time among Anna Griffin, Vera Wang, Kate Spade, the lovely Jack & Lulu, Stacy Claire Boyd (a veteran in the business) and even unbelievable Elum the perfectly delicious letter press designers!
Times have changed and each year we have seen changes in buying habits from both consumer and of course retailer, and again recent changes with the awareness of a changing economic climate.... so we must change! We must, or we will not be able to bring our beautiful invites to the market... thus the new Tina Givens stationery collection.... it's perfectly lovely, very sophisticated and whimsical again all at the same time, but unlike Cid Pear's classic high-end price - point, we are able to bring this new collection at unbelievable prices. This means our stationers and book sellers and gift shops around the world will be able to introduce a Tina flavored collection to everyone! Not just those lovely fans of Cid who can afford Cid Pear. I am even encouraged to tell you, our most influential Cid Pear buyers are lining up for the new lower priced collection not because of the amazing price point, but the quality and design of the line. This is a wonderful compliment.
And for those of you who are fabric buyers and collectors of my fabrics.... you'll love this collection because it has a connection to the textiles I design for Westminster Fibers. They're pretty and full of mischief and those florals and fairies are all invited to the stationery party! So join us, come to the National Stationery Show next month. It's at the Javits in New York (trade only sorry) ... May 17th to the 20th.... We're booths 3252 and 3254..... I hope to see you there, and if you mention Tina's Blog password, which is 'BLOGGEDY BLOG BLOG' you will receive 20% off your show purchase! Big yeah! I will continue to post and will post through the show to give you folks who can't attend a flavored peek into the world of the stationery show!