Spreading the Love

As a serial non-compliant chain letter receiver, I have mixed feelings about the blog awards that make the rounds periodically, but at the end of the day, I am thrilled that a fellow blogger has noticed my blog enough to say... "I'm thinking about you and want to let others know about you too".

And I really do sincerely want to thank fellow sewing blogger Sarah, who writes Musings of a Seamstress, for bestowing the Liebster award on my little blog.

The Liebster Award is meant for new bloggers who have less than 200 followers – it helps get the word out about them, so go check out Kacie’s post for other great blogs!

With the award, there are a few rules: 1. Answer the 10 questions that were asked by the person who nominated you. 2. Nominate 10 new bloggers that inspire YOU.  3. Ask those bloggers 10 questions.

Well, not sure I qualify as a "new" blog, but I have been hovering just below the 200 mark for eons, so there you go. Click on Sarah's blog name in my "thank you" paragraph to discover other inspiring blogs.

Here are the answers to Sarah's questions:

1.  Why did you decided to start blogging? Oh, that's complicated. I started a blog when I opened my etsy shop to, you know, promote. Then I discovered sewing blogs, and I changed the name of my blog and shifted my focus to sewing with a side of Etsy and non-sewing life.
2.  What are your goals for your blog?  To document my sewing, but also to share some of my life experiences as a post-stay at home mom/now full-time bridesmaid consultant, and, well, anything else that pops into mind.
3.  Do you gravitate towards fabrics with texture, pattern or solid colors? Yes? That's a tricky one for me... while I gravitate to fabrics with pattern, I often find my solid color creations more wearable.
4.  What is your favorite season to sew for? Probably summer. Probably because it's my favorite season, period.
5.  What is your favorite fabric store to shop? No real favorite... depends on what I'm looking for.
6.  What do you call yourself (sewcialist, sewer, seamstress, sewist…) and why? I call myself "someone who sews a lot". Maybe sewist or seamstress. Never sewcialist (that's a new one for me) or sewer.
7.  Yes or no to sewing for others?  Why? I have to answer this one with "it depends". Mostly on what they want me to sew for them and if I have time. I do make sewing gifts for others though.
8.  What is your favorite garment sewn thus far? Why? I've had many favorites over the years... that's too hard to answer.
9.  What is one thing you hope to sew this month? A dress to wear at my daughter's graduation from graduate school.
10.  What is one thing in your must sew list for this year? Nothing at the moment is a "must sew". *see full-time job mention in question #2.

Go discover these 10 blogs:

Vacuuming the Lawn

Sew, Incidentally

Biblioblog

Helen Made

Irene's Studio

Young, Broke and Fabulous

Made by Trisha

Sew a Musing

Tales from Team Awesome 

Sew Here We Go Again

Finally... 10 questions from me:

1. How much time a week/day do you spend on your blog?
2. Do you feel like you need to explain yourself if you don't blog for awhile?
3. How much time a day to you spend READING other people's blogs?
4. These awards posts can be time-consuming. Do you cringe a little when you get these kinds of awards? ;)
5. Besides reading blogs and writing on your own blog, do you spend a lot of time on the computer?
6. Is sewing your primary creative outlet?
7. What are some of your other creative endeavors?
8. Do you join sew alongs?
9. Do you participate in other types of online challenges (sewing or otherwise)? What are they?
10. Do you usually complete these challenges or sew alongs? Why or why not?

Not all the blogs I listed are primarily sewing blogs, but they are all inspiring! Thanks and y'all have a great week!

More Bloglovin...

Oops, I've put the button over there on the right, but apparently, there's a whole "claim blog" aspect that I've glossed right over. Here's my Claim Blog link:



Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Hope I've done this right this time...

In related news... I just can't break my Google Reader habit. It's such a clean, easy to read reader. No gimmicks... just a list of the new posts from the blogs I read. Why, Google Reader? Ah well, I've still got a couple of months...

A New Project

A new project, but not a sewing project. Well, sewing will be involved, but mostly indirectly. Well, not exactly indirectly, but...

OK, that's getting too confusing. I'm starting a new blog. I'm keeping this one going too, but the new one is going to be less "all about sewing" and more "all about me". Yeah, that sounds a bit, oh, what's the word, self-indulgent. But that's the truth.

Let's review. Blog "A" (It's a Sewing Life) will continue to be active, and will continue to awe and amaze you with awesome and amazing sewing projects. Wait. What window seat covers? There will also be more actual sewing with the vintage patterns I'm selling over there on etsy. Gratuitous plug for Etsy shop. I've joined Sew Weekly, and will attempt to connect at least some of the weekly challenges with vintage patterns. I mean, what's the point of having hundreds of amazing (and ok, some less than amazing) vintage patterns if you don't actually use a few before selling them. Exactly.

Blog "B" (Project:Uninvisible) will definitely be more personal in that I'll be exploring ways to change my family role as angst and anxiety ridden "lost child" that I have brought with me from my original family to my current family. It seems that the empty nest has left me a bit more unmoored than is really comfortable, and if I am going to really explore my identity and role presently and going forward, I'm going to have to put it all out there. Warning: I'm going to try really, really, really hard not to censor myself, and I'll be putting some opinions out there that I suspect even my closest friends and family members (immediate family excluded) don't even know about.

So why am I bringing this up here, in this nice family friendly little sewing blog? Well, if I'm going to put myself out there and become truly "visible", then I'm going to need some friends, and I'm inviting y'all to drop by and see what's going on in this little ol' head of mine. Sort of a worldwide group therapy, if you will.

It's definitely a Work in Progress, true of blogs as well as sewing projects and Life! The first post is up, so if you want to follow along, you'll be with me from the start.

How about some art? Well, if you want to see it, you'll have to click on over to the new blog.

The 100 Follower Giveaway!

Finally! Well, you know. I've been busy. Today I talked to a friend on the phone for an hour and a half! Yes, you read that right. And I semi-successfully gave Teddy (the black pup) a bath. They gave him a "bath" at the kennel, but he still had a lot of that good ol' Georgia clay on him. So, without further adieu...

Like I said yesterday, something for everyone. This is a 3 item giveaway, so something for everyone. Please feel free to enter for each item. One comment is plenty, just indicate which item or items you'd like to be in the running for by name or number. And there will be no jumping through hoops. Only thing I ask is that you are on my follower list. Comments will close one week from today, Thursday, January 13 at midnight EST, and I'll announce the winners (chosen with that random number generator thingie) the next day. Oh, please make sure I have a way to contact you. That's it! Here ya go:

Item #1

Vogue 8556, size BB (8-14)

originally in the running for mother of the bride dress last year, it didn't even make it out of the shopping bag. I think a short version would look adorable in a pretty cotton voile.

Item #2

30 yards of Rick Rack

I scored this bounty of rick rack when a local fabric and trim shop was going out of business. Really, what was I thinking? I've used some, but now it's perfect for giving away. This is for 5 yards of each color. The white, dark orange, and dark yellow are 1/4" wide, and the pale yellow, navy and periwinkle blue on the weird (easily removable flange) are 1/2" wide. Perfect for craft projects, kids clothes, aprons, pjs!

Item #3

Ultrasuede Coin Purse 

I originally made this for my etsy shop, but here it is in my giveaway! The ultrasuede is vintage from my mom's stash and it's lined with a batik cotton. The frame is 3-1/4" wide and it's about 4" tall.

Let the commenting begin!

New Hair

Thanks for all the coat compliments! I love getting comments, and y'all in the sewing blogosphere are so sweet and supportive! I'm planning a giveaway when I hit 100 followers, so if you're just a lurker, hit that follower button and join the fun.

Anyway... I've been contemplating a new 'do for several weeks now, and after seeing the back of my hair in those coat pictures, what with the 3" long dark roots and all, well, today was the day. Plus my hairdresser had an opening when I called this morning. So, off with it!

And, it only seems fitting what with the Royal engagement announcement and all, that its kind of Princess Diana-ish.