There are things I don't say, and now I feel like saying them. You'll get your turn too, just wait and see!
*I don't much like the Single Girl quilt. I don't know why. Sometimes it appeals to me as a pillow, but that's as far as it goes. I wonder, what's wrong with me given the way the quilt has swept over blogland?
*I think I need a break from Sherbet Pips before I'll actually want them. At first I was waiting for yardage, but now... They've just been everywhere for so long. I bet I'll want "Girl on a Swing" as soon as she's totally pricey!
*I sew on a sewing machine that's so cheap, it's not worth servicing. If it ever becomes unusable, I'll seriously buy a new one.
*I never really crushed hard on Innocent Crush. Anna Maria Horner is my favorite designer, so I feel weird saying so. I do love "Woodcut" and "Maybe", but not the collection when combined. I guess that's why I'm thrilled to find my heart a-thumping at Loulouthi.
*Driving downtown to buy up some of Denyse Schmidt's new line is not high on my list of priorities. I'd love me some of those dots, but I don't have to have them.
*My son has an Ikea duvet cover that doesn't close at the bottom. They should have finished it with buttons, but they left the opening finished but open. I still haven't put buttons on it and it's been years. It bugs me to no end. How's that for lazy?
*I kind of got tired of making pillows by the end of January. And Blogger's Pillow Party was all set up to go through April. Oops! Good thing I never got tired at seeing your creations!
*I would not continue blogging if it wasn't for comments. All of the sponsors in the world couldn't get me to talk to a silent crowd.
So, what is the thing you don't say? Come on, cough it up. It feels good to get it off your chest! What do you not say about sewing/quilting/fabric/blogging that you know you feel? What do you not say about Stitched in Color that might be helpful for me to know? Keep it real, but keep it constructive.




I have an extra copy of Natural Patchwork by Suzuko Koseki. I'm going to send it to someone who comments with something they wouldn't usually say, and I'm going to hand-pick the winner. I don't know how I'll choose - maybe something that's most interesting to me, maybe something that's most helpful.
So, go on - say it.
**updated to say: The winner of this giveaway has been chosen! But, feel free to add your thoughtful (non-bashy) comment. See follow-up posts here and here. Thanks for visiting!
I agree with the first four things you posted. I am so glad you posted this, it is good to be remined that we do not have to agree with everyone.
ReplyDeleteSomething I would normally not say . . . .sometimes I wonder why I got married. I love my husband and my children....but sometimes I wonder what my life would be like if I had travelled the world like I wanted to.
Ahem...
ReplyDeleteI don't like when people use make a design with patterns from 500 years ago and act like they were the first one with the ideas. (That has been bugging me a lot lately...)
I shop at Joann's 3/4 of the time and I still have NOT made it to look at, much buy any DS material. Oops.
I wish quilters would just let all other quilters do their thing, their way, and let it be. Who decides what is "right" and "wrong", anyway?
And that is all today. :)
Such a refreshing post!
ReplyDeleteI generally would not admit that... I don't like the actual process of sewing. I love picking out fabrics/colors, designing a project, and the finished product. But the actual sewing? I could take it or leave it! :)
Have a great weekend!
I wish that more bloggers posted what type of sewing machine they sew on and why they like about it, etc... I know that some sewing machine companies might sponsor the blog, but just have full disclosure. It could help new sewists/quilters to hear real people talk about their machines. I know that there are lots of message boards devoted to this topic, but I'd like to know what the pros use. :-)
ReplyDeleteI normally would not say....My kids get on my nerves. Not all the time, just when I'm tired and really trying to accomplish one thing without getting interrupted.
I love your blog by the way. Your quilts are gorgeous and I really appreciate your use of color. Sorry for the loooong comment.
I don't understand the obsession with Japanese imports...especially Lecien florals!
ReplyDeleteYou said a lot for me in the first part of your post then some others said things I'd been thinking, but hey I can surely think of more. I don't talk about my machine and I don't know why cause I really enjoy using it. I don't love everything about the stitches though (it is a Janome 6600. My old machine had a great blind hem stitch and it was an older Janome (3500)...I kept it though so I can always pull it out for that stitch!
ReplyDeleteI don't mention that I am always looking over my shoulder for the quilt police whenever I do something that is good enough for me.
Oh man, I'm so glad I'm not the only one who feels that way about sherbet pips. The line was overused before it even became widely available!
ReplyDelete-I don't understand why people hate on Joann's. For quilters on a budget (ahem, like me!) it's a great resource, particularly the remnants, and their red-tag clearance fabric!
ReplyDelete-I hate that my husband doesn't seem interested in my sewing projects until they're done!
-I have a bunch of fabric stashed away that I don't think I'd ever use (yards of old lady fabrics, huge flowers in weird colors? Awesome??) - but I got it for free off Freecycle, and can't bring myself to part with it. I secretly want to make a huge quilt for my boss, who loves those kinds of prints, just so I can pawn it off on her...but don't want to put in the effort because I don't like her THAT much!
What I would never say?
ReplyDeleteI was gypped...(is that how you spell that?) I was in a mug rug swap and got the most atrocious, ugly, horrible looking thing you can imagine. If you don't believe me I can send you a photo...
There were so many lovely, cute ones and I feel bad cause I shouldn't feel this way...but I do...but I could never say that to anyone but you...
and so can I be anonymous?
Nancy
quilt at centurytel dot net
I don't usually say that the reason I married my husband isn't that I was madly in love with him. I married him because I knew he would make a great husband and father. And after almost a decade, I don't regret it a bit.
ReplyDeleteI like this post a lot. And I love your blog!
ReplyDeleteThere are so many things I don't say, that I don't even know how to start!
"In real life I tend to use off color language and make jokes that I would never put on my blog"
"I wish I had more followers, but most of my friends and co-workers don't even know I have a blog"
"About 6 months ago I threw out some fabric scraps I bought in the early 1990s because I didn't like them so much I actually felt embarrassed to have them in my stash - and now I feel ashamed to have thrown out fabric" (though it was all scraps not yardage, just to be clear. I kept the partially finished quilt top but have no idea what to do with it)
"I have a great job and chose this career I have, but more days than I will admit I would give anything to stay home and work on crafty projects"
...that's all I have time for, and it makes me nervous even to post stuff like this on someone else's blog! (how silly is that?)
Whew, what a relief to hear I am not alone in all of your admissions.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I wouldn't usually admit...I don't fawn all over a lot of the designer fabrics like most everyone else in blog land. I usually like a piece or two in each line, but as a whole, I think most lines are over the top when altogether.
I have only been quilting since January and feel like one of those newbies that the "dumb-downers" are talking about.
ReplyDeleteI dislike the over busy-ness of Amy Butler.
I dream of going to Market one day.
I sew on a Singer and I'm not a huge fan of stippled quilting. I am a total failure at machine quilting so I finally just started hand quilting. It takes a long time but I'm loving the look and the added texture. The truth is if I was better at machine quilting I'd probably still be doing it that way.
ReplyDeleteI too have an (actually, a couple) Ikea duvet with an open bottom. It drives me NUTS but even though I bought snaps for them years ago, I've never ever put them on either.
ReplyDeleteI do blog even though I don't think anyone's reading, but I don't really mind. I've always been the kind of loner that doesn't really do well at befriending people even online. Anyway, the blog is more about journaling what I've doing. And it's at least a little bit to shame myself into getting things done faster. I love sewing, but I have a hard time focusing, so it takes ages me to do anything.
Here's another thing I wouldn't normally say: I don't really like giveaways. (Full disclosure: I still enter them sometimes, if it's something I think I'd really like. And I've done giveaways myself, amongst friends outside of blogland.) I hate being asked to like people on facebook or tweet things about it or whatever else though. Not that I think I should get something for nothing, but sometimes it feels like people are doing it to artificially bump up their friend numbers or follower counts. Which I know is just me being an unfair and judgmental a-hole, which is why I normally wouldn't say so.
I don't like innocent crush either, and I own the whole darn thing. There are 2 super light fabrics (that remind me of old mattresses) that completely don't mesh. :(
ReplyDeleteI got a little tired of sherbet pips too. In fact, the only reason I bought it is because I had already bought Pink Chalk's coordinating solids bundle. Fabric makes me wish I had more money. As soon as I spend all of it, there's something else I would rather have.
I love blogs, absolutely love to 'chat' and share. But sometimes, with all the inspiration, I wonder, will I ever have my own ideas when there are so many other people's ideas in my head?
I'm a woman if great intentions and little action. There are so many things I want do/ make for my kids, and I don't. It really bothers me. Sometimes I cry myself to sleep because I want to be this awesome mom, but I'm just not.
There, enough sharing. :)
Thanks for your honesty, you made me smile and nod in agreement.
ReplyDeleteThis is a tough exercise, Rachel. I type something here and then I immediately delete it. lol I guess I'm a big chicken - too afraid my opinions will offend. You've given me something to think on. Bravo for saying those things you don't say!
I'm done with the 3 x 6 swap. It is fun but two of my rounds people were really late sending out their blocks. And truth be told, I wasn't happy with all of the blocks that I received. So this is it for me. Not sure if people over commit or they just think it is acceptable to make their blocks way past the due date. The majority of the blocks were on-time and I did like them but the late and unappealing blocks took the fun out of the swap for me.
ReplyDeleteI could do without the color pink.
ReplyDeleteSimilar to Megan, I have been getting a little irritated by people saying they hate copying and sell themselves as being 'totally original' and some of the stuff they do has infact been done before. I'm not saying they copied, they probably didn't see the original one that I saw years ago! I'm just saying in this day and age we'd be pretty lucky to make something that bore no resemblance whatsoever to something that has been done before!
ReplyDeleteGee that feels better!
amazing. i was starting to think i was going crazy for not liking single girl, pillows, pips, and innocent crush. now i am feeling better. you rock!
ReplyDeleteA note about Patrice's wish to hear more about people's sewing machines: I second that. And in fact I think someone who does have a big readership should start up a thing (like the process pledge) to get bloggers writing about what machines they use.
ReplyDeleteI have a crappy kenmore that I bought for $200 when I didn't have $200 to spend, and I've never had it serviced (in almost 10 years) and it chugs away pretty well anyway. I'd like to buy something new, but I don't know where to start so I'd love to get a feel for what people use and like.
I do not feel the pips love and I do not like the Patchwork Style book ( I have it). I have a stack of fabric to make my poor daughter a quilt that I have not started in a year because I know it will take forever to actually do the quilting :o( I will not handsew ANYTHING!!!!! I bow down to the women that do it but my arthritic thumbs do not like me if I even try...sigh...
ReplyDeleteThanks for letting me vent, you are a doll :o)
Great post. I have always admired Moda's marketing program and Jelly rolls/dinner plates etc were a brilliant idea but I'm kind of over them - don't know why - I just am.
ReplyDeleteNo matter how hard I try I just can't master the art of machine quilting. How hard can it be to stipple? I can stitch in the ditch but that's about it...very sad.
I bought a new Phaff sewing machine 2 years ago and I still don't know how to use it apart from the basic stitches.
Love the blog Rachel. Happy Easter. xo
I dislike how 'cliquey' the swaps seem. I read through the rules for one and was so intimidated I thought "I'm too crap a sewer to do this".
ReplyDeleteI am not a perfectionist. If a block turns out wonky then thats my little but of imperfection on it :)
What about velcro for the cover closure? Still involves sewing but no buttonholes?
I wish you had a bloglist of people participating in the Bottled Rainbows, I love seeing peoples blocks. Oh wait, Flickr. Duh!
:)
This is so refreshing thanks!
ReplyDeleteI never saw the appeal of Sherbert Pips, its cute, but it reminds me of some Nikes I had in the 80's...haha
My comment is if they come out with anymore lines that have purple as their primary color I may barf. I am in love with lots of lines & prints but when they are primarily purple, ick. AHHHH all better.
I like to think of myself and this fun and innovative quilter, but it is mostly in my mind because I love to dream and plan but am not as good at following up and actually buying the fabric and making the quilt. Talk about UFO's that aren't even in my possession yet!
ReplyDeleteI really don't like 1930's fabrics although some of my friends love them, but that is okay, they don't always like my wild choices.
I used to be so traditional with mauve, hunter green, etc and now I really can't stand stuff like that - or what I like to call "old lady quilts". Nothing against old ladies though, I am a grandma, but a young one at 45 and my great grandma used to make the brightest wildest quilts I had ever seen. My mom says that is where I get my style from. I love that.
PS-I am not crazy about the Single Girl quilt either.
I totally agree with you on 2, 4, 5, and 8!!!
ReplyDeleteBeing in Australia, I have to say Aussie quilting mags bug me. They never tell you what the fabric range used is & if you try to get it the same, the lead time for publishing is so long usually it's impossible to get. Unlike a lot of the US mags they don't offer kits either. Feel better getting that out somewhere.... Thanks! Tracee xx
ReplyDeleteI dont read many blogs or browse flickr much. Too much is overwhelming.
ReplyDeleteYou opened a can of worms here, my dear. Hope people don't mind their toes getting stepped on a little!
Thanks for this. I don't like Single Girl either. In fact, I truly don't read blog entries when that's in the title.
ReplyDeleteOh Rachel, this is why I love your blog.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with the Single Girl Quilt. And even though I love the Pips, I was starting to wonder if I was the only one that felt they were getting overplayed, like a song played too often on the radio. Also agree on the AMH Innocent Crush. I liked a few of the prints, but definitely not all of them.
Something I normally wouldn't say? I'm embarrased at my 4 year old daughters love/obsession with fart humor... really badly embarrased.
I take short cuts on my sewing if I feel I can get away with it, and I never ever follow a pattern by the book. I'll add whatever I need... pockets or buttons, whatever. But, I just want it done so I can have it or use it. Or if its not for me, so I can move on to the next project on my list!
I don't take compliments well at all. My husband thinks everything I make is wonderful, but to me it is average, and it bothers me that he thinks its more than it is, and even though I've told him that and why I feel that way, he still thinks its amazing. And even though I should be flattered, it bothers me even more because I feel like I'm getting praise I don't deserve.
Wow... I feel like I just walked out of a confessional! :-)
Love this post.
ReplyDeleteSomething I don't usually say.. is this. I really get sick and tired of crafters/artists/other DIYers out there that act as if they are so high and mighty and the rest of us don't matter.
They never seem to leave comments, they never ever make themselves accessible, and they pre-judge people. Some ppl online that seem to have it all.. well they don't.
Just my experience. Sometimes, they are needing something out of life and they take it out on others. That's so wrong. I just wish more of us would treat ea other with more respect and love and kindness. I get tired of all the phoney ness sometimes.
There I said it.
xo
bonitarose
bonnieangel1797@gmail.com
I'd love to win this book!
Everyone is gaga over this DS fabric - I personally think it's kinda ugly. I won't be spending my money on it. I feel like I'm the only one who doesn't see the appeal? Is it just that it's the name? Is it because everyone else has to have it? I don't get the hype.
ReplyDeleteWhat a refreshing post and great giveaway!!!
ReplyDeletePlease don't pick me, not that I have won a ton of give aways but I'm just not in the mood to win anything today.
Hmm ...that is something I would never say so don't listen to me!!!
What a refreshing post - thank you.
ReplyDelete- I blog even though I don't know that more than a handful of people read it (because they comment) yet I have 130 followers. Don't get it.
- I buy more fabric than I use. And Pyrex. It's an addition. I'm with Jeni on liking the process of choosing fabrics, colors, combinations, but not actually enjoying the sewing sometimes.
- I admire those who blog so openly about their lives ... not only their craft, but what goes on behind the scenes.
- It's amazing how "unreal" you can make your life simply by choosing what you blog about. (or don't blog about.)
- I am really torn about wanting to blog more openly ... in reality, everything in my life - good and bad - defines who I am today. I love that person, yet I celebrate only the good on my blog. And let's face it, there's been a lot of "not-so-goods" in my life.
- So, with all openness, not only am I a talented sewist, a kick-ass mom, a good wife ... but I'm a rape survivor who fought for 13 years to bring my assailant to justice (and finally did!), I was a single mom on Medicaid and food stamps at one time, and I've struggled with severe depression most of my adult life.
Those are the things I don't say. Maybe I should start.
Thank you.
I've been waffling on posting some of this on my blog, but it's not where I want to go there, and Rachel started it, so here goes:
ReplyDelete~ Pre-cuts are not "economical" unless you know you're only ever going to make one quilt. I'm sure the folks at Moda are very nice people but they must be chuckling all the way to the bank.
~ Flea Market Fancy? Sherbet Pips? Honestly don't get it.
~ If you enjoy making the same kinds of quilts over and over again, from the same designer collections as everyone else, go for it. (I probably won't follow your blog, though.)
~ Save my selvedges and make something from them? Uh, no. My trimmings go in the trash. (I do save batting scraps, though, for pet beds.)
~ Sometimes I see a quilt photo on flickr and think, "OMG, that's so ugly. I can't believe they went to the expense/time/effort to make that!"... and then I hope whoever made it is jumping with glee because they love it so much and can't wait to make another.
~ I don't do swaps. Don't want to make blocks for someone else, don't want to make a quilt from other people's blocks.
~ I often feel guilty that I'm not sewing more for charity. I wish I had more time to make projects to give away.
~ Simple doesn't have to be boring, but sometimes it is.
~ The quilt world would be a very dull place if we all liked and made the same kind of thing. Go make something I'd hate! Have a blast! Blog about it!
I hate this "modern vs traditional" debate. Its so stupid... you cant dumb down art. Isn't art about individual taste, talent, style, creativity, learning, growing, etc? If you don't like someone else's work, that is fine, but don't start a huge debate by categorizing it and deciding yours is more sophisticated. Gag me.
ReplyDelete... I agree with A LOT of what you said above, glad you say things you think... stay off the bandwagon unless its a really good band :)
Alright, I've got something. I am a little slow to create and timid about it because I'm intimidated by the industry and creativity of my Mom and my Great Grandmother - both very creative sewers and knitters.
ReplyDelete* I actually do love the colour purple but get frustrated at the lack of choice out there.
ReplyDelete* I don't like pink unless it's a magenta or something similiar.
* 'Slate' Kona solid is used way too much, and I think actually ruins projects (sometimes).
* I love the use of natural linen, but not all the time.
* When i work on a project I love to experiment with colour and take risks but the palette I eventually decide on is the safe one.
* I spend more time reading blogs, searching for and buying fabric on etsy, getting my fabric out arranging and rearranging on the floor then put it back on the shelf (displayed in the open for me to admire) than I do actual sewing.
* I agree with the single girl quilt comments. Seems like so much work and effort for a 'ho hum' result. Doesn't make the fabrics shine!
* I may not crush on it but I do like Innocent Crush. So so keen for Loulouthi though!
* Oh and 'stipple quilting'. Why oh why!!
Phew that felt good. Thanks for the opportunity to vent!
I agree that venting is soul satisfying, and we can feel good about it when it's underlying constructive comes through. I have a few of my own: *I flip (as opposed to really reading)through some blogs sometimes because it's just another day of "..have you seen so and so's fabric, quilt, book, or whatever" It's like they all got on the phone and decided to copy and paste the same few sentences in the same day. I don't think people should feel they "have to blog" just to do it. That's not the point. (Wow, that felt good!) Thanks..
ReplyDeleteBravo! I do not like the Sherbert Pips AT ALL... To each her own, but I wonder how much is hype + following the crowd? (not something I'd normally say - how can all those people be wrong?! It must be me!).
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the fact that every mum thinks her own baby is the most beautiful. Even when baby looks like the spawn of the Michelin man mating with a monkey. But I don't tell them this. Even when they are obsessive and aggressive about getting everyone else to agree that it is the most beautiful monkey - oops I mean baby - in the world. I can only say it here because they won't be reading it...
But I do I LOVE your blog. :)
Oh this is too fun! I'm loving your comments. To each her own is the bottom line. We can all be different and it's ok. Thank goodness!!!
ReplyDeleteI wish I could embrace a simple repurposed fabric without it having to be "vintage" or HTF import, but even trying to do that feels contrived - how can that be? -compared to spending obscene amounts for yardage that's bang on trend. Too much analysis paralysis. How many WIPs?
ReplyDeleteI am horribly jealous of other bloggers' projects & blogs! The things I see are so great and pretty, sometimes I don't post things I've done because I feel like I just don't measure up. Unless I've done something I like lately, reading craft blogs can make me feel depressed.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how people can spend so much on fabric. Reading about people buying 1/2 yards of 3 different designer fabric collections or spending $20 a yard on Japanese imports fabric just so it can sit in their stash boggles my mind. I buy only for the projects I am working on at the time. There is a lot of pretty fabric out there, but that doesn't mean I have to buy it all. There will be more pretty fabric in the future too, so I am content that my stash only consists of scraps from what I have finished.
ReplyDeleteI check sewing books out of the library. I currently have One Yard Wonders sitting on the coffee table. I think it's fun to see which patterns people already cut out and which are still untouched.
I only have two google subscribers to my blog and one of them is my mother.
I have a giveaway going on at my blog right now and I am afraid no one will enter so I will just have to delete the post and pretend it never happened.
I only buy fabric that's on sale at Hancock Fabrics for $1-$2 a yard. I don't buy designer, I buy cheap. I make myself buy fabrics I don't like, because after they are made into something new, I will love them. I don't sew a scant 1/4" seam, and I don't care. I don't like traditional quilt patterns. I like to cut fabric apart and put it together in ways it would never have existed before, and I don't care if my seams are straight or not, either. =) I just do it for the love of it.
ReplyDeleteThis was fun to read. What don't I say? I do not like sherbert pips. I don't get it. I just don't get it. In fact there's a lot I don't get but I'm new to quilting so I think perhaps I will one day. The name just inspires bright, pretty and cheery and it's skiers do not bring that image to mind.
ReplyDeleteI am relatively new to your blog but I do enjoy what I've seen so far. Great idea to have a "safe" post where everyone could vent a little...I am amazed and amused by so many of the confessions!
ReplyDeleteI love Anna Maria Horner but I am not feeling the Innocent Crush and I don't know anyone who did. Loulouthi though? Looks hopeful! I guess different tastes is what makes the world go round though.
There is a lot that I would like to discuss on my blog but I feel that I can't/shouldn't because I know it's something that my MIL or potential employers might read. I'm not trying to give the impression that everything about me and my work is just SO perfect (it's totally not, haha), but I'm not really in a position to disclose anything that would prejudice them against me and, at times, it leaves me feeling trapped. I am in awe of those bloggers who seem to walk this tightrope with such grace and I think you managed to do that with this post!
I'm brand new to the whole quilting/blogging world, but I must say - I'm SO glad to see this post. I agree with MANY of the things posted here in the original post and the comments. Thank you all very much for your refreshing honesty. I have 2 things to say:
ReplyDelete*I agree heartily with what a few have said about sharing more (honest) info. about the sewing machine we all use.
*I'm thrilled that someone mentioned the whole traditional vs. fresh, modern issue. Some of the posts that I've read online in quilting blogs have intimidated me greatly (as a new quilter) and have discouraged me from ever defining myself as a "modern" quilter because I just might not be original (read: "cool") enough... although the quilt designs and looks I am drawn to fall more toward the modern style.
Nothing says snooty more than posting in a way that discourages someone who is learning about an artform that you supposedly love.
*I don't like a lot of the pre-made fabric sets. There's usually one print that I actually despise, and so I doubt I'll ever buy one.
ReplyDelete*I just became unemployed (my husband took a job in a different state and so we moved) and I keep thinking about trying to make quilts to sell but am not sure I'm good enough yet.
I too am an AMH fan but left cold by Innocent Crush, don't feel it for the Hope Valley by DS either. I'm on the fence for Sherbet Pips but perhaps because my girls are too old now and there are no young ones to sew for. I'm not feeling the new quilt mags either, everything I see has been done before, just shown in new fabrics, or is so simple a pattern isn't really required so why are magazines publishing them? I have no Joanne's here (Canada) so the Flea Market fancy craze is missing me or maybe I'm missing it. I was hoping a friend going to the states this weekend could pick some up for me..he wouldn't be happy so I didn't ask.
ReplyDeleteMy life is tough eh if these are my issues. Great thread Rachel.
Jenna - Thank-you.
ReplyDeleteThe issue of blogging about everything is a hard one for me too. I "get" that blogs are a nice/uplifting place to be. Some bloggers that take a negative tone (not actually depressing, just really aggressive and such) I don't follow because I don't want negativity added to my day. And yet, what is it if it's not real? Are we really building community, getting to know each other, or are we making pretty pictures that actually leave others feeling "not good enough". Worthy of thought.
Again, thank-you - Rachel
I love this post:
ReplyDeletePutting in writing something I have never even had the courage to say.... wow....
Well,
-I don't understand all the fuss about sherbert pips either
-No matter how hard I try I cannot master free motion quilting
- (this is a tough one): I have a lot of fabric I don't want anymore and I am afraid of having a give away, because I think there won't be any people who would enter it. Not because of the fabrics, they are beautiful - it's just that I had too much of it and used them endlessly - but because I only have 15 followers...
I hate when people make a big deal about:
ReplyDelete1) price gouging on hard to find fabric...if someone is willing to spend the money, well, good for them--they must have really wanted it, and the seller made some good $$
2) what you do with swapped fabric. Once it's swapped, its no longer yours! You should be able to do what you want with it.
I'm pretty sure I am the only one who feels this way...
P.s. I don't like innocent crush either. I haven't bought one piece of it.
ReplyDeleteMug Rug? The whole mug rug fervour left me speechless. They're called coasters and I cannot for the life of me see why anyone would swap them.
ReplyDeleteI'm not fond of the DS fabric at Joann's either.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit i'm not in love with Anna Maria Horner, I don't understand the big deal about Heather Ross and Flea Market Fancy.
ReplyDeleteI am frustrated that people produce books/patterns saying they are "original", I have been pondering the idea of original for the last few days. I don't think many patterns are truly original, mostly it has been done before. Maybe you are using different fabric and techniques but does that make it original?
maybe this is frustrating me because I think of things to make to do tutes for and then I get a book from the library and there it is, almost exactly the same. (This just happened which explains why I am a bit fired up!)
"The issue of blogging about everything is a hard one for me too. I "get" that blogs are a nice/uplifting place to be. Some bloggers that take a negative tone (not actually depressing, just really aggressive and such) I don't follow because I don't want negativity added to my day. And yet, what is it if it's not real? Are we really building community, getting to know each other, or are we making pretty pictures that actually leave others feeling "not good enough". Worthy of thought."
ReplyDeleteRachel, you've hit the nail on the head! This is something I think about a lot and I'm so relieved to see it echoed here. You've definitely given me more food for thought on this sticky subject—thank you for sharing!
Rebecca - I think I need to hear more about this modern/traditional talk and how it's affecting people. I tend to define my style as "modern", but I didn't realize that defining myself could discourage others. I'm not sure that's what you mean, but I'm trying to understand. Perhaps a whole post on the topic, eh? Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
ReplyDeleteRachel
I can't think of anything specifically about your blog. I think you do a great job documenting what you are doing. I love looking at your choices and deciding if I like them/ or not. ;)
ReplyDeleteI do most of my sewing on a singer I bought at Joann's on sale for $167- it's the 7469Q. All the sewing I did before that was on a $20 machine my MIL bought at a yard sale. (it was a singer too) I almost never use any stitches except the zig zag and straight ones. Once in a while I'll use the blanket stitch.
I honestly don't know how people afford to spend the money on fabric that they do. I wish I could win the lottery and just swim in all the gorgeous fabric I see.
I love this post- feel free to repeat it any time you like. :)
xoxo,
Amy
www.amerooniedesigns.blogspot.com
p.s. one more thing, I hang out on quilt blogs a lot, even though I don't quilt very much.
A third comment: Thanks for making this post. Some of the things some people have said in the comments made me want to go check out their blogs and I've added a few more people to my reader list. And that's a good thing.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you said that. There are fabrics I love and some I hate but I really wonder sometimes what makes a fabric sweep blogland. I like a few prints from the DS quilts fabric but it just isnt the same bright fun of FMF (which I wont pay the crazy prices for but moon over the few scraps I do have).
ReplyDeleteI hate to admit it but I love everything about sewing except the actual sewing. I love designing, choosing fabric, cutting out my pieces, laying it on my design board but actually sewing?... not so much. But I love quilting and the final product and taking final photos which makes the sewing part with it.
Finally, I have worked my tail off for years to get into vet school. Now that I am finally accepted at Tufts I am petrified that I wont succeed. I dont want to lose who I am beyond animals for all of the time and effort I will be putting in to school.
Gosh that felt good. Sorry for the book.
Dumb, I know, but the silliest thing I've seen in quilting land is MUG RUGS!! :) They crack me up! Isn't it just a fancy coaster??!! I made one, just to see if sparks flew, but nothing happened :). Oh well, now I have a cute teensy tinsy quilt sitting in my sewing/dining room :)
ReplyDeleteMy Husband and I counsel couples pre marriage and sometimes after they are married so they can have the marriage blessed. Normally I wouldn't say to these couples that you are not putting enough effort into your marriage. You have to communicate and really work with your partner. Last week after 2 weeks of I didn't know why I said that from them I blew up and even though I wouldn't say those things I did. The next session went much better and they came back even though my husband thought they would run for the hills.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the courage it took to write this post and publish post...
ReplyDeleteMy confession? I take to much on even when there is no one watching. I have never sewn anything for myself because I feel the need to do things for everyone else. I let people make me second-guess myself all the time. I let people make me devalue myself and my passions. When I'm doing the things I love- I feel guilty....the worst about all of these? I know all of this and no matter how hard I try, I can't seem to fix it.
Thanks for this post Rachel!
ReplyDeletethanks for giving me permission to admit that... I'm another one who does not like the Single Girl quilt. I have no desire to run out and find Denyse Schmidt's new line.
Like you, I have been sewing on a cheapo Brother I got at Costco and it did just bite the dust. I'm planning to buy a Janome 6600 in a couple of weeks after I cross some big items off of my long to do list.
I am so grateful to bloggers like yourself... I have learned so much from all that you wonderful quilters take the time to share. Thank you!
I really dislike quilters badmouthing quilters with different styles. There is room for all of us!
The real life quilters I know are extremely generous people, both those who love traditional quilts and those who love modern ones. I think the "haters", for lack of a better word, are in the minority, we just hear about them.
I would usually never say that (as a newbie quilter), I also feel like one of those "dumb-downer" quilters, but right now its all about easy and learning.
ReplyDelete...I've never bought any of the designer fabrics. I couldn't even tell you their names or designers.
...I don't know why some quilt bloggers worry so much about where other quilters purchase their material - we are in a recession after all...and isn't the whole idea of quilting the fact that its an art form and a personal expression of one's own creativity?
...I'm afraid of my sewing machine and haven't stitched on it in over 4 months even though there are a lot of quilts I would like to make. =(
Ahh, fabulous posts. Fabulous, honest comments.
ReplyDeleteI am sickened by a majority of quilt bloggers' stashes and/or projects. I want to ask them "what is the POINT of this?!" The time and money invested in filling your house with blankets or what COULD be a blanket if you stopped buying fabric today and lived to be 376 years old is mind-boggling. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE quilts, but it feels so dirty, so "American" to hoard fabric and fill closet after closet with something you really only need 1 or 2 of. (Ok, 2 per person. ;) And yes, I understand that people make a living off their blogs so they have to keep the posts coming, and I'm not saying I don't indulge every now and again, but holy moley I am desperately trying not to get caught up in this trend. I cleaned out my "studio" (and my reader!) and am working on guidelines for my hobby/pastime/obsession. (Like seriously, I'm writing down my purpose in crafting. Sometimes I am too intense, even for myself.)
P.S. I went to Joanns, SO excited about the new DS line (hello, I adore Hope Valley) and almost cried when I saw the colors in person. Why won't the world move on from that electric shade of green? GAH!
~sigh~ How refreshing to be honest about things. I'm overwhelmed by the number of blogs there are out there, but I can't seem to make myself from following new ones all the time. I guess it's like Facebook and will level out for me at some point.
ReplyDelete- I don't get the whole slam on JoAnn's fabric. I feel like people who are all uppity about the new DS fabric being sold at - OMG - JoAnn's- are fabric snobs. I shop there for most my fabric because it's affordable and I can use coupons. Yes, some of it is not so good, but there are a lot of quality fabrics there too. So pooey on the fabric snobs.
- I think the whole traditional versus modern is goofy. It's like comparing country to rap music. It's different styles and people should learn to appreciate the value in all of it and get over it. Some of it may be ugly, old ladyish, too abstract, too simple or simply beautiful, but someone took the time and effort to put it together and they deserve to be happy about that, not told that they aren't worthy because it's not such and such.
Best wishes for the rest of the weekend!
i know what you mean about Sherbet Pips. i am SO SICK OF SHERBET PIPS. when it first came out, i was smitten... but it's been waaaaaaaaaay overexposed. sorry, aneela.
ReplyDeleteI cant understand why people feel the need to even have what is "suppose to be popular." Get what you like never mind everyone else.
ReplyDeleteI hate that everyone seems to need permission to actually say how they feel. Yes there are times when not saying anything is the best way to go.
There are also many times that if we said out loud how we felt, then maybe the behaviour of the offending person wouldnt occur again to you or someone else. I did this at work the other day. While everyone laughed about it afterwards, it gave them permission to do it also when that same person did it too them.
* i look around my craft room and try to admit i'm a hoarder.
ReplyDelete* sometimes i ignore family obligations cause i'd rather quilt/sew.
* i HATE wearing my seatbelt and only do cause my kids make me.
* if i didn't quilt so much, i'm sure i'd drink heavily.
WHEWWWw....
Oh my...I have a lot to say, you better pull up a chair.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I have become so overwhelmed by all the fabric I own, projects half finished and projects waiting to be started that I'd like to just throw them all away so i can breathe. Sewing has been a distraction from the stress in my life and now sewing has become it's own stress. I'd like to spend my sons childhood with him and not at the sewing machine.
I also feel guilty for all the money I have spent on fabric. I don't feel the least bit guilty spending a huge chunk of savings on my sewing machine. It has served me well.
I sew as a distraction to those things in life I don't have the courage to deal with.
I cry during commercials that might be the least bit emotional. I haven't watched a chick flick in years because it will take me weeks to recover emotionally.
I still don't understand why my ex-husband wasn't around the whole 8 years we were together but can manage to be home for dinner every night with his current girlfriend. It's hard not to take it personally.
I'm single in my late 30's a fear that I may become that single old cat lady except with dogs instead of cats. It's not as easy being attractive and cute as it was in my 20's. I make excuses for people not to come over to my house because I'm embarrassed that I have no furniture in an area where people have expensive designers. I have so much guilt over the stupidest things, not exercising, forgetting my reusable grocery bags at whole foods, not mowing the lawn for two months...you get the picture.
I never heard of the Single Girl Quilt. I never heard of Sherbet Pips. I am only familiar with Innocent Crush because you have mentioned it. I looked them all up before I posted this. I actually am a published pattern designer and I am so SERIOUSLY out of the fad loop and though I have not ever admitted that, it feels great. I think I don't want to know what everybody else is doing.... unless they are talking about it like "well, anybody who is in the industry knows such-and-such" and then I might pretend I am familiar, but I am not. I just don't take the time to study it all. I am a lone wolf and whatever disadvantages that brings, I can't help it.
ReplyDeleteSo bravo bravo for you for having your own personal taste and opinions and let us all rest in who we REALLY are. If we can figure that out....
Wow - what a good post....makes me feel better:) I get discouraged when a line of fabric I love sweeps blogland & I know it will be 'old' by the time I make anything with it! (sometimes seems like it's a race to see who can post something the fastest?!)Reading this post & the comments makes me feel content with making projects with the fabrics & style that I love - not just 'cuz it's the hype right now!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteand wow - I just looked up Denyse Schmidt (or DS if I was cool). What is everybody so thrilled about? It did nothing for me, while the little snippet of purple chairs on this bottled rainbow I can see while I type is something I might never tire of. Ever. I like novelty prints and there you go.
ReplyDeleteI have been in a sewing circle for three years and still feel like an outsider. All the ladies are way older than me and are always telling me the way I'should'have done my project. If I was not so lonely I would quit. I love sewing, quilting, your colorful blog and projects and surf blogs for more hours a day than you would believe. Thanks for letting me get that off my chest! :-) I have a Bernina I got in 1990 for sewing cothes for my family. I wish everyone would list patten name, source,fabric and size on their blog pictures.
ReplyDeleteCan't understand why people know exactly what lines are in their quilts. Why don't they mix everything up? Why do they memorize the fabric lines? I don't get it.
ReplyDeleteIt kind of bugs me that some bloggers write really dumb posts or post just a photo and get tons of comments when I really think about what I write and post (and use correct grammar and spelling) but I get maybe 6 comments on every post.
ReplyDeleteI bought the Modern Log Cabin book and I'm thinking about returning it. I'm not impressed at all, despite the hype.
I have a great job and I should be grateful but I want to quit and become a writer. I never will, though, because there's no security and I'm not a risk taker.
Whew, that felt good!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete---I really like the new DS line...I bought the entire collection but now kinda wish I would have bought Dream On by Urban Chicks instead. Thank God I got it all for 50% off.
ReplyDelete--I spend waaaayyy too much time on blogs which prevents me from sewing.
--I love the process of sewing. I LOVE seeing perfect seam lines.
--Pips... never got on that wagon! When I see a quilt with that fabric I turn off. The pattern can't be cute enough for me to like it.
--I miss my kids terribly when I am working.
--I am so sick of facebook! I just don't care what you are doing! Twitter... don't get me started!
--It pisses me off when people do giveaways and want you to fb or tweet about it. see above...
--I have never made a hexagon!
Wow! This is a difficult but fun exercise in truth!
ReplyDelete*I don't care for the DS line at JoAnn's. I looked and there were a couple prints that were cute but nothing that made me pick it up off the shelf.
*I am a self consious sewer. When someone compliments me on my work I can't help but thinking "But I messed up here, or it's not straight there". I wish I could just take the compliment to heart!
Thanks for sharing your "Don't say"
1. I am not a fabric slut / designer snob. And because of that, I feel like I don't fit in well in blogland a lot... like an adolescent who doesn't have the expensive jeans or brand name running shoes. I've never been that way.
ReplyDelete2. I like the single girl quilt, but feel it's bad luck to put in on a married couple's bed.
3. I like Ms. Horner and covet her life, but yeah... the fabrics are hugely not my style.
4. I don't like linen in quilts - too stretchy. I had linen pants once. I wore them for 15 minutes and they were suddenly 2 sizes too big.
5. I wish I was as cute as you. : )
~M.
thank you for the post Rachel, I have been turning over in my head the idea of modern quilting and the fabric designers. It seems a quilt design is considered modern when modern designer fabrics are used. The modern patterns are simple variations on the originals and are not new, just a new combination to the limitless quilt. And to each her own, these quilts are an extension of the women who make them.
ReplyDeletealso I feel I come off aggressive, when I am just really passionate and try to be polite and matter of fact.
this is the post secret of the quilting world.
I buy 90% of my fabric at jo-ann's red tag sale and I make nice things with it in all styles.
I sew on a 1985 viking prisma 900 I've only had it a few months but I love everything about it from a quilting aspect, and I blogged about it too.
Oh, and another thing...
ReplyDelete: )
I'm really glad to have moved into fibre art. I do my own thing, people love it, and I don't have to please anyone or fit in to current fads. I don't compare myself to other bloggers like I do when I'm quilting. My art is liberating and personal. I'm really grateful to be able to come to a place publicly where i can be me, not fit in, not follow anyone, and still be loved by the people who read my blog.
yeah.
Blogging changed me.
Rachel -- your post has elicited "Postsecret: The Quilter's Edition" (google PostSecret if you are unfamiliar with the site)!
ReplyDeleteI have been quilting for about 15 years, but for the last three years I've been in grad school and I simply didn't have the time to quilt. Since picking up my sewing again in the past few months, I've been disheartened by the negativity about "traditional" quilting (whatever that means), and the ramped-up fabric consumerism, and the pressure to conform to trends. The quilting community didn't really feel as fun and friendly as it used to be, but this post and the comments it has inspired have been an encouragement to me.
Other things I don't say:
I typically don't like quilts made entirely from the same collection of fabrics. I prefer the challenge of combining/blending fabrics from different lines.
I love making baby quilts for friends, but at the same time I am tired of making baby quilts for everybody else. I have a bit of fabric I've had tucked away for many years, to make a baby quilt for my own child.Lately I've been thinking that I might be okay with not having kids after all this time of hoping for one. I've been thinking that maybe, at the age of 35, I don't really want such a big change in my life anymore.
Thanks for listening :-)
PS: Rachel, your blog is one of the few quilting blogs I follow because of the community that you have created here!
You've started a tsunami of confessions, Rachel! Here's what I don't say because I feel like it makes me look like a bad sport:
ReplyDelete- if all your blog is is sponsored giveaways, you lose me as a follower.
- I don't do any sponsored giveaways on *any* blogs. Too many hoops to jump through.
- I am puzzled by some of the book deals I've seen in blogland. As in, someone seriously published those patterns? Really??
- I am vain about my ability pull fabrics from disparate lines/desingers (or non-designers) and combine them into a combination that looks good; I rarely use just one line of any fabrics in a project. Consequently, the fabric crazes like collecting every last pattern in a line of fabric just pass me by.
- Like Jeni and others, the actual sewing is my least favourite part of the process. Planning, dreaming, designing, fabric pulling, cutting: yes. Even basting and quilting are okay. But piecing is low down on my list of loves.
- I used to be intimidated by "big" bloggers - their output, their stashes, their followers. Then I realized that I should spend time being proud of myself and my projects and just move on. So I un-followed a bunch of bloggers whose posts stopped inspiring me (or whose bad spelling and grammar were no longer tolerable) and I moved on.
Thanks for opening the door!
1. The single girl quilt is so boring I want to cry.
ReplyDelete2. I wasn't aware that there were fabric designers and lines of fabric til I found blogland. It's all very weird to me.
3. I shop exclusively at JoAnns. It's cheap. I'm poor.
4. I'm over giveaways. I get annoyed when I pull up my reader and there are 10 blog updates and 8 are giveaways. I want to read blogs! Giveaways are fun and all, but that's not why I go to blogs.
5. I don't want kids, and get annoyed with people who talk about me having kids or tell me I'll change my mind. A child would quite literally ruin my life. I really really really don't want one. Stop acting like it'd be fun if we had an oops. It would devastate me. (sorry to those of you with kiddos. I'm just not maternal).
6. I have about a million other things I want to say, but this is a comment and not a blog post.
The only thing I can think of about your blog, and i'm not even sure if it's something you control, is that I can't read your posts on my google reader app on my phone! That's how I read most of my blogs and yours only show up the first paragraph then just cut off. I have to catch up on all your posts when I read blogs on the computer, which isn't often enough. :( This makes me a sad panda cuz yours is one of my faves.
Awesome post!
ReplyDelete*I don't like most of Heather Ross' fabrics 'cuz I'm not into fairy tales. I'm a grown woman for cryin' out loud.
*I sew on a $300 Kenmore sewing machine. I don't always use a walking foot and yet I have no problems with straight lines nor do I ever have 'puckers'.
*I cringe at all the fabric stash postings, I hate sponsered giveaways, I will never
fb or twitter about a blog/giveaway.
*Quilting a quilt is my least favorite part of the process.
*If I could only use scraps and never buy yardage I would.
- I enjoy checking blogs of creative people (like you!) but I very rarely read them. My life is too busy to spend time reading blogs, but I enjoy checking the pictures for inspiration. :)
ReplyDelete- I hate it when people ask me to sew something for them. Just because I quilt, why does that mean I can sew a skirt or would want to? And if you want that skirt, why don't you make it yourself instead of pressing on my time?
- Also, just because I quilt doesn't mean I can repair the old quilt you currently have.
- I love making quilts for other people but I don't like feeling pressured to make something for you just because you are redecorating (sorry mom)
Whew! Thanks for bringing this subject up!
Being a male quilter, I'm tired of folks assuming I'm Gay.
ReplyDeleteI don't mean to sound prejudicial, I'm not, but it is a simple fact. Folks hear I quilt and they assume I must be gay.
I am also a little miffed at quilter's reaction to actually QUILTING their quilts!
I shared a quilt top that I am almost done with and asked for advice on how to quilt it... "Send it out", "Have someone who knows what they are doing do it for you", "You wouldn't wan to ruin that beautiful quilt"... Don't get me wrong, I loved the compliments on my piecing, but piecing the top is only HALF of the process!!
I think half the "Quilters" out there should rename themselves "Piecers", You know, "quilters" who never actually quilt anything larger than a lap quilt...
Yes, I'm new to this craft... Yes, I am a man... But I will do the ENTIRE project, or I will not be able to claim it as my own.
There, I said it.
Thanks Rachel for permitting us all to vent...
Now, As you were. Restart those sewing machines now... Move along, there's nothing to see here...
Paul
www.OutnumberedQuilter.blogspot.com
What an interesting post and what an amazing response. I'm relatively new to blogging and quilting so it has been quite reassuring to realise "I'm-Not-The-Only-One" to so many points made above!
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, I also appreciate that mostly people blog positively. If there is something I don't like, I pass it by without reading or commenting. I skim, looking for posts/fabrics/designs of interest and ignore the rest. I think this is the case for most folks.
Oh boy...it's really hard to say the things that I don't say. But we all have our pet peeves, so here I go.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I was just looking at yet another pic of a single girl quilt and thinking that I just do not like the construction of that pattern. I like the idea, but I think that the construction is pretty sloppy.
I'm a perfectionist and I hate that I feel the need to apologize for that. I hold myself to high standards. It's my greatest strength and weakness.
I'm totally in the crowd that does not understand why certain people get a lot of attention in the quilting world. It really just seems like they have an abundance of hard to find or the latest and greatest fabrics. I'll admit that there is probably some jealousy there on my part, but there seems like some kind of unreachable competition.
I'm still shocked that people read my blog. I enjoy that they do, but I'm not really sure why they do.
I hate when swaps/bees have ridiculous requirements or leaders that don't lead. Ironically I may well be one of those people...but I'm trying to make sure that doesn't happen.
I think about quilting ALL THE TIME and still don't think I am doing enough. I don't think I'll ever do "enough".
I have a ton of fabric and want to use it all...but I don't know how that will happen.
I'm afraid that I'm always long winded!
Hahaha. I LOVE your list!
ReplyDeleteThings I wouldn't normally say...
*I totally dislike Kaffe Fasset fabrics. They are just too busy and too overwhelming. And I feel like if I were to tell that to most quilters that might try to spray basting spray in my eye!
*I am afraid I will never find someone to share my life with - at the same time that would mean I wouldn't have to explain my fabric and shoe shopping to anyone!
I don't understand everyone's love of DS fabrics. Especially the new ones at Joann's. They are too country for me. Even of the FMF the only prints I like are the seeds. So I cannot understand why 1 FQ of FMF can be worth 1/2 yd or 1 yd of another fabric!
PS I'm totally jealous of your stunning photography and wish I could take lessons from you. Hmm...but I probably would say that...I just never have. ;)
ReplyDeleteI think this is the first time I have read all of the comments on a blog post!
ReplyDeleteIt was surprising to see your comments and feel such overwhelming agreement. I thought I was the only one. You have shown me I need to rely on my own judgment.
I also hate giveaways. Because i never win! I am demoralised to the point of not even entering now. Fatalistic, I know, but I figure the time I save from not tweeting, FBing etc, is all extra sewing time!
(Oh, and I agree with the commenter who asked for your posts to show up complete in google reader, rather than just the first para - that would help me out too!)
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteyep! can only agree with some of those comments. life is more than a dash to stash the next "big" thing in fabric. love the honesty :)
ReplyDeletei get annoyed by the so called leader of an on-line quilting group. sounds bitchy but i think we are her therapy! she is so all over the place! but on the other side of the coin she's doing it and i'm not...
always remember the line about walking a mile in someone else's shoe's.
*There are a lot of designers that I just don't get.
ReplyDelete*There are patterns that I love but they only come in colors that I hate.
*I spend way more time looking at blogs and planning projects than I actually spend doing anything.
*I need to change some things in my life/outlook so life is more of an adventure.
I am not on any of the bandwagons,, except sewing for the love of pretty fabrics that I like.
ReplyDeleteI like going to quilt shops that do not have collections all together, that way I can find colors that play nice together with my own eye.
I used to sew my daughters' old dresses into stuffed animals for them.. and they are still going strong.
I get irritated with giveaways that want you to jump through a bunch of hoops.. geesh for all that I could go buy some FQ's
I love Facebook so I can stay in touch and see photos of people I am away from, but I get tired of reading how younger girls are always saying they are bored or talking about BF's.. geesh what do their moms teach them?
I really hate to have to change thread or bobbin to do other projects.
I found this blog by accident or something but really liked the bottled rainbows,I just can not throw scraps away.
I do not like mystery quilts.. I started one and after I seen everyones pictures of how they thought it would go I ditched it.
I play beer pong and whoop ass at it! I would say that any day!!
I am not a fabric snob, and I do not look down on anyone who might not be able to afford QS prices.Does the fabric quality or desinger really determine the ability to sew? or the passion for making something with their hands.
For 7 yrs I had sewn with a 1947 singer I bought for 20 dollars. I cringed at buying a new machine over 100 dollars... that was fabric money!But I did get a Bernina Bernette and LOVE IT! I do not do embroidery,hemming or anything other than 1/4" or 5/8" seam.
Thank you for having this topic. I think all in all quilters are great people, but are we people who just love to quilt? or people who love the be put in a box? I am not the "normal" quilter, I have a tattoo,cuss,and do construction work,who loves to sew and make items for my family and friends. ones who do not sew and will not give 2 shits if my seams match,where it came from or who designed the fabrics.
Happy stitching.Amy
What a great post!
ReplyDelete- No disrespect to your ticker tape thing but I really dislike the QAYG method. (Although I must confess to never having tried it, it just really does not appeal to me at all!)
- The reason I would love that book is because of the lunch box on the front I would like to make for me daughter who is off to school for the first time this September. Secretly, I will be so happy when she is at school because she is really busting my hump at the moment!
Well done for encouraging honesty and openness in a constructive way!
O my... all those comments. Thank you so much for your honesty.
ReplyDeleteI usually don't day that I don't like Kaffe Fassett fabrics, books and quilt patterns, because the ladies I quilt with absolutely LOVE the fabrics and books.
I don't get people who follow instructions and patterns to the letter. I always alter something to make it my own.
ReplyDeleteUm, I really don't like those traditional style (mainly based on log cabins) quilts that are supposed to be a homage to years gone by. I smile and nod and say "how pretty" if I ever get asked but actually I'm just pretending. They just don't do it for me. I much prefer the modern stuff with vibrant colours and cool, interesting, up to date designs.
ReplyDeleteSorry.
Actually, I'm not sorry. It's just my opinion.
(sabinamoolla@hotmail.com)
There are days that I just want to be left to quilt and not talk to anyone.
ReplyDeleteI always want to buy more fabric even though I have enough fabric to cover our entire house.
I am tired of people who say quilting is for old people.
I love to start new projects even if I have more than ten unfinished ones.
I agree about innocent crush! she is also my favourite designer (:
ReplyDeleteAnd I also agree about talking to a silent crowd. It's not like i get many comments, but it makes me so happy when i do!
wow - what a great post! I think this is the first time I have actually read all the comments (and even been moved to email one commenter!)
ReplyDeleteThere aren't many things that I never say - an episode of major depression a couple of years ago pretty much released the cork on my feelings! I too am sick to death of Sherbet Pips, which is a shame because it is quite sweet, but enough already. My mum annoys me more than any other human being (I am 38!) - she is just a little too judgmental for my liking, and still has that magical ability to make me feel like I am a silly little girl. I'll never tell her that, of course!
*I really dislike Single Girl.
ReplyDelete*Quilt As You Go is a mystery to me. One I don't think I'll ever attempt.
*I've never made a quilt for myself and I'm starting to get bitter about it.
*I love to shop at a fabric outlet store with fabric lines from 5 years ago. They're all new again to me!
*I really enjoy sewing, but right now I'd rather spend the day in the garden. If it ever warms up, that is.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI sometimes don't understand the obsession with buying brand fabrics for extortionate prices, particularly the ones that are out of print and resell on ebay for 5 times the price! Quilts used to be made from old clothes and scraps of blankets because they had nothing else to keep them warm.
ReplyDeleteMost of the time, though I drool over the lovely new prints and feel guilty about it!
Rachel, some day I'd like to meet you. I think, based on your admissions, that we'd get along splendidly. I especially agree with your comments on DS fabric, Pips, and the Single Girl quilt.
ReplyDeleteThe only part of quilting that I really enjoy is the piecing. I don't care for the cutting, and the ironing? Don't get me started. It's a shame really, that so little sewing goes into a quilt, so much of quilting is the other stuff.
I'm going to admit something here that I'd only say because it seems to be okay to admit things in these comments. I don't care for bottled rainbows. I do like the look from far away, but raw edges on the top of the quilt? I'd never do it. But, that's me. And I'm glad to have a blog to read that does not make me want to start yet another project. (That is not to say there aren't other things you've done that I want to copy - it's just this particular top.)
And, finally ...... Nah, I'll leave that comment out.
Thanks for this post. I enjoy your blog quite a bit and have learned from what you do.
Back again :)
ReplyDeleteI realy dislike Sunday Stash posts. I like seeing what people buy but it makes me feel like crap that I don't have the money to go buying fabric every week.
Hallelujah to Jennifer about the kids thing! Me too!
I would also like to say that I love my partner and cannot wait to marry him next year!
Rachel! You are so funny. I love your post and all of the comments! Thanks for giving us the chance to be honest and not fear judgment. I've read all of the comments, and they're really eye-opening (and often funny!).
ReplyDeleteI get frustrated with the group mentality of the quilting bloglad, but I'm totally guilty of it myself! Sometimes I feel like the quilting world's dorky little sister. Like, "Oh all the cool kids like Jordache jeans? Then I must have Jordache jeans too!" Perhaps it's because I have some life experience being the dorky little sister. :)
I'm with you on Sherbet Pips. Cute, but not for me. Not a big fan of the Single Girl either. And Innocent Crush? Well, I bought some (see above), but I honestly don't like it that much. I sent it to the women in my bee, and they're seriously changing my mind about the line and coming up with fantastic blocks!
Anyway, you're awesome. Love your blog. I look forward to every post. Don't change a thing!
To each his own.
ReplyDelete*You don't like Pips. I agree.
*You don't like Single Girl. I disagree.
Can't we all just get along?
I would like everyone to think back to that moment in time when you decided to start quilting.
Was it to learn a new skill? meet new friends? create a popular blog and get sponsors?
Whatever the reason was, it's what started the passion for all things sewy and quilty. It's what brought new people and new ideas together. Remember why YOU sew and forget what anyone else thinks.
After all, it's what brought you and I here. To this blog. To confess these deep dark secrets....
or maybe you're here to win a free copy of Natural Patchwork...cause that's why I'm here.
My favorite quilts are the ones that are not made from a line of fabric put together by designers but those that are creatively put together by quilters.
ReplyDeleteI honestly hate every aspect of quilting besides picking out the fabric and gazing at the finished product. I have no ambition toward ever creating my own quilting pattern, or writing a book, or any of the other things that seem to make quilters/crafters/sewists tick. I'm not a social seamstress--I'm grouchy and just want to be left alone. I like knowing how to do things, but sometimes I really dislike being the one everyone asks to teach them how to do things.
ReplyDeleteAs for your blog, I am a regular reader and I do enjoy it, but it seems like it has so many tutorials and quilt-along posts that if I'm not involved in those, it's not fun for me to read. I really enjoyed when you had more things about stuff in your house, your garden, kids, etc., because there are so many "quilts only" blogs out there already.
Well, the first three cdomments on your list would also be on mine. In addition: 1) I'm not into hexies - just cannot understand the obsession some people have with them; 2)I'm not really into "collections" and pre-cuts because part of the joy for me is looking at different fabrics and finding ones that will go together, work in the project I'm planning, and I enjoy the cutting process; and 3)my stash is primarily from JoAnns - a great place to shop when you have to stick to a budget.
ReplyDeleteI am eternally grateful to bloggers who take the time to write tutorials and do QALs. I hate it when bloggers just use their blog to sell their patterns or direct readers to their ETSY site. There. I said it.
ReplyDeleteChar
Love your blog - thanks for the inspiration!
ReplyDeleteI follow about 50 blogs a day for inspiration. I'm so tired of seeing the aqua and red combination I could scream. There I said it..... Thanks for letting me get that off my chest!
I seriously just read about 125 comments and I loved it!
ReplyDelete1) My machine is the same way....It was $100 bucks 4 years ago and I love the machine!
2)I LOVE hobby lobby! I love their prices and their designs! Haters hate if you want!
3) Connecting Threads...I LOVE your prices!
4) I have never bought and amy bulter pattern or fabric....Some one gave me a baby book she wrote...I haven't made anything from it. She needs better directions.
5) I have 15 followers and I don't think any of them have commented on my blog. They came for giveaways.
6) I love the smaller linky partys because you actually get traffic from other people!
7)I love sewing...it is thearpy for me. A friends father died and I went into my sewing room and just sewed and remembered....
Thanks for this!
Thanks for this post, Rachel! I have NEVER read all comments on a post and rarely read any... but have just spend a considerable amount of time doing so.
ReplyDeleteYour Bottled Rainbows QAL was my first QAL and the minute I saw your first block... I knew I had to break my own rule of "No more than 2 projects at a time!"
There a number of quilt-related things that I don't understand why others love them so... but it's a nice feeling not to feel badly about myself that I'm not into whatever it is. Being able to feel that way has taken a lot of work over a lot of years.
One thing I continue to need to work on is non-crafty folks estimation of what I should charge for my time/labor. Sometimes their shock makes me doubt my evaluation of my experience and skill... but I am at the point where if what they are willing to pay is not worth my time/effort... then I say, "No" and don't look back.
Great idea for a post. There are SO MANY things I don't say in the course of a day! I think of everyone else and their feelings and perceptions of what I wish I could say. Here are a few:
ReplyDelete-I wish everyone would quit with the whole "superior quilting attitude." We're all making stuff with little pieces of fabric. My fabric choice is a good as yours regardless of whether it is someone's entire collection or a unique combination of prints and solids I picked myself. Get over it!
-I absolutely HATE the cutting part of sewing. Love picking fabric, laying out a pattern on the computer, the math of figuring out the size of each piece, piecing. But I wish my pieces would all magically get cut while I'm asleep!
-And, you know, it bugs me that people really have no idea how much time goes into a quilt. I just gave one as a gift (really beautiful and the colors were picked by the recipient) and she thanked me like I had given her something from the Dollar Store. So disappointing! I don't need a medal or anything, but a heartfelt thank you for the hours of labor even if you hate it?
-I also sew on the cheapest machine known to man. Glad to see I'm in good company! lol Maybe when it explodes from the million or so hours of sewing I've done on it, I'll be able to afford something better!
Glad I got that off my chest! :) Oh, and I love your blog - no need for change, in my opinion.
Sarah
sarahpalya at yahoo dot com
- Most of the time, I think I'm more into quilting/sewing because I love the fabrics and would rather sit and stare at them all day instead of cut them up.
ReplyDelete- I'm astounded by the generosity of online quilting bloggers to each other - the extremely selfish part of me would never freely give away things I've made or bundles of fabric. I guess that's why I don't blog seriously yet!
love your blog :)
Forgot to add---
ReplyDeleteI really like the far far away collection by heather ross.....but not for that price...not ever!
And I hate figuring out custom order pricing and spending all that time searching for prices and figuring and then the person deciding it was to much to pay!
LOVE YOUR BLOG
* I get upset with folks in blog land who reproduce others ideas and try to present them as their own. Why not just show the inspiration and give credit and share the glory?
ReplyDelete* I too have a duvet for my son (that I made) that has not had the closure issues fully addressed yet. And he graduates from college in 2 weeks! * Since it is the 150th anniversary of the civil war, I wish we could all learn from how divisive rhetoric is and focus on bringing our country together. We could accomplish so much good - for our own citizens and so many others
This may be a turning point in my life:)
ReplyDeleteAlthough I'm a bit of a potty mouth, I think the F word is disgusting. Hypocritically, I love Janet Evonivich. She knows how to be creatively vulgar.
I would like to have a longarm and quilt for others. However, I will not send my own quilts out because I have a need to finish them myself.
I do not understand the awesomeness of sewing squares of fabric together randomly and calling it a "quilt design".
I'm over precut fabrics, most giveaways and comparing myself to the popular bloggers.
I spent $1300 on a nice sewing machine 3 years ago and still feel guilty.
I like wonky and I like to call it wonky.
Very few ideas are unique and most have probably been around the block a few times.
I will defend every person's right to their opinions even if I don't agree with them! I just wish people would be kind to one another:)
Thanks for the chance to vent!
Thank you for your post!
ReplyDeleteI participate in my church's annual quilt auction and am the youngest quilter by at least 40 years. My projects are often looked down on because they are not from "traditional" quilt patterns or made in shades of mauve and teal florals. I was actually told one year that perhaps in the next challenge I could do something "less weird" so to bring in more money. (Keep in mind that I donate my time, fabric, and often I purchase back my own project or someone elses...) I will keep doing this however, because this year my quilt went to someone who really appreciated my style and color (a younger mother). While it did not make as much money as the other "stuffy, traditional" quilts - I know my owner loves hers more and would not have purchased any other!
I think I should win the book b/c I am going to save you some gas money by saying "don't go to JoAnn Fabrics to see Denyse Schmidt fabric b/c ours isn't going to carry it!" I went to look at it this past week and they said that the "bigger JoAnns" will carry it but that ours is too small.
ReplyDeleteI find most quilting blogs (except yours :) boring over time...they all start sounding the same and everyone "swoons" over the same stuff...it.gets.old.
I promise I'm not commenting b/c of the book. Although, cool book! I'm commenting b.c I haven't before, and I really do love reading your blog! sorry!
ReplyDeleteI agree about Innocent Crush. It just never fully hit me, although Anna Maria is my FAVORITE designer, and the reason I started sewing! There it is, I said it too. I sure hope she doesn't read this! ;)
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI don't really like all the linen that's been showing up in projects lately. Sometimes it looks nice, but it usually just makes it look like they couldn't be bothered to find a coordinatig fabric to finish! At least, that's my opinion. If you like that look, keep creating!
ReplyDeleteHere's what's on my heart...I haven't been able to have a successful blog so my dream of writing a book is most likely not going to happen. Maybe God has other plans for me...?
ReplyDeletewww.adinagreenwood.wordpress.com
BRAVO ladies and gentlemen. Rachel this is so refreshing!! I read a few comments last night before going up to bed. I walked up the stairs laughing and clapping!! This morning I rolled out of bed ready for some coffee and some more comment reading!
ReplyDeleteI am a new quilter (little over a year). I HATE the quilting part of it. I have to sandwich and quilt my colorbrick quilt and I am dreading it!! But I agree with one of the gentlemen quilters that you can't call it your own if you send it out to be quilted. So straightline quilting it is!! I do wish I could meander because I do like the look of it!
I am in a quilting group at my local quilt shop. I am the token newbie I guess. Last year we started a "row quilt" that I dreaded from day one. I make so and so stars and them make me a row of stars, etc. We all gave a fat quarter focus fabric for our rows. Well I have all my rows and gave all my rows. Now we are supposed to put it all together in a quilt. You know what...I DON'T WANT TO!! It is UGLY!! I don't want to spend my time and money and effort to finish it. I posted a question to the group this week online asking "What if I don't finish mine?" The first reply was "Certain Death". I can live with that!!!
Your blog and all the comments spilled over into my Easter dinner plans this weekend. My family wants me to make a very involved meal called "Bierrocks". This requires me to spend today making the filling and be up super early tomorrow to make the dough from scratch. Well I don't wanna do that!! So inspired by your blog I did some online research and found that people are making the same recipe with Grands Biscuits! Alleluia! I will be running out to the store today and getting a little extra sleep tomorrow. Thank you Rachel!!!
I tried the "making fabric from scraps" free form stuff and just totally didn't get it.....felt like I had made a mess of good fabric.
ReplyDeleteWow, you are getting alot of heart to heart comments!
ReplyDeleteI almost don't dare write this but I don't like wonky. I like straight lines and even blocks. I only like wonky if it's straightened out before the final arrangement, and only when it is truly done out of scraps not with perfectly good fabric pieces cut out crooked.
But saying that if others like wonky then go for it. We quilt for fun not for others' expectations.
I want to say that I wish my ex husband would treat me like a human being, for our girls' sake. My girls are almost grown now.. but still.. it's been over 8 years and he still treats me horribly. I wish things were different. I wish we could still be friends. I really do. I still love him, I just couldn't stay married to him. He's always treated me like the lesser than parent, always. He seems to enjoy making me feel horrible.. and as the noncustodial parent, well for him, it's easy. Don't get me wrong, my girls and I hv the best relationship now.. I just wish my ex would treat me better.
ReplyDeleteThere I said it.
xo bonitarose
Excellent post!
ReplyDeleteCollections often have one or two nice fabrics, but the art comes from mixing all fabrics together, not a collection. Old clothes make the best source!
I hate perfection! Good enough is good enough. It's a quilt, for heaven sake. Intended to be pee'd on, sweat on and used.
Patterns - how can someone take 4" squares and jumble them together, then charge $$$ for a pattern? Yes, sometimes you need one, but many, not.
Giveaways with hoops. Go here, go there. I do only the giveaways that I might actually use, and that is about 10%.
Blogs that don't show up in my google reader. Unless the first paragraph captures me, like this one did, I don't click over. About 20% of the time, I click.
Comments - I only comment if I have something to say. So that is about 10% of the time.
Very good post!
And I have two sewing machines...a new basic Viking Emerald, and a 1915 New Home treadle. Guess which one sews the nicest seam?
Rachel, this post is so refreshing! I seriously just spent the last hour reading all of the comments!
ReplyDeleteNormally I wouldn't say that I have a very good job that allows my husband and I to live comfortably and that I should be grateful for in this economy...and all I want to do is quit and sew for a living! It sucks the life out of me when all I want to do is create! But I am too much of a wuss to take a risk and quit because I am so afraid of failing and I do not want to have to worry about money! So for now, a paycheck trumps my happiness...how sad is that?
I love your blog, it is one of my favorites! My only gripe is the truncated posts in google reader. I am lazy and don't like having to click over here everytime you post :) normally I unsubscribe but you have been the exception to that rule!
I have enjoyed reading all the comments this morning (something I don't usually do, I figure the comments are mostly for the blogger). One exception to reading the comments is when it's a tutorial I'm gonna try to do and I read to see what questions others have already asked. It bugs me to no end when there is no response from the blogger. I assume they've answered the reader in a separate email but I'd like to see the answer too!
ReplyDeleteI am going to admit that I spend way too much time gathering inspiration from reading blogs and precious little time creating. I'm a new sewer and the reason I sew is that I need a creative outlet that I can do under cover of darkness when my 3 children are in bed. I can count the number of items I've made on my two hands, but I'm proud of each one! and my heart shines when my daughter proclaims to the world "my mommy made this!"
Rachel, I love your blog and I appreciate that you are excellent at responding, but don't like that I can't read your whole post in my google reader. Honestly, I read through them all but some are more relevant to me than others and the required extra clicks annoy me somewhat. but i still do it, so go figure.
Have a good weekend!
I have no clue what this Single Girl quilt is.
ReplyDeleteI don't care about getting the latest designer fabrics. I just want stuff that works for my project, and the cheaper, the better.
Here's some advice about swaps. You'll be much happier if you don't worry about what you're going to get. Enjoy making something wonderful for someone else, who you know is going to understand how much work you put into it.
I think this is one of the best blog posts I have ever read! I have just read and enjoyed every single one of the comments and I don't agree with all the points (I love Sherbet Pips and the Single Girl quilt) but most of your comments and those of others are definitely true for me. Well done for letting it all out and encouraging everyone else to do the same!
ReplyDeleteMy son has a duvet cover which is supposed to button but they have all fallen off and I have not sewed them back on - because I HATE mending.
I also end up a bit depressed reading some blogs that make me feel inferior. A bit like I used to feel in school when I wasn't in the Cool gang.
Thanks for all the work and feeling you put into your blog Rachel. I really enjoy reading it :)
OK - let's face it: I hate myself for spending time on online window shopping instead of sewing... I hate myself for being late with everything...
ReplyDeleteThere's a one thing that I had to admit: I'm overworked lately and I was pretty happy when my camera stopped making pictures and I'm having a break from blogging:) (I like blogging, but I don't like taking photos)
PS. I wish I could take part in shopping fever (like DS at Joanns) and have friend living in the neighborhood liking the same fabrics as I (such trip would be for me an adventure - the fabrics are not important, but the fact that you're doing something with your friend having the same passion). I live in Europe and I buy fabrics online - I wish I could someday buy fabrics at the real quilt store...
Just for the record...
ReplyDeleteI was totally in love with Single Girl before the whole QAL; but when it came down to doing it, I backed down. Don't know why, I just did. I guess I like to do stuff on my own? Kudos to everyone who tackled it, though!
I had a cheap machine (3 in a row to be exact) but I got tired of buying them because I burned out the motors or they were just weren't worth getting fixed. Luckily, Gramma lent me the money for my current machine. I'll probably own it forever, I love it that much. (Bernina 440QE)
And, I actually have a post saved in my drafts that I wrote the other night, but felt it was too "in your face" to post it. I wrote about how I really really dislike that if I want to enter into a giveaway, why on this green earth must I comment here, on FB, Tweet, purchase something, repost; make a total of 5 or 6 posts just to win something? really? arent't the odds the same if we all just comment once? Does everything have to be a complete popularity contest? I get that we all like followers, but Isn't blogging about being real? Read mine for my content, not my gifts. Sorry public, I don't buy into "everything is butterflies and rainbows". Too harsh? sorry. I said it.
I refuse to start a fan page on FB. I don't even look at my own account anymore. I don't tweet because I just don't get how it works. I'm completely happy on my blog, and reading about others who are (or not) like me.
Patterns. I AM a pattern maker, however, I can't understand why so many people think it's ok to charge $10 for a wristlet pattern that I can obviously find for FREE from a fabulous blog somewhere. Rip off. If it's simple enough, tute it!
Quilts. Why do people feel like they need to POWER QUILT? A new quilt every single week does not impress me at all. Is there a contest for "she who makes the most quilts this week wins?" It bothers me. Take your time for heaven's sake! what's the hurry?
Just sayin'. Thanks for keeping it real darlin'! :-)
Michelle
Ps. I am really liking that book (not just sayin' it).