Happy 5th Blog-iversary mmm! quilts

Five years ago today, after waffling for months, I finally wrote a blog post and published it. I still recall that vulnerable feeling of having sent something out into the world, where any and all eyes could see it... However, I have never yet not learned, not grown from facing a fear, so that was partly why I decided to just jump into the Quilting Blogland pool... and found the water warm and welcoming indeed. Here's the quilt I was working on at the time of that first post, still one of my all-time favourite makes:

Seaside Rose

I think five years is rather auspicious, so I decided to celebrate in fine form this year, with a blog post that has five sections of five points each:

• Five Favourite Quilting Tips
• Five Favourite Blogging Tips
• Five most popular/favourite Blog Posts
• Five Favourite QBL Activities
• Five Prizes Giveaway

Sounds like fun? Come on in and let's party!

It is scary in the Twilight Zone kind of way all the 'oddities' around this post (read on) such as this one: This is my 700th published post in five years. I did not plan it to be that way. Huh! So I decided to go on Instagram to see how many followers I have.... 850 as of Monday, September 17. Another round number! 

Five Favourite Quilting Tips

1. Binding Tutorial

The first tutorial that I know has been helpful to a lot of people is joining the ends. I first learned this when I took a class making a sewing machine cover. Prior to that, I'd been doing the messy, bulky way of tucking in the final end into the beginning end.

2. Cutting Two HSTs at Once

This is something I first saw on Alex Anderson's Simply Quilts HGTV show. I trim my HSTs to size this way ALL the time. HSTs are wonderful little units; one can create a myriad of design possibilities using them. There are many ways to construct them, only one (until now!) way of trimming them up! You can see another example of this tip in action in this post, Some Blocks and a Quiche. There may just be a pretty awesome quiche recipe in that post!

3. Paper-piecing Without Sewing Through the Paper
This is a life-changing technique I learned from Joanne at Canuck Quilter Designs. If you avoid paper-piecing, and one of the main reasons is because of all those pesky papers to rip off, and even peskier bitty bits of paper that invariably get caught under your stitches, requiring tweezers to pick them on out, then this will change your life as it did mine. There is also my own tip (don't you love tips within tips?) about saving fabric when doing PP, another reason I used to not like it at all. No more! Make templates using the PP template itself! I'm so glad to see that Cindy of Stitchin' at Home, whose pattern I am doing for the October Island Batik challenge, now that I woke up from yet another menopausal brain fart and realized paper-piecing challenge is October, anyhow, she uses the templates fabric-saving technique in her newest pattern, yay!

4. Making a Flanged Binding at 2 1/4"
This is a fantastic binding technique, one I use a lot! I believe it was Tish of The Madd Quilter who put me onto it. My only issue with it was that it makes for a slightly wider than 2.5" binding, and that it covers points if those points lie right at the quilt's edge. I figured out how to make it 2.25". The flange still will cut off the points every so slightly, however.

5. Making 2.5" HSTs From a 2.5" Strip
That sounds like duh, right? Think again. When you want a 2" finished HST unit, you need to cut each HST from a square that is 2 7/8", correct? Ergo you need a 2 7/8" wide strip if you are cutting several. No more, and yep, you can use your 2.5" precut strips thanks to this little gem of a technique I learned from Pam and Nicky Lintott, authors of many books that use precuts.

Five Favourite Blogging Tips

1. Comments

This is was the hill I chose to die on during this year's New Quilt Bloggers' Blog Hop that I co-hosted this year. I mean that figuratively... I cannot stress enough the importance of responding to those kind souls who take time away from their sewing machine and family life to leave you a comment on your blog post. That's #1, respond. How you respond is where the disconnect starts with a lot of bloggers, new ones in particular. No, it is not enough to write your response under their comment on your own blog; you need to respond privately by email. See italicized phrase a couple lines above. If the kind soul has already taken time out of their day, do you in all honesty think that person will take MORE time to go BACK just in CASE you deign to respond to them? Hell to the no? Furthermore, do you think that the kind soul will come back to your blog again? Most likely not; I know I sure won't.

Now, the beauty of responding by email is that this often strikes up a connection, a conversation between you and a reader. You might find a kindred spirit, and like I saw somewhere recently, as Anne Shirley of Anne of Green Gables fame said, "Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think." People will generally say a lot more in a private email than they will in public on your blog. I count the many QBL friends I have made, both bloggers friends and non-blogger friends, to answering my comments personally.

2. Visit Back

Generally in real life, if one gets invited over for supper or coffee, one reciprocates. So if another blogger has visited you, be sure to visit them, and leave a comment. See reasons in #1.

3. Links

First, beware of having too many; they end up being irritating and I often will either skim or leave if that happens when I'm reading someone's post. Second, ensure they open in a new window! Often if I'm in the throes of a good blog post, and want to see the item to which the blogger is linking, I click it so I have it in my mind, and go back to being engrossed in their post. Often, what happens is that the linked window leads me to another "I just need to check this out", and another....down the rabbit hole I go for minutes... and then where is the original blog post? No clue, or I have to do the annoying time-consuming thing of hitting my back button or looking in the history... Annoying = most likely I will leave and not come back. All platforms have a way of opening your links in a new window.

4. Google it

If you don't know how to do something in your blog, Google it. There is no excuse for ignorance (as in not knowing) these days, as my husband, the infamous MacGyver says, and I echo his words. Before asking, "How do I number comments?" Google it. However, a half hour of searching when doing my last giveaway brought nothing pertinent up when it disappeared after they updated the whole email business in blogger, so that is why the giveaway is a Rafflecopter one here! Sidenote, if you do know how to number the comments again, tell me! If you can't find info on it by Googling, then ask a blogger friend!

5. Be Human

A little glimpse into your personal life makes you more of a real person, rather than a machine that just posts finish after finish. Not all of us are comfortable putting personal stuff out there, but you can control it, right? A glimpse of your sewing space, a fur kid on a quilt or doing something funny, maybe once in a while talking about something other than quilting that interests you, showing a mistake and what you learned from it, or telling a little about where you live without specifics if you prefer, all contribute to your readers feeling like they know the person behind the quilts a little better.

6. Humour Builds Bridges
I know, I know, five is the number, but 2 is really small and kind of goes with 1... Laughter is so important. In real life, amongst friends, amongst family, between husband and wife. It can mend so much. Both my parents had (how I hate the past tense there) a great sense of humour, and my Dad especially, was one of the funniest people I have ever known. Making people laugh makes a connection again, and that is one of the most magical things I have discovered with my blog, is making connections.

Five Most Popular/Favourite Blog Posts

Well how about that? When I went into my Stats, where I rarely look, as popularity is and never will be a reason why I blog, but I was curious to see which were the top blog posts for this post, and whoa! I am nearing 500 000 (another five!) page views all time history. Cool! Still a small fry though. Keepin' it real.

1. Most Popular Tutorial
The Rounded Edge Bag Tutorial! Like who knew? It is on Totally Tutorials April 19, 2015. Here's a tip: if you have a tutorial that you think is a good 'un, you can send it to Kym and she'll let you know! I had no clue it would generate that much traffic.

2. Most Popular Tutorial Take 2
I do believe if I hadn't put it out as a PDF on Craftsy, that my House Block tutorial (affiliate link) would outdo the Rounded Edge Bag because it is by far the most popular download in my Craftsy Store, more than double the amount of downloads this year as for Pocketful of Sunshine (affiliate link), which is a very popular free download as well, and features a little later in this post!

3. Most Popular Post
Quilter's Laundry Day Blog Hop! Again, who knew? This was such a fun QAL and blog hop, and one of the first minis I hung in the loft (1.5 storey house and I sew in the half storey) when we moved in here last year. The pattern was designed and the blog hop run by Jen of A Dream and A Stitch and Jan of Color, Creating and Quilting. Oh! Too funny, so I started typing Janice's URL and it pops automatically up, which tells you something, 😉 and what is her current post about? My house block tutorial that she's making for the RSC challenge! Wee-ooh, wee-ooh, à la Twilight Zone!  I should mention that my Postcard from Sweden blog post announcing the QAL I was co-hosting with Helen of Midget Gem Quilts was a very close second to Quilter's Laundry Day.

4. Most Popular Page
Wow, this is a shock! With over 5000 page views, 😳 it's my Freefall QAL. This was my first QAL I ran on my blog, using my own pattern (that needs to be finished writing and uploaded to Craftsy. I procrastinate big time on pattern-writing, if you hadn't noticed.) I know the colouring page has gotten a ton of downloads. All the instructions for making the wallhanging size are here on the blog. If you click on the link you'll find them. Another lovely surprise was finding a photo uploaded with a nice comment on Craftsy (affiliate link to my store) from a person who had made the quilt using my pattern, just didn't participate in the actual QAL.

5. My Favourite Post(s)
They would be the posts with my beloved Rocco in them that I wrote during the first three years of my blog. Probably my favourite of them all is this one, Seeing the World Through Autumn-Coloured Glasses. Any posts with fur kids in it, not just my own, but visiting ones, like a beloved princess, Brandy, our good friend John's dog is always a good post. I think the other is my Windfall post, the blog hop that launched my publishing career, LOL. The trees were spectacular, at their finest for colour, providing a perfect backdrop for my quilt. Bernie of Needle & Foot asked me and a few other bloggers if we would like to be part of a hop she was hosting featuring Paintbrush Studio Fabrics. Would I?! You bet! That quilt inspired the wallhanging size, Freefall, that was my first QAL. I find it absolutely fascinating how The Universe lines things up and you see the pattern, and how things are evolving as meant to be, when you look back...

Five Favourite QBL Activities

1. Mini Round Robin

One of the first things that popped into my mind for this Favourites category was the Mini Round Robin I participated in in summer 2016. My quilt is called Quilter's Retreat. This little group of four activity came about because of #2 below. Cindy of Stitchin at Home wanted to do a summer project to help take her mind off things that were worrying in her personal life. I love all four of the final projects.

2. The New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop
I participated in 2015, and it changed so much in my quilting life! It led me to Tish and to Cindy, two of the participants in the Mini Round Robin. Julie of Pink Doxies, the fourth mini round robin-er, I'd already 'met' and I convinced her to join in the NQBBH as well. I met so many interesting wonderful bloggers, many with whom I am still in touch on a personal level. I highly recommend this if you are a new quilt blogger. I'm pretty sure that is where I met Bernie too, and I know it is where I met Helen of Midget Gem Quilts, and Lisa of Sunlight in Winter Quilts.

3. Instagram
Joining Instagram on February 2, 2016 with a post of my fabric pull for Radiance, my Triangle Transparency quilt designed by Yvonne of Quilting Jet Girl, gave a whole other instant spin to the QBL world. Co-hosting with Lisa in 2017, and then solo-hosting in 2018 the #30quiltdesignschallenge was another game-changer and worthwhile endeavour. Several of my published quilts have come from designs done in that challenge. I know of several other participants whose designs in that challenge have been published and that makes me happy!

4. Craftsy Store
Opening a Craftsy Store, mmm! quilts and an Etsy shop (which needs work - I need staff lol) was another exciting a very worthwhile 'scary' venture. Craftsy is really wonderful as far as they don't charge a designer one cent to sell her patterns through their platform. My next scary venture is opening up a Payhip store. Just as in yoga, there's always somewhere to go!

5. Blog Hops
Participating in blog hops has been so very rewarding. I've participated in many, some for fabric companies like Benartex, Paintbrush Studio Fabrics, and Island Batik, some for book launches (Lara's Crafted Appliqué and Cheryl and Paige's Modern Plus Signs Quilts and others for fun, and I've not been disappointed once. The experience has always taught me something, (I learned how to schedule a post just for one example), I've met new people, I've tried new techniques, and pushed my comfort zone too.

Five Prizes Giveaway

Well, here is probably the main thing you've been looking for! There are five prizes up for winning (no Rose, Bella is not one, even though you may catch a glimpse of her brown fuzzy tail in the corner of the photo!) I will ship anywhere on this blue/green planet Earth. The contest is open until Saturday at midnight. Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below the list. I want to thank you for reading, thank those who comment, thank those who don't comment, but still read. I occasionally just get private emails from the latter, which I find so wonderful, readers who are friends, family members or people I've not even 'met' yet but get to know through a struck-up email conversation...kindred spirits. And we've come full circle,

"Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think."

1. Five fat quarters of Paula Nadelstern's Wonderlust for Benartex

2. Five times two 😉 = ten 2.5" strips of Alpine Jingle by Island Batik fabrics

3. A copy of Modern Patchwork, in which you will find my fifth published quilt, In the Shadow of the Plus.

4. A 1.25 total yards (.5 yard/.5 yard/ fat quarter) group of Acorn Park fabrics, Autumn/Fall themed, from Connecting Threads.

5. Five item bundle: Two charm packs of Captiva by Connecting Threads, with two .5 yards of coordinating yardage that should give you a great start on this pattern: Pocketful of Sunshine (affiliate link but the quilt pattern is free ha). If you haven't downloaded it and don't feel comfortable doing that, I will send you the PDF to your personal email.

To win any one of these five prizes, leave me a comment telling me what your favourite thing is about my blog. Followers may have an extra chance; you'll see in the Rafflecopter widget. Thank you again for reading, period. For being with me over the past fun times, and some not so fun times, for your support, your care, your encouragement and acceptance. I sit at my laptop for hours (literally, especially this post) writing to 'you' and when I hear back how a reader found something touching, or funny, or that they could relate to, well, it just warms my heart, truly. I feel so very blessed by all the goodness this blog has brought to my life. I will do my best to respond to all comments.

I do have a surprise and a gift for all of you: I'm super-excited to announce the release of my second pattern, On the Plus Side, which was my first publication in Modern By the Yard, Benartex's ezine. You can get the current issue (free!) at that link, which has another of my patterns, Wildflower Pinwheel Placemats, in it. A massive thanks to Cheryl of Meadow Mist Designs who proofed and offered wonderful suggestions for improvement in an incredibly short time today, Monday, I am able to write in this post that the pattern is available now instead of, 'Sometime later this week..."

There it is! The pattern will be $10 but because it's all about the fives, my gift to you is that for the next five days, it will be just $5, no code needed. 😊 You can find it here. (affiliate link)
I'll be linking up everywhere; check the links under the Linky Parties & Activities tab.

a Rafflecopter giveaway