Tag: blogging201

Blogging University: stuck in a Y-seam

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Blogging University 201 was much more intense than I expected, and I’m just now recovering from all that thinking and exploring. To recap:

I LEARNED I get frustrated when trying to learn new technology. I don’t have the patience to learn all the steps needed to get the result I want. I’m much more patient when learning a new quilting technique. Technology skills are essential, though, for having a well functioning blog, and if I want to create a pattern which I can share electronically, I need these skills as well. Here I am. My ideas exceed my abilities.

I also learned I’m undecided about where I want to take my blog. Oh, it was easy to set some goals and explore the ways to get more followers. BUT, here I am at the fork in the road, wondering which path to take — the proverbial Y-seam.

Time is a factor in my indecision. I have a full time job, an overtime husband and a daughter I want to spend time with.  I also sew sometimes. I’m involved with Liberated Quilters group and I’m helping to form the Central Virginia Modern Quilt Guild. I should get more exercise, and I feel overwhelmed by it all.

Stuck in a Y-seam,

Wanda

Blogging U. Day 9: The Buddy System

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I FOUND some amazing, awesome, better-than-ice cream buddies through the New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop. We’ve island creamerybecome good friends.

We were divided into groups and performed critiques of each other’s blogs, and I feel a kinship to those bloggers: Erin at Twin Mom Quilts, Helen at Midget Gem Quilts and Sarah at Sarah Goer Quilts.

I also became buddies with some other amazing bloggers through the Chicken Run which is hosted by Oh Sew Tempting.  I agreed to make a Chicken Pincushion and give it away on my blog after receiving a pincushion, which I named Lucky Stripper, from Textile Dreamer. And Sarah at Cedar Fork Stitches received LOVE DOVE from me.

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One of the winners of the Chicken Run pincushion was Annett of KnettyCraft, and I interact with her more than any other blogger.

I’ve also been interacting with the most generous people through the Savor Each Stitch Book Bee. We are using Carolyn Friedlander’s book as inspiration for designing and making quilts. We take each chapter and design a quilt. So far we’ve done Lines, Contrast and Scale. They have encouraged my risk taking and have given me inspiration to design what I like and not worry if fits into a certain category of quilting. In particular, Susan blogs at We all have to Start Somewhere, and Anna blogs at Mod Quilt Mom.The next chicken pinchusion in the Oh Sew Tempting Chicken Run Giveaway Sort Of.

Most recently I’ve been sharing comments and blogging tips with Mary at Zippy Quilts.

Now, back to Blogging University’s assignment for today: find a blogging buddy. Since I have found so many blogging buddies, it is hard to ask one of them to be exclusive. I’m going to continue with my current blogging circle. And if, at some point, I want to find a guest blogger or cooperate on a single project, I can do that then.

I’m happy to hang out with all my new friends. I hope to meet them in person some day.

Sew sew grateful,

Wanda 

Blogging U. Day 8: Make your Blog a Hub

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IF YOU SEE me running across the lawn with my hair on fire, it’s because my brain has exploded and fire is shooting out my ears. tree upside down

WHY you ask?

Today’s topic is about exploring opportunities beyond my blog. Blogging University calls my blog just a “hub” for my online presence. They suggest creating a page or section to display links to all my online presence elsewhere. Didn’t I just do this with those sidebar buttons?

Well, yes and no.

Krista of Blogging U. advices:

The short answer is: you don’t have to do anything. If you’re happy simply blogging, then hooray! We’re glad. But since you’re here because you care about traffic and growth, we want to take time to discuss how expanding your presence on a few more platforms might benefit you, whether you’re a professional freelancer or aspiring writer (or poet, or photographer, or…). This isn’t about tweeting or status updates, but about spreading your substantive work across the web — and pointing it back to your blog.

[insert eyes rolling in the back on my head]

Then I started to read the links and it started to make more sense. I could consider Tumblr, for example, as a complimentary space for my writing.

It is worth having a page on my blog with these links, not just the sidebar buttons. But, those links would need to have different content than can be found on my blog or at least I think that’s what this all means. It’s just a bit much, and my head is reeling from all this knowledge.

Cooling down now,

Wanda