Wednesday, July 11, 2018

Another row! some applique, and some thoughts about blogging

 I am prepping this quilt block for Linda Brannock's Flower quilt.  Lots of stitching left to do...but this is the process, so I am showing what I am doing as I am going along.
I got all the little sailboats done and the row sewn and attached.  Some learning things for me are these:

1.  Carefully measure each row, to make sure it is the same...I started with 60 1/2 inches, and one row was 61 1/2 inches!!  I took tiny little sliver, bigger seams...so it measures the same.

2.  Be sure and borrow a long tape measure from the big tool box...it works great!  LOL!!



*****************Blogging**********************************


As I am sure that you have noticed, blog participation and comments are down, I think universally, maybe because in part of summertime busyness.   Some people have gone to Instagram, and some to facebook.  And yet?  I think blogging is the best way to really talk about the process and enjoy the interactions with like minded quilters.  So...I would like to encourage you to maybe do a couple of things!!

1.  Get out there and find five new, or new to you, quilt blogs and add them to your blog roll!!!

2.  Make a few moments each day to comment on five or more blog posts.  It is the interaction that makes it such fun!!  I plan to do this early, since I get up very early for work, anyway.




This is an interesting read  about blogging, courtesy of our friend Florence!

http://flossieteacakes.blogspot.com/2018/07/thoughts-about-blogs.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FyBVT+%28Flossie+Teacakes+-+Crafting+Blog%29



Any thoughts??


Have a super day!!


Julie

41 comments:

dq said...

You must know that row quilts are favorites of mine. I love them, and yours is so wonderful~

I agree that blogging is still the best. I like to see and read the whole story in one post. I am going to follow your advice and leave more comments daily. I do already, but once school starts I get slacking a little.

---"Love" said...

Thanks for the link for an excellent read! She's right on all of it in my opinion. While I'm often rather slack in posting and also in commenting, my favorite activity of each day is reading blogs of long time "friends" I've met online. I've also had the pleasure of meeting two or three of them in person, which was so very special. So often I have very little quilting to post about, but I receive so much inspiration and encouragement from my fellow bloggers, many of whom I've followed for years. I've learned so much from so many! I just need to practice what I've read about. I probably need to update my lists also, but I do quite often add a new blogger to my list. I always enjoy reading yours. ---"Love"

hetty said...

I agree with you Julie. So I am leaving a comment. I love your Linda Brannock block. I made this quilt a number of years ago and it is still my favourite!

Tired Teacher said...

Responding to comments and making a connection with those who comment is one of the best aspects of blogging. Sadly, a lot of people who comment are "no-reply" so there is no way to contact them. Reading blogs and leaving comments is part of my morning routine.

Janet O. said...

What pretty blue flowers!
And your row quilt is very fun. I understand how tricky it is to get them to come out the same width. You solved it in the best way, I think.
I cherish the friendships I have made through blogging, and since it is my only social media vice, I have no Instagram experience. I enjoy the stories behind the photos, and the tips I learn, and the personality that shines through in each post.

Anonymous said...

I enjoy reading blogs daily and occasionally comment on some. Sadly, something has changed in the blogosphere and I can no longer comment on some. I don't understand the problem they are having. Carol

Ada Plouvier-Kopitopoulou said...

Guilty!! I stopped blogging nearly a year ago because I was too busy. I really missed it so I started again two weeks ago. When I started blogging I commented on every blog I read, but slowly that diminished. Lots of times now I just read it and don't bother to leave a comment. You are right!! I will start commenting and find new contacts too.

loulee said...

When I did a row quilt I too found that each row came out a slightly different size, even though I measured very carefully. In the end I stopped stressing about it and added wee spacer pieces or like you made seams a tiny bit larger.
It's looking good so far.
I think you are right about blogging being quieter, yes people are using different platforms to communicate on and many like myself will have found that life has changed and different demands are made on their time. I often struggle to find time to read and comment on blogs let alone write one of my own, but I fully intend to keep at it.

Melody A. said...

Blogs are still my favorite form of creative reading, I am not fond of Instagram or Facebook and only enjoy Pinterest on occasion. I like to see what someone is thinking and doing and why!!! so THANK YOU even if I don't comment often, thank you for writing about your life, about your quilting projects, etc. and you do beautiful work!!! that makes me think I can too! so Happy Sewing from Iowa

strawberrypatches said...

I love reading blogs - the simple rhythms of people's days. It's an online diary for many and it's like listening to a friend telling you what is going on in their lives. That and the wonderful creative ideas that inspire me. I get sad when people stop blogging - it's like losing touch with a friend. I am in awe of the amount to stitching you do - it spurs me on. Long live blogging.

Donna said...

I will follow your advice and try to comment more on blogs! I only read blogs; no Instagram or Twitter for me! Sadly a lot of blogs have disappeared but I do understand it takes a lot of time! Thanks for your blog!!!!

Silly Goose said...

Love reading your blog, and yes, I am a bad commentator. I do try and thank each person who replies on my blog, and follow theirs if I can. I do get a lot of pleasure out of my morning 'blog read'. Please keep going!

Libby in TN said...

I agree with your thoughts about blogging and the blogging community (my virtual friends). I think the whole mess with Blogger attempting to satisfy the European privacy laws has made everyone comment-shy. Almost everyone now shows up as no-reply so I can only respond to those already in my address book.

Lisa England said...

I read and enjoy a long list of blogs and have noticed that there are some that have disappeared. I appreciate you and all the others that take time to write blogs and share their projects, process, and observations. I know there have been periodic issues, but I hope blogging doesn't go away!

Beth@IHaveANotion.com said...

I blog for several reasons... of course to connect, to share and make friends... One is a fairly new endeavor and the other had been neglected... because of the new affair... Someday I hope to get on a more even keel.... and get more of everything done... It doesn't help that Blogger has made changes to comments and interaction, sure hope that get that squared away soon!!!

Ranch Wife said...

I adore row quilts and I'm so enjoying watching yours grow - it's going to be wonderful! I've been planning one, but have yet to begin stitching.
As for blogging - for me it is an online journal of sorts and I love the connections it has allowed me to make. I have an instagram account, but I don't post a lot. I know blogging takes more time, but in this age of instantaneous, disposable everything, it's nice to take some extra time to document the things that are important to us.

Missy Shay said...

I love your quilt. I love blogging, but when I am in a hurry Instagram is easier. I am hoping to get back to my blogging friends though!

Karen said...

I had forgotten about the Bluebell block. I think it was the first block I made from the pattern set. You did good.
I followed your link to "Flossie" and read her most interesting post. I so agree with what she has written. Not so easy to make a good blog friend just skimming through pictures on Instagram.

Lcrrkhs said...

You did 3 rows and then a row of geese. Now you've done 3 more rows, and I think you need another row of geese flying the other way :-)

Nancy said...

I enjoy reading your blog and the wonderful creative mind you have. Just saying because I don't comment a lot.

Loris said...

I am in agreement as well. I love the connections through blogging. I have had trouble commenting on some blogs lately because something changed with my sign in...ok on some blogs, not on others including my own! I think it has something to do with "cookies" and am going to research that more. I did manage to find comments left on my own posts and am able to respond so that's progress :-) We're all having to encourage our inner techies. Ha!
and yep...it is one busy summer!

Ruth said...

I like to read quilting and life blogs the most. I have enjoyed going through your blogroll to see what these nursing peoples' lives are like - but so many of them no longer blog. I like little stories, so the nursing experiences you put on your blog are always fun to read.
When I read a blog post, I don't always comment because I read through the comments and there are so many that have already said what I was thinking, that I say to myself, "Enough said! On to the next!"
(I personally have a lot of problems with tiny flying geese!! Yours look so good!)

barbara woods said...

My email sends me message that it can't take any more so now i am trying to see how many I can read on bloglovin. but I am bad about not leaving comments, need to do better

Cheryl's Teapots2Quilting said...

I'm one of the frequent commenters, but, I've traveled, had family in, and both will be happening again before the month is out. Very little sewing, since my sewing room turned into a nursery for a week, and will again before the month is out. I'll catch up, but, will comment less (sorry). I follow over 200 quilting blogs, so, don't add many very often.

Quilting Babcia said...

I think until Blogger makes a better attempt to fix the commenting mess they've created a lot of folks just aren't commenting anymore. Though the annual summer drop in readers seems greater this year. I'm as guilty as anyone of not always commenting even though I try to keep up with reading favorite blogs as often as they post. And I'm always looking for more interesting quilting blogs! They're the only ones I read anymore.

QUILTING IS BLISSFUL, DI said...

I don't plan to give up blogging--and I have always taken time at least once a year to check on every blog I read to see when they posted last and if they are still blogging and what about they are blogging--if they have stopped--I delete them--if they are no longer blogging about things that interest me==I delete them (sometimes I bring them back--??) I do try to add new bloggers to my list several times during the year--I have a wide list of subjects I like to have bloggers on--Farmsites, nature/photograhy sites, counted cross stitching sites,
home decorating sites, and of course all kinds of quilting and stitching sites!!
enjoy, di

Kyle said...

A row by row can definitely be a challenge getting them all to come out the same length. Keep that ruler and measuring tape handy!

Anonymous said...

I don't do Facebook nor Instagram, so blogs are my way of reading and learning about subjects that I enjoy. I'll try to comment more. Thanks for sharing.

Randy D. said...

I agree with you about blogs. It takes so much work and so often you get minimal comments (and especially with the problem with blogger not sending you the comments. UGH)... I enjoy your blog so I do hope you'll continue to be inspired and share your world.

Love your row by row quilt... I have a philosophy about getting the rows to be the same: if it doesn't work, chop it off! Or add an extra strip! VBG

Chantal said...

Lovely quilt of minis you have. I love your tiny little boats. Adorable. One of the first quilts I made was a row quilt and it has two rows of HSTs at about 1/4 way to the top and bottom. The bottom one has one entire HST more than the top one. To this day, I don't know how I have managed that; I blame the inexperience of a new quilter to pull this off. Ha!
I don't blog as often as I would like and it seems to take me forever to answer comments (even though I love receiving them). I comment "regularly" on my favorite blogs but sometimes, I just don't. I try to encourage people in their work and sometimes, I have nothing to say because this person is working on something that is not exactly my cup of tea, you know I mean. If I find a blog that doesn't have a lot of followers, I will make an effort to comment, just to encourage this person in continuing to blog. A great way to find new blogs is on a blog host that calls out to others like Rainbow Scrap Challenge, Can I Get a Whoop Whoop, Monday Design Wall, Finished or Not Friday, etc. where bloggers join to show off their progress. I love those. Okay, I've said enough ... for someone who is normally out of her comfort zone when talking, hahaha! Great post Julie. ♥ ;^)

Material Girl said...

I subscribe to many,many blogs. There are no quilt shops where I live so the blogs satisfy my interest in new notions, fabrics, sewalong....I also use Facebook for a few special interest groups. I’m not much of a poster but I am trying to leave comments more often so the bloggers know that there is someone out there listening. Thank you for sharing. It is much appreciated even if I don’t tell you that often enough.

jude's page said...

First I love your tiny boats, they are so cute, and very interesting reading about blogging and comments. I mainly blog as a record for me, that I print into a book each year, but love it when people comment. I know I have lots of readers who are not followers and don't leave comments. I also am guilty of reading a lot of blogs, but not commenting, so will try to improve on that. It comes down to a time thing. Also went to the link and read what flossie had to say, and her thoughts said it all so well.

Karrin Hurd said...

I’m pretty sure I made the Flowers quilt but can’t figure out what I did with it. I subscribe to many, many blogs. I’m mostly isolated due to caring for a disabled husband. Trying to finish up UFOs and use up my scraps. Love following your blog and progress!

Jeane said...

I love reading blogs ang yours is one of my favourites. Thank you for sharing.

Fae Bryan said...

I rarely comment but realize that’s selfish on my part.... I enjoy seeing what others are doing and “listening”to what’s happening in life. Fae

BB said...

I visit your blog almost every day, but rarely comment. I'm sorry - I didn't think about what those comments might mean to you. I will try to comment more, because your blog truly is a highlight to my day!

A mom said...

Your row by row inspires me to get mine out and finish. Thanks! And I so enjoy your blog. Thinking of starting my own.

Jo Anna

audrey said...

Love these flowers! Flowers and applique = love! hehe Not being part of a physical quilt group anymore, I don't know what I'd do without my blogging friends! I am always in the hunt for new blogs that resonate with me. People don't add them to their link list like they used to, so I look more on my Bloglovin' app now. I'll add an interesting blog and follow for awhile and then if I really am looking forward to their posts, I will add it to my blog link list. It really seems like there are less and less 'current' blogs than the years before, but there still seems to be an interest in keeping quilt blogging alive. I try to comment on all the posts that 'pop' out to me, but I couldn't begin to comment on every new post on all the blogs I follow! And I never comment on advertising type posts! I tend to ration my computer time so that I'm not eating into my quilting time! Glad you've brought this topic up though as it encourages us all to continue making the effort to try to connect so that we don't lose this community from sheer lethargy.

Rebecca in AK said...

Very pretty projects! I love those blue flowers!

Anonymous said...

I so enjoy your blog and nurses notes as blogs are my one constant reading I do evenings. I would be lost without my blogs to read so know we like reading them. I don’t comment but do know yours is one of my first ones I pop into to read. Kathy in NY

Patti said...

I rarely make blog comments. I read my blogs on Bloglovin and I don’t think you see comments left there, I may be mistaken. I’m just too lazy to “view original post” to make comments. But I’m here, and I read every single one of your blog posts.

Puffins and purples!!

I was tempted by Puffins...a squirrelly breed!!  LOL!  This fabric was shared with me, and I have been loved these bright, candy corn colors...