Q&A with Quilting Instructor Trina

    Trina Seagraves is an accomplished quilter and seamstress who lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with her husband, Josh. 
    She is the instructor for Beginning Quilting Classes at Owl & Drum, as well as the host for "Pinterest Parties" at the 2810 E. 15th Ave. store in Tulsa, OK. 
    Trina will be hosting Owl & Drum's Pinterest "Winter-themed Craft Party" from 6:30-8:30 Thursday, Nov. 29, and our Pinterest "Holiday-themed Craft Party" from 4-6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 2.
    Trina will be teaching her next Beginning Quilting Class on Sunday, Jan. 13. Spaces are still available. People who are interested in taking the class can email Bianca Howell at owlanddrum@gmail.com.

When did you start teaching sewing classes?

I started teaching in October 2010. I always love showing people how to make the fun, easy things I create, and I want to share that with others. I think it is important to learn the techniques, but its also important to learn to relax and not be such a perfectionist that you take the fun out of quilting/sewing!

Do you come from a sewing/craft-making family?

No, but my mom has started to scrapbook over the last few years. She introduces me as, "Trina - she's the crafty one. I don't know where she got it from, because it wasn't from me!" Its a long introduction, but I'm glad my mom is proud enough of what I do and work on to take the time.

Do you find yourself working with certain colors/patterns/textures?

When I first started getting serious about making this - my hobby and my passion - I would use individual collections, and nothing else. Now, I find myself reaching outside of that box. I love mixing bold colors and big prints. If I were put on a fabric ration and could only buy one fat quarter a week for the next couple of months, I would pick stripes - big, bold stripes. I just love them so, and they are so much more versatile than most people might think!

When you are not sewing, what craft do you like to do?

I'm in a hardcore nesting phase right now, so I've been doing silly home decor items like painting empty picture frames and spray painting different thrift store finds to use around the house. I really love doing all sorts of things, especially mod podge projects! I avoid yarn, drawing and oil paint, though.

Describe your workspace or studio?

We live in a two-bedroom apartment, and the living room is my main working space. This is where I keep my most current projects. The floor is my giant supplies shelf, as I do my cutting and ironing sitting in the floor. 

Currently, the coffee table is holding a puzzle my husband and I are trying to get done in time for Christmas. We definitely live in this room and its getting harder and harder to hide all these craft projects when company comes over!

I also use the kitchen floor because it's big enough to act as a frame-painting space or a quilt-design wall, which is the state it is currently in. 
Our bedroom was a "craft-free zone" - until we started getting chilly nights! Now, I have a little cross-stitch project ready for the warm, comfy time before bed.

What do you like best about living in Broken Arrow?
My favorite thing about Broken Arrow is that when I walk on Main Street or on Dallas (the street I grew up on) I can feel like I'm at least somewhat connected to my immediate past, because my great grandma used to walk these same streets. This is home. I always wanted to live in Seattle or Chicago or somewhere like that. But, as I'm growing up and wanting to start my own family, I'm seeing that there really isn't any place better than home.

For more details about classes and special events at Owl & Drum, call Bianca Howell at 918-742-1404, visit www.owlanddrum.com or follow the store on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram and Blogger.com.

Join Us At Our "Holiday Open House"

We can’t wait for our biggest event of the holiday season! And it's coming up just around the corner . . .

Owl & Drum’s “Holiday Open House” will feature a special trunk show from a cutting-edge pattern-maker, a make-and-take table for customers, 20 percent off of all craft books in the store, prize drawings and light refreshments.

And the weekend of fabric-filled fun starts soon . . .

The first annual open house will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1, and 12-4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 2, at Owl & Drum, 2810 E. 15^th Ave., Tulsa, OK.

Prize drawings at the store will include patterns, gift certificates and a multi-colored, one-of-a-kind Urban Creatures necklace – specially made by Owl & Drum co-owner Bianca Howell.

"We'll have festive sweet treats and simple, but enjoyable, crafts for people of all ages to make and then take home," she said.

"I'm excited about our upcoming 'Holiday Open House' and, especially, Green Bee Design & Patterns' trunk show. They create some beautiful patterns and use a lovely range of silhouettes.

"People will like seeing first-hand the finished articles that can be made from their stylish patterns."

Green Bee, a cool company out of Nashville, has sent Owl & Drum a variety of samples – including dresses, bags, and other items – to show exactly what people can make with a bit of time and effort.

Attendees will be able to see examples of Green Bee’s popular “Scoop Tote” bag, “Vera Bag,” and the “Amelia” dress – all of which are stocked at Owl & Drum – among other patterns and samples.

Green Bee was established by Alexia Marcelle Abegg, Rob Bancroft and Michelle Abegg.

Alexia Marcelle Abegg, an artist, designer, seamstress and author, runs a sewing school in Nashville called STITCH.

“I began to work with fabric and stitches much like I had been doing with watercolor and paper,” she says on the company’s website, greenbeepatterns.com.

“Rather than following a pattern, like the quilters of past generations in my family, I began to improvise and develop an instinctual method.”

Her husband, Rob Bancroft, is an artist-turned-illustrator who  says “the transition from painting to print and pattern design was a natural evolution.”

His first fabric collection, MicroMod, from Cloud9 fabrics is due to debut in stores – and its arrival is eagerly anticipated at Owl & Drum! – in December.

Michelle Abegg has been an avid seamstress since childhood, designing everything from children's clothing to custom wedding gowns. She says it’s her “dream job” to be a designer with Green Bee Design & Patterns in Nashville, where she lives with her artist-photographer husband Jimmy Abegg.

Greenbeepatterns.com features free knitting patterns to download, information about stitching classes, “Shop Green Bee,” and examples of patterns, art and interesting journal entries.

The newest pattern, the Sophia cowl – Green Bee's first knitting pattern – is just one of the free downloads that are available on the website.

For more details about Owl & Drum’s upcoming “Holiday Open House” on Dec. 1-2, call Bianca at 918-742-1404, visit owlanddrum.com, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Blogger.com, Pinterest and Instagram.

Hey, We're Having a Cyber Sale!

It's the holidays and our Cyber Monday Sale is now on!

Owl & Drum has special Internet-only savings in our Etsy store and at owlanddrum.com.

Art Gallery Fabrics Focus On Chic Motifs

Beautiful florals, strong colors and abstract patterns are a hallmark of Art Gallery Fabrics, a Florida-based design company.

Owl & Drum currently stocks more than 20 bolts of fabric – including the elaborately named  “Night Glowing Daisies,” “Sweet Days Seashell,” “Afro Fusion Dusk” and “Splendor 1920” – made by the Miami firm that specializes in contemporary elegant quilts, patterns and collections.

Art Gallery Fabrics was established in 2004 by founders and owners Walter and Pat Bravo.

“Our desire to bring a chic and modern perspective to the quilting industry is what inspired us to start Art Gallery Fabrics,” the Bravos said.

“Since then, creativity, beauty and design have been our passions. And, to this day, they have not changed . . . We love to design fabrics that fit today’s modern lifestyle, while adding a chic, sophisticated touch.”

The company works with a talented design team – Pat Bravo and Bari J, plus the AGF In-House Studio – who create enticing color palettes and artful, intricate prints that make the fabrics one-of-a-kind statements.

Art Gallery Fabrics' 100 percent pima cotton fabrics are known for their exceptional quality and innovative design. It also offers its “Elements” blender lines.

Owl & Drum – which is located at 2810 E. 15th St. in Tulsa, OK – carries about 130 additional fabrics made by several other designers and manufacturers. More fabrics are being added each week, and they can be bought in the store or on its website.

The latest Art Gallery Fabrics collection to hit stores is “Splendor 1920,” designed by Bari J. Owl & Drum picked up five bolts of this group.

“We love their colors and art deco stylings,” said Bianca Howell, the co-owner of Owl & Drum.

Nouveau Geo Coral

Grandeur Bloom

Flights of Fancy

Decodence Primrose

English Garden

The store at 2810 E. 15th St. in Tulsa, OK, also sells about dozens of other fun, interesting fabrics. Plus, Owl & Drum offers unique jewelry and other items made by Tulsans, Oklahomans and artisans from Portland, Oregon, and northern California. It also sells craft books, equipment and supplies.

Owl & Drum is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday, and from 12-4 p.m. Sundays. The store is closed on Mondays.

For more information, call Bianca at 918-742-1404, visit www.owlanddrum.com, send an email to owlanddrum@gmail.com or follow us on Facebook, Blogger.com, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.

Thanks For Backing "Beila's Bunch"

Every little step helps on the road to a cure . . .

Owl & Drum was proud to participate in the “Tulsa 2012 Walk For The Cure,” which was an important annual fund-raiser for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

This year’s event generated $107,296 for the JDRF, whose research goals are patient-focused on finding a cure for Type 1 diabetes and removing the disease from the lives of sufferers. The nonprofit also develops better ways to treat the disease and improve people’s lives, and to prevent Type 1 occurring in those most susceptible.

The 1.25-mile walk was held Saturday, Nov. 3, at the OU Tulsa Schusterman Center, 4502 E. 41st St.

Beila, Owl & Drum’s “special little friend,” has Type 1 juvenile diabetes and undertakes a daily routine to deal with the disease.

The family found out she had diabetes in the summer of 2011 and Beila, now age 6, began receiving an insulin shot as little as four times a day. Recently, she began using an insulin pump that feeds her insulin through a little tube.

Her mother, Sacha, and sisters Juniper and Kalliope supported Beila on last weekend’s walk, plus family and friends, as "Beila's Bunch."

The team walked with many others to help bring greater awareness  to the issue of juvenile diabetes.

Owl & Drum donated $100 to the JDRF, matching the money that customers put in a “Beila’s Bunch” donation jar on the counter of the store at 2810 E. 15th St.

“Thank you to the people who supported us on our walk,” said Bianca Howell, the co-owner of Owl & Drum.

“The donations to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation are much-appreciated. Beila and the rest of us on her team had a good time on a crisp, sunny morning in Tulsa.

“There were some fun activities for the kids – they had a Jupiter Jump and a climbing wall – and it was a good atmosphere on the walk. We will do it again next year, and we hope you can join us.”

For more information about the JDRF or Walk For The Cure, contact Shelbe Adams of the Tulsa Green Country Chapter at sadams@jdrf.org or 918-481-5807.