My Sewing and Craft Blog Cliques: Where Do You Find Inspiration?

I spend a lot of time on sewing and craft blogs. 

I sew and create lots of things. I sew for myself, I sew for my toddler , my older girls, and our home. The last few days I haven't felt like making much. I spent a lot of energy getting all my paperwork and photos together for the Project Runway auditions and I also sent some 8x10's in to Altered Couture Magazine. Project Runway is a huge long shot but you'll never get anywhere if you don't try, right? I have to thank my hairdresser Kacey for giving me the casting information. Thanks, Kacey! 

So back to blogging...

The world of sewing blogs seems a bit like high school to me.

 Each sewing blog genre seems to have its own little clique!

Lately I am becoming really interested in Japanese fabric and design. Superbuzzy is a great American site that has a plethora of Japanese fabric and design books.  I am trying to discover some new French sewing blogs as I adore French design too. If any of you know of any cool French or Japanese blogs please let me know!

Since I started blogging almost two years ago, I have gone through lots of sewing "phases". The more I blog the more I realize I must have serious ADD because I am all over the map! Sometimes I wish I could stick to one thing, like making children's patterns, get really honed in on it and start a business.  Here are a few of the "crowds" I hang with or have hung out in since I started blogging. 

The Vintage Sewing Crowd

These are the kids who like Gertie and Peter from Male Pattern Boldness, love sewing with vintage patterns, love their cats, and seem to have a large amount of tattoos.  Ok, they dont all have tattoos, but you get my drift! There are some really first rate tutorials on Gertie's blog. I have spent  a lot of times posting on collective blogs like We Sew Retro. One of my favorite of these vintage blogs is Caseys Elegant Musings. I  also like to sew vintage patterns for my kids but I haven't really found any blogs focused on that. If you know of any, please let me know! Some really talented and nice vintage bloggers are Marie at A Sewing Odyssey, and Debi at My Happy Sewing place. I used to love visiting The Sew Weekly but lately their format has changed a lot and I don't really "get it" anymore. I missed the contributor deadline and there doesn't seem to be any page to post your projects if you aren't one of the chosen contributors anymore.

The Colette Pattern Clique

 This crowd spends a lot of time sewing and gushing about their favorite sewing guru, Sarai from Colette patterns. Their posts go into detail on patterns they are all on a first name basis with, like, "The Macaron" and the "Ceylon". Should they make the bottonholes on the Ginger in a contrasting color to go with their 4th version of their "Sorbettos"? Being featured on the Coletterie snippets blog is a major coup for this crowd! The Coletterie blog is an incredible sewing resource with lots of tutorials. Sarai really is a business and creative genius, and like Gertie, she is devoted to her cat. I happen to be allergic to cats!  This crowd overlaps with the vintage sewing crowd. I went through my own Colette pattern sewing phase and I have three different versions of the Oolong to prove it! Rhinestones and Telephones is having a group sew a long through the whole Colette patterns hand book, if that's your cup of tea. 

The Sewing  Through The BIG 4 Pattern Books Crowd

As in Vogue, McCall's, Simplicity, and Burda.

These amazing seamstresses sew mainly through the commercial pattern book catalogs and come up with some beautiful, original looking creations from what often look like hum drum patterns you might pass up at Joanne's. I like going to the Joann's 99 cent pattern sales and it's good to know you can actually make some of these patterns look awesome! You should check out the creations on Handmade by Carolyn , Mushywear, Erica B's Do It Yourself Style,   These women really know how to rock a Vogue pattern! Patternreview.com is another site for finding out what that pattern actually might look like when you are done. 

The Crafty Mommy Bloggers.

These blogs are some of the best photographed creative blogs out there. Some of these women are actually making serious money with their blogs with thousands of Followers like Tater Tots and Jello , Mod Podge Amy, and Grosgrain Fabulous.

These gals often look like models, and not only do they find time to make adorable creations for their latest photogenic offspring, but their homes always seem to be perfect, they are married to their best friend, and they are under 30! (hehe...) Be prepared for lots of Silhoutte projects and chevron fabric.  Mommy by Day Crafter By Night, and Family Ever After, are two more.

The  Kids Fashion Designers.

This crowd of bloggers design children's clothes and often sell their patterns in their own boutiques on their blogs. They come up with awesome tutorials on what seem to be a weekly basis, and they rarely use patterns. They are some very talented ladies, that's for sure. Most of their projects are made without patterns ot by tracing off clothing. Made by Rae, Me Sew Crazy, Simple Simon & co, and Schwin and Schwin, icandyhandmade,  and Scattered Thoughts of A Stay At Home Mom are some of my favorites in this crowd. 

The Thrift Shop Upcycling Crowd.

These thrifty gals are amazing at buying ugly things from the thrift shops and making them look like cute creations freshly bought from H&M!One of my favorite refashioners is Mongs at My Thrifty Closet. I also like Refashion Co-op a group blog I contribute at.

The Fashion Designers

I am still looking for more as I am creating more original designs and sewing less from patterns. Urbandon and lady danbury at Thinking In Shapes design some really nice things. I could add more but I am getting tired and need to go to bed!

The "Shabby and French Country" Home Decor and Sewing Crowd.

This crowd is obsessed with anything burlap, decoupaging old sheet music onto everything, painting furniture to look old, and making slipcovers and pillows out of grain sacks. I like this style too and get a lot of inspiration from my home sewing projects on blogs like Miss Mustard Seed and French Country Cottage. It's easy to go overboard on this theme. I recently made a ruffled pillow of burlap for my couch. My kids hate it because it is so itchy.

So these are the blogging crowds I spend most of my time in.

There are aspects about all of the blogs above I love and I thank all these people for taking the time to write on their blogs regularly, helping to make the world a little more creative.
Why do I love them ?
Because they are all trying to Live Handmade In A Modern World!
I hope I haven't offended anyone by summing up their blogs into categories because I know each person is unique. 

 How about you? Where do you like to "hang out"?

Pin It