Where is the nostalgia coming from? I had to rumble through blog postings to find something I posted three years ago. Not only has blogging changed but my own blog is different in tone and looks. I guess it's growth but it made me kind of sad to see some of the changes that have occurred in the sewing blogging community.
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I've been sewing like crazy. Vacay starts nexts Saturday so I need to have things made and packed by Thursday evening. I'm so in love with McCalls 6559 I don't know what to do. I've made 2 more, have 2 more cut out and have fabric for another 2.
The only thing different about these dresses are the prints I've used and the color of the cardigan worn over them. But talk about comfortable! OMG! And they are so easy to wear and pack.
I may get to share some of the new ones with you before I leave on vacay and I may not. Gotta concentrate on making that pack date. If not I will try to get some pictures of them in "exotic vacation locations!" *LOL*
Here though is a picture of the haul I picked up from Metro Textiles this afternoon...
Yeah I've got maxidresses on the brain!
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Finally the air conditioning is blasting and it's hot outside so why can I only think of fall sewing! All of those awesome pleather pieces I've been collecting are calling my name. I also really want to try my hand at making a couple of shirts using some of those shirt patterns and shirting fabric I've collected.
Now that the clothing shackles have been removed and I'm getting used to being free...I'm getting a better idea of what image I want to project to the world.
I think I'm gonna have some fun now!
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This last thought is funny to put in a post where I show some fabric I just bought but since it was purchased with a gift certificate and will be sewn right away...
All of the sewing I've been doing lately has come from fabric from the collection. Most of the things I'm thinking of sewing for fall is from fabric from the collection. I'm so grateful for the collection, I don't know what to do! I know this is hard for non-stashers to understand but knowing the fabric is there waiting for me to create with it offers a sense of security that has been missing this year.
I probably won't start sewing fall when I return from vacation. There are a few other things that I want to make, that have nothing to do with maxi skirts or maxi dresses. But I'm sure that by the end of August, I will be sewing fall even if I can't wear it until later! At least I will be ready...especially since I will need to do another closet cull at that time!
...as always more later!
I've noticed that the blogging I did in the early years had a more conversational tone than it does now; I'm not sure why, really. Maybe it's because we're all chatting on Facebook and Twitter and other platforms and the blogs are becoming more specialized? Or that everyone is reading blogs via feedburners like bloglovin and it's too much trouble to click through and comment, so blogging feels a whole lot more like journal-writing than conversation? Or is it just because I've got a job now and I didn't then, so I don't have as much time to be chatty? Who knows? lol...
ReplyDeleteI've got that McCall's pattern and two pieces of fabric that I bought specifically for it but it's still in the envelope. I need to dig it out and get in on the comfy...
I've been blogging since 2009 and I too think it has changed. Many bloggers went professional. And, I think there was more of a sense of "we are in this together" where now it is more overwhelming and less personal somehow. Many more blogs and platforms are available (burdastyle, pattern review, craftsy, revelry, etc. etc.) for discussion. I too miss those exciting days.
ReplyDeleteI'm relatively new to blogging & following blogs but I enjoy yours & many others so much. I'm not sure what the difference is now as I find yours very educational & informative . You also have a very easy conversational style.
ReplyDeleteYou've just mentioned the norm of the original sewing blogs. They were all like this at one time.
DeleteThank you for blogging and sharing your creations with us. I really do appreciate it
ReplyDeleteHave a great vacation, sounds like you can wear a different maxi dress for each day of it!
ReplyDeleteWhen i blogged for a parent's network, it was pretty relaxed and there was a lot of crossover commenting/blogging/reposting. When ads started showing up, and "monetizing" (how is that a real word?) stepped up, I stepped out. I didn't think talking about my kids for money was appropriate, and it got a lot more competitive. And a lot nastier.
ReplyDeleteI love to read about sewing. I love to share what I know and learn more stuff. I enjoy a good laugh. I enjoy your blog, I am with you on a journey.
Thanks SJ - that's how I think of this too - as a journey- good, bad, ugly and wonderful!
DeleteGood luck with getting the extra dresses done! And you will have so much fun with a new dress every day!!
ReplyDeleteHope you'll share those dresses with us during your vacation! Have a blast :)
ReplyDeleteOh, my, yes, blogging has changed. But so many of those bloggers that I adored reading are gone or morphed into something totally different. The emphasis on fashion photos of garments, as in 10 or fifteen per post of the same garment with just the wind blowing it in different directions, just sort of precludes conversation. What else can you say other than "that looks great" or nothing at all if it doesn't? I miss the Sewing Divas, Summerset Banks, and others who shared so much that engaged us all back then. That depth is missing in the blogosphere today. well except for yours and mine (wink, wink)! There are more venues for communication but actually far less being said. I don't think the response process is that difficult. I think it is just than many are so used to shallow talk along the lines of FB, texting, and IG. If these sewists only knew what they missed or are missing! It's gone from a community of sharing skills and frustrations and sewing real to one of instant sewing gratification and a willful neglect of anything that requires practice and skill and study. I am so with you on this, Caroline.
ReplyDeleteThis is for Caroline and Bunny...please continue your informative and creative blogs as I so look forward to your posts. They make my day! I, too, miss many wonderful bloggers like Summerset who shared so much. Please realize that there are many of us in the sewing community that would dearly miss your thoughts on this wonderful art form if you stopped blogging! Thank you. Karen
ReplyDeleteI have no intentions of stopping. My blog gives me much needed expression as much as you enjoy too. I am sure Carolyn feels the same.
DeleteJust want to add that while bloggers like those mentioned who have either stopped or morphed, that is totally OK. Life changes and so must we and that adaptation is a great thing. Doesn't mean we miss them any less, though. For the sewing blogs that are now strictly fashion, I tend not to follow them any more. It's fine that they are on trend and share that but it's just not the depth I seek.
I enjoy reading many sewing blogs, both for inspiration and knowledge. I have also stopped reading a few because of the adds and turning their hobby into a business. I don't blame them for doing that, but I would just not rather read about patterns or fabrics I will never wear. (I'm retired now and my wardrobe is very simple.). But I love blogs like Bunny and Caroline's. Please accept this as a heartfelt thanks to both of you and the many others that share their knowledge!
DeleteKaren, Bunny and Suzie - thanks for the compliments and like Bunny said I have no plans to go anywhere. I will probably be one of the last bloggers standing because I really do love it. I may not enjoy Facebook or tweet and I do love me some Instagram but conversations are best held on the blog - at least to me. Hopefully the mobile platforms will make it easier for people to comment again and the conversations will once again flow.
DeleteThis is a good topic. I have been looking over my blog lately thinking what real value am I adding to the sewing community here. I want the banter and back and forth. I love your blog, because I feel like it is still conversational! It may have evolved, but it is informative and when I need a sewjo kick in the pants, yours is always the first blog I reach for.
ReplyDeleteAs for Fall sewing, I am right there with you. I just ordered some fabrics from Mood with Fall in mind, and am planning others from the stash.
Alicia - I longed for spring/summer to come because the winter was so awful. Now here it is wonderful summer days and all I can think about is fall sewing. There is something wrong with this picture! *LOL* I think I've found a happy medium though, I'm making a list of things I want to sew for fall and plowing through my summer sewing instead!
DeleteI was thinking about the change in sewing blogs recently too. There were lot that I would read avidly, but many of them (Gigi, Georgene, Summerset, Joanne... the list goes on and on) stopped completely. Others that I used to like have turned into nothing but shills for products that may or may not be related to sewing. I find those to be irritating in the extreme, especially when they are riddled with affiliate links. I have nothing against people making money from their hobby, but don't pretend you're providing a PSA when you're clearly doing it to make money. Not you, Carolyn - the universal "you"
ReplyDeleteAnn, you've always been a wonderful presence in the online sewing community. I've frequently thought that if anyone should be putting out a sewing book, it should be you. But to each her own.
DeleteAnn - don't worry I knew you were speaking to the universal "you"! And I so agree with you, I miss many of the bloggers that drew me to the sewing blogosphere too, where I would learn something new to apply to my sewing. I understand growth and change, I just miss some of the things we've left behind.
DeleteI love your blog and totally agree with your observations. The world does change, and it seems that the trend is towards monetization, and slick presentation. I appreciate the need for the commercial sites (its been fun to watch Sarai Mitnick's business grow, I remember her very fist pattern issuance and I love all aspects of her site now) but for "regular" bloggers I prefer your approach. If I want slick and glamorous, I'll reach for a magazine. From fellow sewistas, I look for truth in application, how that garment sews up and looks on women, especially those with my figure quirks. Remember when every fitting stage was shared? More of that, less of the product type shots. After all, we've got Burda.
ReplyDeleteElle - I've just made the decision that sewing is my hobby though I've had a few fits and starts over the last couple of years before coming to the that realization. Each sewist gets to determine their own journey and mine is reflected here.
Delete"Non-stashers"? Is there such a creature?
ReplyDeleteHelene - hard to believe but yes there is! To each is own, right!?! *LOL*
DeleteYour blog is perfect. I have learned so much from you and like to read every word. Have a great vacation.
ReplyDeleteI have been reading your blog for a long time now. You inspire me to sew. I also have been sewing for a long time. I am now going to try my hand at sewing jeans for myself. I am wondering if you have ever tried sewing custom jeans for yourself?
ReplyDeleteThere are two things that I have no interest in sewing for myself - jeans and lingerie as in bras and panties. I'm in awe of sewists who do and make amazing garments. They just don't stir me creatively.
DeleteI have been blogging since 2008 and yours was one of the first I found that really made me want to join in on the conversation. It really has changed. I noticed it too with my own blog. I do think it has a lot to do with all the other forms of social media. I use my blog as a review place and I post snippets on Instagram and Twitter to chat with other sewists.
ReplyDeleteI am glad to see you sewing from the collection. I am certain you have some amazing treasures in there.
Sarah - I'm trying not to purchase much fabric for the next couple of months. There is so much in the collection and as I dig around in it more, I find even more treasures. Honestly I probably could sew from the collection for the next 5 years and not really dent it since there are thousands of yards of fabric in it. Thanks for hanging out with me for the last couple of years. It's appreciated!
DeleteYours is one of the big old blogs Carolyn (as is Bunny's) and you set a standard, and a tone that is very positive. As a relatively new blogger I am not sure I will live up to the qualities you guys have established but I try to be authentic (as you say the good, bad and the ugly too). I think many people run out of steam after around two and a half years - which is just fine. If you don't have anything left to say that is OK, I think.
ReplyDeleteI love your positive attitude to your fabric collection - I feel the same about mine.