I love recommendations. I learn about so many neat things from friends, both online and off. Today I thought I’d share some things I’m enjoying right now in case you might enjoy them, too.
Here we go!
1. School of Sewing. Last week a blog reader sent me a story tip (you can send me one, too, if you click on the About tab up at the top of my blog) recommending that I take a look at Shea Henderson’s new book, School of Sewing. I ordered it that day. This is the first title I’ve owned from Lucky Spool and was eager to see how the book looked (lovely). I’ve just begun reading it, but it’s awesome already. Shea sets about teaching a group of strangers to sew over the course of a year.
2. Using iTunes like Google. I always want to know everyone’s back story. How did they get where they are? What was their initial goal and how did it shift? Whenever I encounter someone I’m curious about I go to iTunes and enter their name in the search bar. If they’ve ever been interviewed on a podcast I listen to it. I learn about all kinds of awesome people this way and nothing beats hearing them tell their own stories in their own voices.
3. The beautiful softies that won the Sew Mama Sew Spectacular Softies Contest.
4. The Photojojo iPhone tripod attachment. After several years of using packing tape to affix my iphone to my tripod so that I could shoot video, I finally bought this little attachment for $20. I use it with my Gorillapod and it’s terrific. I’m shooting all kinds of videos now.
5. Rachel Mae Smith’s Instagram feed (The Crafted Life). At Craftcation a few weeks ago I heard Rachel speak about how she uses Instagram and it was totally eye-opening to me. Rachel sees each of her photos as a component in her visual portfolio, especially the first nine images (those that you see immediately without scrolling). She edits them using the same VCSO filters. If you open her feed on your phone you’ll see the effect. I have so much to learn.
6. Pinning a tweet to the top of my Twitter stream. You can select one of your tweets and have it stay at the top of your stream of tweets on your profile page. It doesn’t show up on mobile, but still totally worth doing. Here’s how.
7. If people left parties like they leave Facebook. This just made me laugh.
8. Cheryl Arkison’s newsletter. I’m thrilled when I find someone else in the online sewing world who sends out a newsletter that’s not just ad copy and that comes out weekly. Cheryl is one. Her newsletter is personal, reflective, inspiring, and interesting.
+++++
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do you think there’s something lost with carefully curated IG images? I follow her too, and the shots are beautiful, but sometimes I like seeing the less edited, not on a white background images of someone’s life that are more candid and less curated.
I think it depends on your goals. Rachel works with brands and uses her Instagram photos to further that work and find new opportunities (at least I think that’s how she would describe it). But there’s still something to be gleaned for anyone using Instagram, I think.
Thanks Abby! Glad you are enjoying the newsletter. I hope many more of you do as well.
I love number two on this list. That’s such a great idea! Off to iTunes now!!
Right? It’s so useful.
Number 7 cracked me up. Someone I know just did this last week and has since posted at least 5 status updates.
Totally.
Hi, Abby! Thank you so much for the compliment on my book. You’ve made my day! It’s my great hope that people in our awesome sewing community will grab a friend who wants to learn to sew and teach them, guide them, seam rip with them and get them addicted to this wonderful craft we love so much.
I’m still reading it, Shea! What I love about it most is the social experiment. Let’s see if we can all learn to sew together in a year. That, as a book, is so new and so compelling.
It’s funny that you use the phrase ‘social experiment’, because though I’ve never thought of it that way, it certainly is! I have to credit Susanne Woods at Lucky Spool for nodding vigorously in agreement when I said, “Yes. I have a proposal I can send. I know exactly what book I want to write, but I won’t do this book if these women can’t be a huge part of it.” Their stories and quotes are the heart of the book. And they really did become a community. One of the women (Pam) just finished her third quilt! How cool is that?!