Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Girl's Hat and Balance/Mädchenhut und Balance

(Hat/Hut Burda 4-2009-142)




Hello again! It's been a while, due to life and other hobbies (do you have those, too?) interfering.



Looking at other bloggers' output (how could I not?) I've been wondering whether I need to step up my sewing, and where to find the time.


When I began sewing more regularly in late 2007, my daughter was less than two years old and I was home most of the days, and all evenings, too. As mentioned before, I took up sewing as a kind of occupational therapy; my baby was sick a lot, and I spent many days alternating between doctor's offices and tending to her at home. I needed something pretty, colorful and productive to feel better, and I'm happy to say sewing worked a charm for this!



Nowadays, DD is thankfully much better and the children don't depend on my presence as much. In the last year, I've added ballet and other time-consuming engagements to my schedule. We're out and about much more, home much less. My life feels more balanced now than when I was home all the time, but it doesn't enhance my sewing productivity!



Then again, what am I sewing for? I wear something made by me at least half the time, and I still wear 90 % of what I've sewn in the last years. My closet doesn't have a great turnover, never had, so I don't need new clothes all the time. The kids are happy with their closet mix of RTW/secondhand/made-by-mom stuff.





While I don't have many long stretches of time to sew any more, I usually have a project going that keeps my crafty and creative self happy, just like I always have a book open... a date with a friend on the horizon... a work project nagging to get done... something cooking on the stove.


There is balance in what I do.


I've also been contemplating the worth of blogging. I don't have a "big" blog (many posts, many followers). One reason is that blogging is not my focus in life. Also, I work in a profession that is quite diametrically opposed to crafting, and I'd prefer not to get the two mixed up.


Not having a big blog, I've been wondering how much my little contribution is worth. A mass of sewing blogs have sprung up since I've started mine, providing more than enough information and inspiration. Should I continue?


Why am I blogging?


I started when Lindsay T asked her readers to do so (always one to listen to a Great Person's Words, I am!). Those were the days when I read maybe ten blogs or so. I thought it only fair to share my projects if I wanted to be entertained by others' creations. Also, I hadn't been commenting before that, thinking it a bit creepy to comment without "showing my colors" and allowing others to comment as well. Since then I feel I have become a part of the worldwide sewing community which is lovely! I'd be sad to lose that if I were to quit blogging. (Oh, and I appreciate all comments! Comment away, even if you don't have a blog!)


I also enjoy looking back at what I made, re-reading your comments, and I only wish there'd been blogs when I made my first pair of flowered pants (1990!) or my first stretch dress (ca. 1991) since those garments are long gone. I think even if it weren't public, it's worth keeping a log of any work that one is serious about.


Another point that isn't obsolete even when sewing less. The log/blog will just have fewer posts.




The verdict? I will keep sewing. I will keep blogging.




Thank you for reading my ramblings, dear sewing friends! What do you think? How do you deal when you have less time and energy for sewing? How much of a priority is it for you? And how many sewing blogs do you read in a day? Chime in, I'd love to hear your opinion!




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Wie Ihr vielleicht bemerkt habt, nähe und blogge ich nicht mehr so viel. Wenn ich Eure wunderbaren Blogs lese und sehe, was Ihr geschafft habt, werde ich leicht unzufrieden und habe deshalb ein paar Grundsatzüberlegungen angestellt.


Bin ich im Reinen mit meiner Zeit-/Kraftaufteilung und damit, dass ich weniger nähe? Ab Ende 2007 hatte ich ein paar produktive Jahre, was damit zusammenhängt, dass ich damals das Nähen ganz bewusst als Ausgleich gewählt hatte. Unsere Tochter, damals knapp 2, war ständig krank und ich saß entweder beim Kinderarzt oder mit ihr zu Hause. Ich war ziemlich deprimiert und schaffte mir mit dem Nähen, insbesondere von Kinderkleidung, einen fröhlichen, bunten, vor allem aber produktiven Ausgleich. Gott sei Dank geht es ihr heute besser, und ich habe im letzten Jahr sowohl für mich einige neue Aktivitäten begonnen als auch mit den Kindern mehr unternehmen können.


Für meinen Kleiderschrank muss ich nicht mehr Sachen nähen. Fast alles was ich genäht habe befindet sich in ständiger Rotation, ich bin sowieso nicht der Typ, der ständigen Wechsel im Kleiderschrank hat, und mir passen auch Sachen von der Stange. Die Kinder sind auch zufrieden mit ihrem Mix aus neu gekauft/aus zweiter Hand/von Mama genäht.





Mehrere Stunden am Stück nähen kommt kaum noch vor, aber ich habe nach wie vor immer ein Nähprojekt am Start, genauso wie ich zum Ballett gehe... die Arbeit ruft... ich jeden Abend eine Stunde lesen muss... leckeres Essen gekocht werden will.


So gesehen ist alles in Balance.


Nächste Frage: braucht die Welt oder brauche ich noch diesen Blog? Es gibt inzwischen so viele tolle Nähblogs, inspirierend und informativ.


Ich habe damals das Bloggen angefangen, weil eine tolle Amerikanerin, deren Blog ich immer las, dazu aufrief. Erst danach traute ich mich auch zu kommentieren, da ich immer das Gefühl hatte, wer sich äußert sollte sich auch zu erkennen geben und seinerseits Kommentare entgegennehmen. Dieser Austausch ist mir ganz wertvoll, und ich freue mich besonders, jetzt auch ein bisschen Teil der deutschen Nähblogger-Community geworden zu sein, nachdem ich das Pferd so von hinten aufgezäumt hatte! Das ist ein Argument für's Weiterbloggen.




Ich schätze auch den Rückblick auf meine Arbeiten und die Organisation - ordentliche Besprechung mit Bildern und Schnittmusternummer - die sonst im Hobbybereich nicht meine Stärke ist. Der Logbuch-Aspekt sozusagen. Ach, wenn ich doch schon meine Blümchenhose (frühe Neunziger! todschick!) oder mein erstes Stretchkleid (ebenso! ganz was Neues!) gebloggt hätte...



Liebe Leserinnen und Mitnäherinnen, ich werde Euch wohl erhalten bleiben. Aber sagt mal ehrlich, wie ist das bei Euch? Macht Ihr Euch auch manchmal solche Gedanken? Wie geht Ihr damit um, wenn Ihr nicht so viel nähen könnt? Welche Priorität hat Nähen für Euch? Und wie viele Nähblogs kann ein Mensch an einem Tag lesen?

11 comments:

  1. This idea of funding balance in our lives sure has been a common one lately. I think we all struggle with how much time to put into the "boxes" in our lives-family, work, crafting, other leisure, where does it all fit? I personally enjoy seeing what you've made, whether it is a little or a lot. I also agree that it is nice to be able to peek back at past projects, even after they're too small or worn out. That's actually why I started blogging, and why I keep it up. I've also noticed the side benefit that I am quicker to snap pictures of my kids, and you can never have too many of those!

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  2. I'd be sad if you stopped blogging. Keep it up! I enjoy seeing your creations, even if it will be infrequently.

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  3. Ha, Du sprichst mir aus der Seele!
    Mein letzter Post liegt inzwischen auch schon wieder einen ganzen Monat zurück und genäht wurde in dieser Zeit fast nichts. Nach drei Jahren des Bloggens, könnte man meinen derzeitigen Zustand ruhig als blogmüde und nähfaul bezeichnen. Auch mir sind in den letzten Wochen viele Gedanken zum "Sinn" oder "Unsinn" eines Blogs durch den Kopf gegangen. Anfangs habe ich mich zu sehr unter Druck gesetzt, auch ja immer schön regelmässig zu posten. Inzwischen ist mir das aber ziemlich egal geworden. Ich nähe, wie ich Lust und vor allem, Zeit habe. Alles andere macht sonst keinen Spass. Ganz aufgeben möchte ich meinen Blog aber auch nicht, da er mir doch zu einer gewissen Übersicht verhilft, vor allem aber zur Motivation dient. Wenn ich ein Nähprojekt ankündige, wird es auch zu 99% fertig genäht. Das war früher (also vor meiner Blogzeit) gaaanz anders, da gab`s Ufos am laufenden Band.
    Es hat halt alles seine Vor- u. Nachteile! Man muss eben Prioritäten setzen und oft gibt es einfach wichtigeres, wie das Bloggen ;-)
    Herzliche Grüsse von Sabine

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  4. I've no new insight to add, but this post totally resonated with me!

    I'm exactly like you - I don't have a big blog, and I blog primarily to keep track of my projects. And balance is a near-constant struggle for me, as sewing competes with a ton of other hobbies...

    Mostly I stress about finding time to sew when I contemplate my truly enormous stash.

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  5. This is a struggle a lot (most?) of us share - and it was before blogging existed (:
    I tend to enjoy the "small" blogs more, particularly the interaction I have with the people I connect the most with. After seeing thousands of sewing projects on blogs, fewer and fewer things are ultra-spectacular; the value in blog-reading seems to be more in enjoying the journey with people I "know" and seeing small new twists on ideas, as well as being inspired to sew better by those really skilled bloggers. While it might be fun to have 2,000 followers (like my sister-in-law has, hehe!), I remind myself I have no desire to put much effort into blogging and my goal is to keep a pictorial record and enjoy interaction with fellow sewists.

    Happy blogging, er, sewing!

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  6. I'm glad you've decided to keep blogging and sewing. The hat you have just made is so darling. I love seeing all your creations and the way you put fabrics and patterns together. I thought long and hard before I started writing a public sewing blog. My initial reason was to connect with the online sewing community, since I had been reading sewing blogs for a couple of years and realized I'd love to participate. Also, living in Maui has been fairly isolating for me so I was hoping to open up my world a bit. Boy has it opened! While I am busy with family, life, etc. I try to set aside at least two hours a day to sew, read blogs, comment. So for me I am purposeful about it. If I worked outside the home that might not be realistic. In a nut shell, at this time in my life, I look at sewing/blogging as something I want to nurture and grow. I don't think everyone looks at sewing and blogging in the same way, and that is okay. The important thing is to keep it fun for you! This reader loves to see what you create, in whatever timing is good for you.

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  7. I enjoy your blog. The little hat is very sweet.

    To me, keeping a blog is a sewing journal that other people can look at - which means mine will never be a blog with mass following! What I really like about blogging is the connection with other people who sew - sometimes I can spend a lot of time on this, and sometimes not. It is a hobby after all, not a job.

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  8. It is important to sew and blog for your own pleasure. Only give it up if it no longer gives you pleasure. It is not a competition. Regarding finding the time, set up your machine in a permanent, convenient setting and sew for 20 minutes a day. That approach yields at least one garment a week on average.

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  9. Sweet hat! You make delicious children's clothes. My advice is--sew what you want, when you want. Only make something your heart calls to. Blog it when you feel like doing it. As Gail said above, it isn't a competition. It's sharing with other like-minds. Life is short. Enjoy what you do.

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  10. I love the hat and your lamp display is so clever.

    I have been busy the past several weeks and am afraid I'm going to run out of things to blog about so I understand! I don't think anyone has expectations of how often you have to sew or post (unless you are a "big" blogger who has created a reputation with daily posts). So just do it when you can and when you enjoy it. When it feels like a chore, let it go.

    For some reason I can't stay signed in, argh!

    -The Slapdash Sewist

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  11. This is such a great post! I'm so glad you are going to keep sewing and blogging! And never underestimate how much you contribute to our online community. I just love how you've been a regular commenter on my own blog--it means so much to me!! I love your comment about balance--I'm trying to find a bit more of that myself (another reason to look forward to 2012 when I will be sewing whatever I feel like at my own pace :)

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