The Future of Stitch Obsessed

Today’s blog post will be a little different than my regular posts, which is a good thing! This post will be my 52nd post on my website. That’s right! I’ve been writing for a full year and learned so much along the way.

In this post, I want to share my heart and a bit about my sewing journey to hopefully encourage anyone who may feel like they’ve fallen off the sewing bandwagon recently and may need a little help getting back up. 

What Happened?

Sewing has been a key part of my life for about seven years now. In recent months, I’ve realized I haven’t been sewing much of anything, which is both sad and confusing since my entire career is surrounded by quilting and sewing. 

Of course, I write for my blog, but I also write for a wonderful quilting blog, Quiltdom. I also freelance as a quilt pattern ghostwriter and take on random writing and video opportunities, and, yes, they are all focused on sewing and quilting. 

So why don’t I actually do any sewing? I think it’s a culmination of a few factors. 

1. I’m writing at least three blog posts a week. These posts take time.
2. I’ve been so consumed with hoping my blog will “take off,” and I’m so obsessed with analytics and numbers I’ve lost sight of the reason why I love sewing so much. 
3. My creativity always takes a hit during winter (seasonal depression is a real thing!)
4. Being self-employed is a struggle. Staying on task and keeping a legit schedule is easier said than done. 
5. I’m easily distracted and consumed with worrying about everyone else instead of myself and my needs. 

Does any of this sound familiar? I think it’s easy, especially for us women, to let the legitimate excuses that come into our lives control what we do on a day-to-day basis. I’ve allowed different obstacles to distract and consume me, and in turn, it’s caused me to suffer from burnout and basic “sewist block.”

The silly thing is sewing and quilting is my therapy. If I had just sat down and sewed something, that could have made all the difference, and maybe I could have avoided some of that burnout at the beginning of the year. 

What’s Next for Stitch Obsessed?

So with all that melancholy dribble out of the way, what is next for me and Stitch Obsessed? Well, as you may have guessed, I’ve been doing some major “soul searching” and thinking about what I could do differently to bring the joy back into what I love to do (sewing), and I’ve come up with some great ideas. 

First, I’ve signed up for a couple of quilt alongs (qal) hosted on Instagram! I would love to share the progress of those different projects on my blog and show everyone what I am creating. 

I’m also going to start adding tutorials to the mix of blog posts. I love sewing and quilting and would love to show you some of the cool projects I’ve got rolling around in my head. Expect to see some free quilt patterns, how-to tutorials, and lots of sewing tips and tricks I’ve learned over the years. 

I’ve been distracted for about a year by wondering if my blog would ever amount to anything, but because of that, I haven’t shared my true authentic self on my blog, and that will change! I’m a quirky, purple-haired, slightly shy nerd (we’re talkin’ Nintendo video games, classic films, musical theater, and Lord of the Rings lover), think outside of the box creative person, and I’m also obsessed with my dog, Obi. She’s my baby!

I basically want to take Stitch Obsessed to the next level and make it as authentic and colorful as I can possibly make it! I’ve got one year of blogging under my belt, now is the time when I can mold this blog into something super special, and I hope it can become a home for other creative and quirky people that want to learn and share their love for sewing, fabric, and crafting. 

Why Trust Me to Teach You How to Sew?

I get it! You want to learn sewing and quilting from someone who knows what they’re talking about, and I just got done telling you I haven’t sewn anything in months! Haha! But in all seriousness, I truly believe you should learn from someone you can trust and who you connect with. 

A brief synopsis of my sewing journey: I didn’t learn how to sew until 2016, when I was 25 years old. I didn’t have a grandmother who taught me how to quilt when I was three or a mom who showed me how to make my own clothes when I was growing up. I taught myself how to sew just because I wanted to so badly to prove to myself that I could do it. Haha! Here’s a little bit about me if you’re interested.

I’ve been in exactly the same shoes you are in. Trying to figure out how to do EVERYTHING for the first time. I quickly became obsessed with quilting and was surprisingly good at it from the beginning.

Like most people who are good at a particular craft, I started an Etsy shop. I was making about 20-30 custom quilts per year and loved it! But then covid hit in 2020, and no one wanted to buy a $500+ quilt.

I adapted and started hunting for work online, stumbled upon a freelance website, and got my first quilt blog gig, which I still work on today! I began writing tutorials, teaching about all kinds of quilt patterns and sewing techniques, and really fell in love with teaching others about my passion: quilting and sewing. 

Like I said at the beginning of this post, my life revolves around sewing. I love it, and that’s the whole reason I started this blog. I want to share this incredibly diverse and beautiful hobby with everyone who is willing to listen! 

I hope you choose to go on this journey with me, and I can’t wait to share the adventure with you! No matter your skill level, there will be helpful sewing tips and tricks available here. I’ll also share my sewing projects and things I’m excited about in the sewing and quilting community. 

How about it? Want to join me on this journey? Enter your email below, and I’ll let you know whenever I post a new blog post! Don’t worry, I won’t spam ya! haha That’s the worst!

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