On blogging part 2 - Evolving & a Giveaway!

Update:  Congraultions Fiona @Celtic Thistle Stitches for winning the Giveaway!

I was talking to my friend L during the drive to Dublin about all things quilty. From planning our trip  to the see the Festival of Quilts, to all the things on the WIP list or the someday list, and somehow we got to talking about the fuzzy future, where are we going with our quilting? Scary topic!

We discovered that neither of the two us, in all the time we've been making, have completed quilts for our own bedrooms. (I did make a quilt for the spare bedroom but mum robbed it!) L has been making beautiful art quilts and really wants to make quilts for her kids bedrooms. I think that's what starts a lot of people making quilts - to have something really nice and personal, for our family and loved ones and eventually ourselves!

But if that's the case, why after so many years quilting , had we not just made for ourselves? I can't speak for L but for me, I think part of it is, I make to make, not for a particular room in the house, not always for an occasion or a particular person but rather to explore an idea, learn a new skill or take part in some community building like a swap or a QAL.  A lot of the content on my blog comes from that place of making to make.

Glow in the dark Darth Vader for a swap!

Some months ago, I was the guest speaker at a branch of the Irish Patchwork Society and we were talking about online trends, where to go for swaps and Quilt-A-Longs, Facebook groups and Instagram Hashtags and the blogs that I like to follow. I had some lovely discussions and some things struck home with me. One quilter said she doesn't like blogs as a lot have all gone too commercial now, another that she doesn't read blogs at all.  Anyone who was on Facebook was in lots of quilt groups and some were on Instagram and felt like me sometimes, blink and you miss it!

 Challenge with 2.5" squares

In a recent discussion about an online group I am involved with, our IT guru said, changes in social media are making engagement so much harder, with algorithms deciding on the content you see, trends away from reading blogs, and the Facebook factor (some love it, some hate it and some are there to see their relatives photos!), it has all left me pondering blogging again.

How to evolve and keep that core reason for blogging in the first place? And evolve we must.  Nothing ever stays the same and that's ok. The blogs I still love and have on my must read list are those that have grown with the quilter through the quilt making process. Those that like to explore, play and reflect on how a quilt came to be.

One of my quilts I think would've looked better with a different fabric choice!

My favourite spaces online, are those that walk that line between sharing and selling, coming down more on the sharing side of the line. In sales there is a saying, no one wants to be sold to but everyone wants to buy. People buy into your vision, your experience, your story, your authority and trust that you will deliver on that with a good product, be it a quilt pattern, class, Quilt-A-Long or link up party or even just a good old blog post!

People sell themselves everyday and it is only natural that our spaces online reflect this best foot forward kind of thing. Those bloggers that are full time quilters have to find a way to pay their way. I admire anyone who can make a career in this industry and don't expect free content with every post. So I've asked myself how do I feel about my blog and what do I want it to say?

One of my favourite simple quilts tops Big Bear, Little Bear!  

(some people see hedgehogs ... still don't get it.  They are bear paws to me!)

I discovered, surprisingly to me, how very protective I feel of my small sharing space. When I made my first quilt, I was the only quilter in my family and circle of friends. I started this blog to connect to other quilters, join in QAL's and Bee's and have made some truly lovely friendships through the writing process, here and through other quilt bloggers.

I must admit I've not had time to add much in the way of extras this year in terms of tutorials or free downloadable content as I have had exhibitions and guild work take over quite a bit of the sewing spare time so for the main this year, this space has not been the place for me to connect to other quilt bloggers as much as in the past and that is very important to me and something for me to work on.

Can't get more social than a Basset Hound!

I have never seen my blog as a commercial space but it has evolved over time to link to a shop with patterns I've published and a place for those interested in taking a workshop with me to see what I'm about.   But at the end of the day, this blog really is about connecting with other makers and recording what worked for me and what didn't.  While I don't want my blog to change its essence, it will continue to grow and evolve with me as I grow and evolve as a quilter. Resistance is futile!  I guess I have to get used to some changes!

So I've asked myself, how do I keep the personal and friendly feel of my little bit of the web and create a place to promote all that I have to offer in quilt patterns, workshops and other publication opportunities I'd like to explore?

The answer for me so far, is to create a new space and possibly through logo or branding link the two. I'm not quite there with it yet - it is a work in progress and a thought in progress as I work things out in my head! 

I've chosen a Square Space website and Crafty Corner Designs as the name. When I picked Charly and Ben's Crafty Corner it was a personal choice and named after the dogs! It is a really tricky thing to type into a search engine though!  At the time I started writing a blog I never expected that quilting would come to be so much more than a hobby to me.

I really love the exploration of design and colour and have so many ideas and things to pull into teachable items that it is quite exciting and I hope to continue down that path while sharing my ups and downs in makes and inspirations. My first real attempt at branding was to have my blog be a warm and friendly space with a modern traditional vibe to it so I chose the blue/grey colours with a vintage bicycle and Wilbur and Charly welcoming you to the brand.

On working on my Square Space website I was drawn more to the clean minimalist style so I have chosen a simple dog house with Crafty Corner Designs: Exploring Patchwork & Quiltmaking.
Modern Traditional is still very much where I live most of the time but I do like to play and experiment so I think this gives me some scope.  I am in the process of updating my released patterns to this cleaner format and have just written up Kenny in the same format too!

So the only decisions I have left to make are whether to move my blog or have both and link to each other as they both serve a different purpose.  I can only import my blog once to Square Space so it is a big decision to make. 

I have adapted the blog header to tie in with the website header so the branding looks the same if I choose to keep both.  I am reluctant to lose Charly and Wilbur, I guess since saying Goodbye to the real life Wilbur is still a bit raw so I have this version too. 

So many decisions to make in a blog!  What do you think?  Stay or go completely to Square space?  Minimal blog header or keep Charly & Wilbur?

My hearts at Home by Lynnette Anderson

And since I haven't had a giveaway in ages and if any of you have read this far you deserve a reward, so I'm giving away this fat eight bundle I picked up last week in Birmingham!  To win this bundle please leave me a comment telling me what your favourite blog to visit is and why!  Random number generator will choose a winner next Monday 4th September!