Quilty Habit's SWC #7: Writing a Sewing Blog

We're nearing the end of Quilty Habit's Sewing with Certainty series and the topic today is one obviously near and dear to me: blogging about sewing. That said, I wasn't sure what tack to take with it. I brainstormed a bunch of components of writing a sewing blog - personal enjoyment, connecting with other enthusiasts, getting feedback on one's work, sharing tutorials, teaching technique, selling patterns or products - the list could go on and on. In the end I decided to share why I started blogging and what I've learned in the almost two years since I began. (Whoa! And then I realized I have an anniversary coming up, so I think a little giveaway come mid-February will be in order.)

I first sat down and started a blog to document my various craft projects and growth as a sewist* and quilter, and as a way to connect with others because I didn't have a group of friends nearby who shared my interests. Since then I've narrowed my focus, decided on a path to turn my hobby into a business, and have tried to take advantage of every free tip and tutorial out there that I come across. Here are four key things I've taken away from my experience that someone new to writing a sewing blog can use:

1. Jump in! I was sort of embarrassed by how unexciting and unenticing my blog was at the very start, so I didn't tell people about it and didn't link up with many others. I wish I had because I would've learned so much more quickly. The more blogs you visit, the more bloggers you meet, the more clarity you're likely to find about what you want from your own blog and the faster your blogging (and sewing!) skills will grow.

(a little shameless self-promotion while on the topic of linking up ; )
Looking for a way to carve out some "me" time to sew and to stay connected with other sewists?
Join me in March for the
30//30 Sewing Challenge!

2. Link up! There are a million and one connections to be made with other bloggers, some of which might not interest you, but some of which will spur you on to greatness. Joining in quilt alongs (like The Library Project QAL), sew alongs, bees (here's a nice overview if you're unfamiliar with how they work), challenges (Pantone Quilt Challenge, anyone?), link ups (a handy list organized by day of the week), and new blog hops will motivate you to sew more (which is THE silver lining to blogging in my book ; ) and will create content for your posts while simultaneously helping to get your blog out there and read by new eyes.

3. Learn something! There is a wealth of education and helpful advice out there if you look for it. From tutorials about blogging (I love the "better blogging" tutorials over at While She Naps), to tutorials about quilting and sewing, to tutorials about sewing tutorials, like this one from SewCanShe. (This is incredibly ironic: I found the tutorial a week ago and then when I went back to start drafting this post a few days later - ta dah! SewCanShe was featured on While She Naps.)

Plus sometimes you'll get helpful advice even when you're not searching for it because other sewing and quilting bloggers are incredibly friendly! A few months ago Lorna from Sew Fresh Quilts tracked down my site and email address just to let me know that I was a no reply commenter; I had no idea, but thanks to her very helpful gesture, I'm now connecting with her and many other bloggers that I had been unsuccessfully trying to chat with for months. A Stash Bee hive mate of mine, Daisy of Ants to Sugar, recently helped me figure out an app so I could enter a linky contest. Considering it meant more competition to her own entries, it was an awfully nice and unexpected gesture! 

4. Lastly, (yes, yes, so cliché but so true)
have fun! I felt pressured when I started blogging to sound a certain way or to post so often or to look like so-and-so's blog, but it's not fun conforming to other people's molds. You'll find your voice (something I didn't "get" till I stopped revising to death, started writing like I speak and realized it finally sounded right). You'll find your rhythm; for me, it's committing to twice a week - enough to stay in touch without falling asleep making breakfast for my kids because I was up late catching up on content. And you'll find your look, but don't worry if it's not glossy magazine cover on day one - get it looking alright and start blogging! You'll evolve as you go.

a little AMH and infinity scarf love for Jess! ; ) shared from QuiltDad.com

*Okay now, somewhat off-topic, apparently "sewist" (from way back in paragraph two) is still sort of new enough to evoke a slew of polar reactions? I love (like really love - I'm a vocabulary geek) reading articles about language and word evolution (this TED Talk by Erin McKean on lexicography is delightful!), and since the term was marked as misspelled by my editing software, but had rolled off my fingertips with the ease of common vernacular, I looked it up. Despite the fact that seven of the top ten Google hits were for blogs with "Sewist" in the title, this fairly recent discussion of it in the sewing community had a wide range of reactions, many negative. I guess it sounds common to me because I read a lot of blogs from newer authors (amended from "younger authors," though I do follow a lot of young bloggers, but by no means do I think they've cornered the market on the term!)  and news sites more likely to use trendy words? I think "sewer" sounds really static (and yes, the potential for misreading exists) and that "seamstress/tailor" is much too narrow for the breadth of what many do behind their machine. What do you think? When you say you sew, how do you phrase it? Feel free to add your two cents on sewing blogs, as well!