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re-building the blogging community

Coffee and floss blending. This is what good mornings are made of.

I love that the online crafting community is just that, a community. It even feels a bit like being in a sewing circle, quilting bee, or whatever the embroidery equivalent is. I experience support from the people I encounter on the Internet, and hope that I can provide similar support in turn.

The early months of this year were filled with disconnect for me, and in terms of the community of people I've met through this blog, I fear that the disconnect goes back further. But I don't want that to be.

I'm not sure what this will look like, I'm not sure how or if it will work and I'm not sure if you're even interested in joining me in this craft klatch. But I would like to have more conversations here (through comments and such...maybe other ways too?) and get to know you more.

So, come in, sit down, grab a coffee or iced tea, maybe some stitching, and introduce yourself. Share what you like to craft, if you have a blog, some other interesting thing about you, etc. Let's build (or re-build!) a community!

84 comments:

  1. Hey Mollie
    A huge hello from Switzerland. I joined your flickr spring club, and I am still busy stitching a lot, but taking pictures every now and then is not my thing. I am a 43 year old quilter, with 3 little boys and a hubbie at home, we have a huge vegies and fruits garden and the season of making preserves has already begun, so I am more between weeds and mud instead of sewing or quilting. I am still here, don't worry, but sometimes you have to be active in other regions than just in the sewing room :-))
    Have a nice week!
    Judy (Rundu in Flickr)

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    1. Hi Judy! Sounds like a full and wonderful life. Your garden especially sounds lovely, and it seems that in making preserves you're still staying crafty! We have had some strawberries that decided to take over an area that was meant to contain only flowers, but I'm letting them stay because I'm hoping for some sweet treats!

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  2. I love blogging for it's community. I started blogging last year and I joined the Twitter chat #CraftBlogClub every Tuesday at 7pm (which I now co-host) and I have met lots of lovely crafty bloggers and read lots of inspiring blogs.

    As a typical crafter I love all crafts but focus my time on papercraft, beading and crochet but I want more time to sew. I make and sell greeting cards, home décor and seasonal decorations. My blog is about my journey of turning my hobby into a successful business. I blog over at http://fizzijaynemakes.blogspot.co.uk. I hope to inspire and support those who want to start or are building a business out of their passion.

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    1. I'm going to have to check out #craftblogclub. What time zone is that? Tomorrow evening I'm out, but I'll try to join in next week...sounds fun!

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    2. Just wrote this twitter chat in my planner, I want to check it out next week as well. Thanks Fiona for mentioning it.

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  3. Hello from Texas! I've enjoyed your blog for a long time but often find myself hurrying through blogs and not commenting. GUILTY! I blog at www.ellynsplace.com and love the blogging community too. I'm a quilter/sewer, embroiderer, crocheter, mom & wife.

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    1. Hello, Texas! There's no guilt in not commenting, Ellyn. I just felt like it was time that I met more people who are reading! I'll be exploring your blog more, but I have to say that I love your Michael Miller Challenge quilt SO MUCH!

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    2. Molly, I'm like Ellyn I enjoy your blog but I rarely take pictures of the things I do. I like to go from project to project and if I finish one I'm really proud of myself. I LOVE YOUR BLOG so please don't stop blogging.

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    3. Thanks Mollie! It did come together, in the beginning I was afraid it was a little boring! LOL

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  4. In the depths of Somerset, I am just beginning to write my blog (www.troubleandstrumpet.co.uk) to share pictures of my projects. I trained as a costume designer & still spend my days making clothes & costumes, but desperately want to find time to make & market my fabric & paper dolls. In between feeding my 3 sons, that is!
    Would love to make more close connections on-line & this looks like a wonderful place to start! (Now I'm off to check out those other blogs....)

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    1. So good to meet you! I have to ask...what has been your favorite kind of costume to design? (Also, I love what I saw on your blog...keep pressing on with getting your dolls made!)

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  5. Hi from PA! I love your blog and all of the projects and insights you offer here and through social media. To be honest I am also really bad at commenting on blogs, I don't like speaking much in person either, I prefer to watch and listen and learn what are sensitive subjects to be avoided before I start talking. So online I guess that would be a lurker so to speak. I do blog every now and then and knit and crochet on the regular, and am starting some fun new projects as well for the summer months. ( ^ω^ )

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    1. Krysten, lurkers are still always welcome, but I'm so glad that you said hello! It's funny because I can do just fine meeting new people and even speaking in public, but I also get crazy nervous. My online community is my favorite, so I'm glad that we all can get to know each other a little better.

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    2. I know, I'm pretty shy IRL and you would never know it when I am at work. But I think I have worked really hard at being open enough to be acceptable in a retail environment. But I'm still such a home body, give me some string, sticks and a hook and I will be happy for days.

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  6. Hi Mollie, I love that through blogging and craft we can have a global community. I blog about crafts over at http://lifetimemrsjones.blogspot.co.uk and like Penn, live in Somerset, UK. Reading through my blog feed is one of the favourite parts of my day - I am always interested in what everyone is up to.
    Emma

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    1. Hi Emma! Hearing how many folks are from the UK, I'm thinking that the next time I visit we'll have to organize a little gathering!

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  7. You are my go-to blog source for embroidery info. I have only been following for about a month but that coincides with my latest infatuation with embroidery. Thanks for the support. I am also a new blogger at pedalsewlightly.blogspot.com. I am dabbling in IG and dipping my toes into Flickr.

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    1. I love that you referred to it as an infatuation. My goal will now be to turn that into a deep love. Haha! Anyway, so glad you're here, and if there's anything I can ever do to help, let me know. Although, after stopping by and seeing your birds, I'm pretty sure that you've got the embroidery under control! Oh, and I love your HSTs!

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  8. Hi, Molly! Just like Gayle, you are my go-to source for fun embroidery. I will admit that I don't do much of it... I often find hand work to be overly time consuming, but I love the finished product. You can find out more about me any time on my blog at: http://www.mouseinmypocket.com where you will also find links to all of my other social media outlets. I hope you feel more connected to the online community again soon.

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    1. Oh Andrea, hand work IS time consuming! That's why I usually choose smaller projects because it gives me a bit of the hand work I love, but without taking as much time. The Spring Stitching Club quilt that I made has somewhere around 7000 stitches to hold the hexagons together. And that was just one portion of the project!

      But then, seeing your Steampunk Crazy Quilt and reading how long that took you, I know you know what I mean!

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  9. Hello Molly! First of all I'd like to thank you for being such an inspiration to me. You are so creative and I love your style.

    My name is Elle and I am living in Singapore. I came upon your blog because I was looking for embroidery patterns. Alas, I don't have the time to really commit to an embroidery project but in my free time I do a little bit of journaling, lettering/calligraphy and card-making. I have a lot of fabric and threads kept in my shelves but working as an engineer for up to twelve hours a day and getting only one day off, I can't even muster the energy to think of a project! That is why I like visiting your blog, it's like I'm sewing vicariously through you (I hope that doesn't sound creepy - English is not my first language!).

    I also like to swap and write to my pen pals and do little bit of DIY. I blog at www.heyjayel.com - this is my outlet for all things creative.

    I am so glad that I got the chance to write a comment down. I hope that the disconnect you are feeling will pass soon. I really appreciate what you've done and are contributing to the craft blogging world!

    Cheers!
    Elle

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    1. Elle, you are very welcome to craft and sew vicariously through me! I do that too with quilters, and I think it's a great thing, especially when life gets busy. I hope you get to squeeze in some time for even a few quick stitching projects when you can!

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  10. Thanks for having this blog! I can't even remember what blog I was reading that sent me here, but here I've stayed and loved all your stitching clubs. It's been so fun to work on those little projects each week. I usually take them to work on at my quilting bee and the ladies are always disappointed when I bring something else to work on because they love seeing your designs. I love to quilt the most and I do love hand work so embroidery fits right in.

    I blog a bit about quilting or other stitching projects as well as what I might be cooking over at peek.org/marcella

    I love reading blogs but they do feel a bit one-sided :-) Long ago I used to participate in some crafty newsgroups - but it seems people have gone to e-mail groups (like yahoo, which aren't always easy to find the right fit) or over to Facebook which has limitations too. Hard to find just the right thing. Hope you find something perfect for you!

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    1. Hey Marcella! What a wonderful thing to hear about your quilting bee! Tell your friends thank you from me!

      You're right about blogs feeling one-sided. As a reader, it's easy to just take things in and skim and never feel connected, and as a writer, it's easy to stay in a bubble. It's sad, because there is such an opportunity to form friendships and support each other. So, we'll do our best!

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  11. Hi Molly! I love your little space on the internet, and I would love to form friendships in the blogging and crafty community too, having been a blogger myself for a couple years. So let me introduce myself! My name is Paige. I was born and raised in Texas, lived in LA for a year and a half, and have been living in Boston for the last 5 years. This summer, my husband and I are moving back to Texas to be closer to family, and I'm both super excited and a little sad about it. I'm an engineer, and I love to cook and read and travel and craft. I have been crafting ever since I was a little girl, starting with crochet, cross stitch, and a smidge of quilting. These days I do more knitting and embroidery than anything ( I actually learned to embroider from your blog and your amazing instructions)! My blog (atexasbelle.blogspot.com) is mostly food-related with a little bit of life and travel and crafting thrown in for good measure. I'm ready to grab my cup of coffee and to dive into this whole community thing! Thanks for doing what you do!

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  12. See this big wave from northern Indiana? That's me :) Hey Mollie, we're still here :) Sorry I have been a louse at commenting!! After that icky winter I have been having trouble getting back into the swing and sewing for pleasure...I am trying to make a comeback though with such a beautiful start to summer and blogs like yours are truly a joy for inspiration. I really love that you share your talent as well as your faith here. I love to embroider your designs and am working on the Soda Shop pattern now...I am still trying to perfect tiny lettering and am blaming you for a slightly unhealthy addiction to Japanese embroidery books...which bleeds into a need for Japanese quilting and craft books as well. I sporadically blog at krislovesfabric.blogspot.com.

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  13. Anonymous11:07 AM

    :-) Got the iced tea and enjoying your blog. :-) (Anonymous is the only way I have to post) :-)

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  14. Hi, Mollie! I love felt crafts and just recently opened an Etsy shop to see if there's any interest. But really, I just like to craft whenever I have some free time, so my main focus is just to continue enjoying it. My day job is as an engineer, and I have a husband and toddler daughter to chase around (yes, I chase both around). Crafting is my sanctuary on lunch breaks and after the chaos of the day is over. =)

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  15. Hi! I'm Tina from Rhode Island. I'm primarily a quilter, but I find myself pinning your designs, hoping to have time for some embroidery. I blog at seaside_stitches.blogspot.com and try to blog a few times a week. (Not last week, though. We were out of town.) I hope to be back to quilting and blogging tomorrow.

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  16. Hi Mollie! You were one of the first blogs I followed so I've been keeping up with your crafty creations for over 4 years! There's always so much cuteness to be found here.
    I've also felt a bit of that disconnect recently , so well done for doing something about :)
    I'm Lisa and I live in England. I'm a painter and I enjoy sewing and jewellery making and all sorts of crafts.
    I work as a teaching assistant in a primary school (elementary school equivalent) and sometimes teach a kids art club at my local arts centre, so I love coming up with kids craft ideas too.
    And I blog over at http://alwaysarty.blogspot.com/

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  17. Hi Mollie,

    I'm Summer from Texas. Just started blogging with 1 post (7 in drafts) as of a month ago. Very glad you posted about community since I agree that we should all have more of it :D I'm a total newb and will just be watching and learning for the most part. I'm still trying to learn to speak photoshop via you tube tutorials which is what has been holding up a lot of my posts. This is one of my favorite blogs that I check almost everyday. As far as sewing and diy goes I'm really interested in sewing, embroidery, and loom weaving. I have already checked out and started following some of the ladies who have commented above and I look forward to us all talking some more.

    Here's to new beginings <3

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  18. Sorry, last comment was from wrong Google account. (I have several.)
    Sarah

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  19. Hello from S. OR. I am a foodie with a love of fiber and crafting. I would love to connect with more crafters. I blog at Adventures in All Things Food @ blogspot with food, farm, family and some crafts thrown in when I can fit them in. I love seeing the projects your create and am venturing beyond my usual knitting and cross stitch to try embroidery. My quesiton is, what type of fabric do you suggest for your creative doodling?

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  20. Hi! I'm new to embroidery and you are the first blog I found. I have learned so much and I am looking forward to learning more. Your blog is so informative. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

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  21. Hi Mollie, I just found your blog a few weeks ago but I've enjoyed it a lot so far. You have some really cool projects here, very inspiring. I also blog, at http://thistlebearhome.com. I've been blogging for about a year and a half and I've really loved it. The blogging community is one of the best groups of people I've ever been fortunate enough to meet. :)

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  22. Hello, Mollie, I am primarily a spinner (of yarn) and a knitter. And a "sew-er," too. I've been sewing clothes since jr. high (in the 60's) and spinning since about 1979. Knitting came along a few years later so I could actually do something with my yarn. :^) However, I just started blogging about it in April of this year, with the encouragement of a dear, much younger friend. My spinning blog is called "Spinning Memories, Knitting Love," and is at http://spinningknitting.blogspot.com.

    I began following your lovely blog at the suggestion of said young friend. Thank you for your efforts and for this unique post.

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  23. Hi there Mollie, greetings from Munich! This is a great idea. I have been wondering how to get in touch with fellow bloggers. My blog (http://heidiswonkyworld.blogspot.de/) is fairly new and I seem to fail to connect with my audience. I have readers but hardly any comments and if then only from well-meaning friends.
    Still I love blogging and creating/designing so I guess it's worth it.
    I very much enjoy reading your blog and am looking forward to hearing more about your ideas!
    Take care and keep creating! Heidi xx

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  24. Abbie3:18 PM

    Greetings from West Virginia. I enjoy your blog and look forward to seeing it show up via my e-mail. Keep up the good work, Mollie!

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  25. I'm Shauna, from Tennessee :) I've been reading your blog for a couple years now... I like to embroider, cross stitch, crochet, knit, sew, quilt.... pretty much everything lol. That's why I love your blog, you do it all too! I also love that you talk about your faith and create inspirational embroidery & projects! Yours is one of the 5 websites I check every morning.... :)

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    1. Anonymous5:14 PM

      Hello there. I am Bethanie, and I live in Sevierville TN. I love to embroider and do simple crafts. Great to see someone else from TN here enjoying the goodness.

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  26. After reading your post, I had a light bulb moment. About a year ago, I re-entered blogging and was blogging several times a week. But stopped as I felt like I was talking to the ether. It wasn't until I read your post that I realized that I am guilty of not interacting with my favorite bloggers. I come to your sites and enjoy what you share and only occasionally do I comment. I hate the thought that I might be contributing to some very talented people making the decision to not interact. You are right crafters must unite and support each other. From this day forward I am going to make a concerted effort to respond to posts and interact with my favorite bloggers. You do such a great job and I am forever stealing your ideas!

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  27. Hey, I'm Tina. I can't even remember when I started reading this blog, but just recently started commenting. I had a blog about jewelry a few years ago and had little interest so I gave up. I started my current blog, solestitch.blogspot.com, to document my adventures in sewing clothing earlier this year and that has been doing a lot better. That might be because I kind of threw myself into the sewing community by participating in challenges and commenting on blogs so they couldn't ignore me. I also make handbags, fabric jewelry, dolls, and about a million other things that may be incorporated into the blog one of these days.

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  28. Anonymous4:34 PM

    Hi Mollie! Bethanie here. L-O-V-E your blog and your ideas! Keep it up!

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  29. Hi Mollie! I'm Carie and when not running around after two small girls and whoever this bump turns out to be I love to knit, sew, quilt, embroider and take a gazillion photos! And so I love to see all your pretty pictures!

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  30. Hi Mollie, this is Victoria, from Valencia (Spain). Many thanks for this opportunity to say hello to you and other bloggers. Since April 2.013 I have my own blog: http://kyvic100porcien.blogspot.com.es/ where I usually write and have some tutorials (some mine and most from the blogosphere), no much free time for more. Love !

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  31. Hey Mollie! I am Moriah and I am a young small blogger. I would love to re-build the blogging community by giving more attention to young smaller blogs like myself. I really want to be part of a blogging community but often fin it is hard. Thanks. xoxo

    http://thegirlinredlipstick.blogspot.com

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  32. Mollie, thanks for this post! I've been blogging for three years now and I feel like this time last year/this winter there was a major but quiet shift in the craft blog world. It doesn't feel the same but I'm not sure what's taken the old's place.

    I'm Vanessa from MN. I originally grew up just outside NYC, which is a little cool. I like to knit, embroider and I'm teaching myself how to draw. I love doing martial arts as well. Oh yeah, and I blog about life post-cancer. I credit knitting (just making stuff, really) with keeping me from falling into total despair during chemotherapy.

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  33. Elyse7:03 PM

    Hi Mollie!! My name is Elyse and I am from the Greater Cleveland area where I live with my husband, our hyper dog Helga, and our mellow cat Olga. I have been following your blog for about 2 years now and I LOVE everything that you create, sell, and design. I have purchased your pattern "Heart Full of Honey" and have never been happier with an embroidery project. I check out your blog every few days and get giddy when I see something new posted. I love the step by step process, your easy instructions, and the colorful images that come along with every post you create. I am hoping to join the Summer Embroidery Club and really look forward to that project this summer. I hope that you continue on with your blog and we all see many more projects to come.
    I love crafting with all materials and I enjoy learning new hobbies and crafts. I quilt, crochet, embroider, and have taken a few glass blowing and pottery classes (glass blowing was AMAZING). I do not blog myself, but I love reading other crafter's blogs and enjoy learning from the world crafting community.

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  34. I am Kristin. I am a designer and illustrator. I love making things by hand especially if it's cute. I stitch for fun when I have down time between jobs. (By the way I adore your blog and find it deeply inspirational.)

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  35. Hi Mollie:
    I am Vicki and was born and raised in Miami, FL. In 1982 I moved to SLC, UT with what is now my x-husband. After a divorce and a couple years of being single I married the man of my dreams and we just celebrated our 25th anniversary this past March. We moved to Colorado in 2009, which was huge for my husband because he had never left Utah except for a church mission. We have now moved to New Mexico which is HOT (only 108 today!) for his job, and I personally hate it. But there must be a reason we are here and trying to find the positive. We have 7 children (4 which my DH adopted and 3 together) and #14 & #15 Grands are coming this Fall. I love to embroider, quilt and try a little scraping (as in memory books). I am a better collector of fabrics and at one point had every color DMC released and if I really liked it I had 4 or more of those colors. HEHE I am taking my Bachelors degree along with my DH, and loving it to the max. I do not like birds or fowl in my fabrics or embroidery. Why? Haven't a clue, just don't like it. I am not a heavy fruit person either, but I love "dark romantic" colors. At one point I wanted to paint every wall and ceiling different colors in our bedroom. So you can see I am a color person! I hit up your blog at least 5 times a week, but honestly it's more like 7 days! I look forward to all the new things you share with us, and am grateful for your willingness to share.

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  36. Hi Mollie--I know we have teamed up in the past and I'd love to do that again, since we are both stitchers! Would you ever consider setting up a facebook group or something where this little group of people could connect on a regular basis? Thanks for this call to connect.

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  37. Hi Mollie! Julie here from south Florida! The things you do make people happy! You keep me coming back. I've been following you for what seems like years, although I rarely comment because so busy! I love to try all kinds of things...sewing on machine is a new one, and embroidery, or course. Sometimes plastic canvas. My whole thing is generally Christmas stuff. Love the Christmas stuff!!! I am married, have 4 grown kids, 5 grands, and blog about them and my tire gardens which have flowers and succulents in them. I used to vegetable garden in containers, but it is so hot here, I've given it up! I recently tried Facebook (which I have sen take people away from blogging), but I found most of the time it wasn't for me. I like the more personal side of blogging where you connect with like minded people. Well, this was another one of your good ideas! Love ya!

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  38. Hi Mollie - I'm Sarah. I've admired/read your blog for a long time now, but I'm guilty of not commenting often. I love that you put out a call to action, clearly the community is still here, it's just gotten shy. :)
    I discovered embroidery last year while teaching my daughter handwork as a homeschool activity. I loved it as a child and when I picked up needle and thread now, I felt inspired and happy. I've continued stitching and... bravely... just opened an Etsy shop selling modern embroidery kits, at www.etsy.com/shop/iheartstitchart. I still feel very nervous putting it out there but I'm loving it and it has given me so much joy to bring it to fruition.
    I'm a mama to three, and my youngest (2.5 now) has Cystic Fibrosis; life has been very stressful for our family these past three years with three moves, our daughter's diagnosis, and my husband was laid off twice, and that's not the end of it. But I believe all this is happening for our good, and working at embroidery (and trying to spread the joy about how great it is) has been very therapeutic for me.
    I blogged sporadically for awhile last year, mostly about creativity and mothering. I couldn't keep it up though... I've started a blog for my new venture and determined to keep it up better.

    I have to say, yours was one of the first embroidery websites I discovered that inspired me. I mean, there are lots of very informative sites; but yours is young and fresh and so well put together. I read on in admiration. :)

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  39. Anonymous2:42 AM

    Hi Mollie. My name is Emma and I live in England. I've been cross stitching regularly for a year or so now but could never really get into embroidery (I like the structure of counted cross stitch) but discovering your patterns made me want to try it and i'm hooked! My stitches are never perfect but I enjoy it and that's what matters! I can't stop stitching the little book pattern and I love the monthly stitching clubs. I think you foster a really nice and welcoming community of embroidery. So thank you for that. I love that crafting has such a community around it - I just took part in a stitch swap which was great.

    I'm getting married in October so my next big craft project will probably be something related to that! I mostly do cross stitch and embroidery but also dabble in making cushions, machine embroidery, scrapbooking and making fabric bookmarks etc. I want to make clothes but don't feel confident enough yet.

    My favourite thing to do is to make embroidery hoop based craft - I just bought hoop-la and I am really excited about the hoop covering ideas in there. I bought some Roald Dahl Matilda fabric and I am really excited about making something with that.

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  40. Antonia4:44 AM

    Hi Mollie - I'm Antonia, and also from England. I enjoy a lot of crafts, particularly sewing, sock-knitting and scrapbooking. I've been a quilter for 20 years and my current project is a grandmother's flower garden quilt with 1.5cm hexagons. I've been working on it (on and off) for a year and it will have more than 4,000 hexagons in total. I also enjoy machine-piecing, not least because it's considerably faster!

    I love embroidery and have completed Wild Olive's summer and autumn stitch clubs. The winter and spring patterns are all prepped and ready to come on holiday to Greece with me in a fortnight. Travelling is another passion of mine and I always take sewing and knitting with me.

    I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with next. I'd like to see some travel- or hobby-based patterns.

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  41. Anonymous6:16 AM

    Hi Mollie, I am Fiona from Hampshire in England. I have been cross stitching since I was little and last year branched out into embroidery and patch working- and think I am now addicted. I also love making things from felt. I love your blog and your ideas. Its bright, honest, quirky and really helpful. The pictures are really useful too. By day I work in finance admin, but I daydream a lot about crafting. I hate being between projects as sometimes I think I have too many ideas that I don’t know where to start. Once I am head down, needle in hand and mid project I feel more organised. Thanks for your blog its super.

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  42. Yay for more community! I miss the conversation aspect of blogs these days. I also miss crafting, as I've been in a crafting slump lately. I love this space for inspiration and ideas and the kindness of your community.

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  43. Hi Mollie,
    My name is Moria. I am originally from California, USA (Bay area & Shasta County & Sacramento area). In March 2013, I moved down here to Cuenca, Ecuador with my family. It is definitely different living here but I am really loving it. I fell upon your blog when I was looking for some new cute embroidery designs. When I first saw your Summer Stitching Club mentioned on your blog, I decided then and there to sign up for your Fall Stitching Club which I did along with your other two seasons too (Winter & Spring). I am looking forward to your next Stitching Club that you will be bring out in July. Thank you again for your great blog.

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  44. Hi Mollie ,
    My name is Cécile ( alias Miss Butterfly) ...I live in the south of France . I love every crafts as long as they uses fabrics, threads , and colours !!! I started 6 years ago and learned all from on-line video , blogs and books . I signed up for your spring stitching club and had a ball !!! I love your work because it's unique and fun ... If you have time pop over to : http://lesprojetsmissb.canalblog.com/
    Thank you for sharing the cuteness on your blog ...keep up the good work !

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  45. Hi! I used some of your patterns for lovely Christmas gifts for my students and family. I don't sew, so I used your patterns and glued the felt together. I also am a big paper crafter, and I made some with paper for ornaments as well. The patterns were so cute and people loved them. I try to make and give ornaments every year as presents, or on the presents, using the ornaments as gift tags. I like the tradition of making ornaments every year, so that every year when you are putting up your tree, you can think about the memories of making the ornaments.

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  46. Hi Mollie! I'm Karen and I live on Whidbey Island in Washington State with my wonderful hubby and two spoiled dogs :-) I've really been enjoying your seasonal stitching classes - hope to finish Spring soon! I love most needle craft - counted cross stitch is my fave. Right now I'm teaching myself to knit. Got a wood burning kit for Christmas I want to experiment with, too. I'm not a big commenter, but want you to know I really enjoy your blog and designs!

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  47. Anonymous3:41 PM

    I discovered your blog last fall and have been an avid follower since then. You have reignited my love of embroidery. My name is Dawn and I live in upstate NY right near the Canadian border. I am a mom to 3 great kids, a wife and a Family & Consumer Science middle school teacher. I love all types of crafts and rotate right now between scrapbooking, crocheting, embroidery and fabric crafts. Thanks for all the work you do in maintaining your blog and though I don't comment much, it's all appreciated. Plus I love the patterns you put out that are faith based.

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  48. Aww this post is great! I love the craft community I've found online, there are so many talented and amazing people out there!

    I am headed to bed but in the morning I am going to go through and read all these comments and get to know everyone! I hope to find some new blogs and crafters to follow!

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  49. Hi Mollie! I just recently started blogging (over at candyflossramparts.com), so I'm still looking for my community. My blog is a bit all over the place, but one of the reasons I started blogging was to get back into the swing with crafty/creative endeavors. I used to be fairly active on Craftster, but I got really busy with work and a lot of the fun stuff fell by the wayside. I'm now working freelance from home, and relishing having a little more time to indulge in fun pursuits. My favorite craft is embroidery, but I dabble in all sorts. I've been wanting to start an art journal for AGES, so that's on my to-do list for this year. Glad I found your blog!

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  50. A big Hello from down-under! (aka Australia) I've been following you through bloglovin and am always inspired by your posts and crafts. I have been crafting for a very long time but was inspired to start my own blog and online store just last year www.brickroadcreativestudios.wordpress.com Its great to 'meet' you!
    Cheers
    Kathryn

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  51. Hello Mollie. How nice to see enthusiasm for communicating. Your absolutely right about the crafting community. There is an amazing family feel about it; support, suggestions, bickering, love, care and a shared interest in creativity. I have just started to blog....thebeadybutterfly.wordpress.com. It is a fascinating way to express thoughts and ideas and the bloglovin app is excellent for keeping track on my favourite 'family' members x

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  52. Hi! I'm Amber from Upper Michigan. I'm not actually a blogger, though I hope to be. I first started embroidering about 25 years ago when my mom put together a little set for me in a big vintage heart shaped candy box. It was a valentine's gift that my five year old self never forgot! These days I have two little boys, two and a half and one, and a very busy husband who's working full time and doing a pastoral internship. Needless to say I don't get a lot of time to do any kind of crafting! I am really enjoying living vicariously through your crafty blog and am so exciting to get to know you. I don't comment much on any blog because I kind of feel like there really isn't a desire on the bloggers part to respond/appreciate/read. The community is kind of lacking so this is a very refreshing idea.

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  53. Hi! I'm Amy from Central New York. I have two blogs (happytransplant.blogspot.com & ifyouvegotitcraftit.blogspot.com). HappyTransplant is my place for writing about thoughts on life's happenings. "If You've Got It, Craft It" started because I wanted to reduce my stash of crafting supplies. I share projects completed exclusively from my stash or horde, depending on your point of view. My blogs won't earn me any awards but I enjoy it and that is enough for me. During the winter I tend to do crochet projects. Now that warmer weather is here I like to bust out my embroidery. I will be starting some patterns I got from you (Nutcracker) in prep for Christmas presents. I enjoy using my sewing machine too. Most of my projects (embroidery, crochet, and sewing) are simple and straightforward. Thanks for the chance to introduce myself. I'm looking forward to seeing the new patterns and projects and insights you share with us!

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  54. Anonymous7:46 AM

    Hi, Mollie!
    Funny, but I long all school year to have moments to myself...now summer is here and I struggle to enjoy the free time I have...My name is Cheri...a career-long librarian, mother of two adult daughters (both artsy to the nth degree), two rescued pets...a kitty, Emma and a dog, Ruby. I have a growing problem with arthritis in my hands and a tricky trigger finger, to boot. I do things with my hands to keep them flexible,,,motivation right now is a problem. I garden extensively and love my potager style garden beds...love tomatoes and am anxious for the first and this year I, too, have a strawberry patch full of sun bitten sugar sweet berries...it is stormy in Indianapolis today!

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  55. Hi from Las Vegas! I've actually been a terrible lurker these days. I just had a baby, so leaving comments is tough, but I do appreciate new posts to keep me entertained and engaged in the crafting community, especially since my,time for crafting has gone down significantly. I do love that the crafting community feels like a true community. But you're right, you have to participate! And that means starting and responding to conversations! Thanks for reminding us all and breaking the ice!

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  56. Hi Mollie! It's funny that I'm reading this post right now as I drink my morning coffee and check on comments left on my blog. It's true about the crafting community - it's important to connect and share so we can learn from each other - I know I've learned a lot from people who have tried my patterns and found mistakes hehe. I think the first time I found your blog was through craftgawker and pretty much fell in love with your creations. I'm a crocheter in Toronto, Canada (my blog is http://www.popsdemilk.com/) but I some times like to embroider and each time I visit your blog I'm so inspired to embroider something. Thanks for continuing to inspire and share your work and now for reminding us that we really are a sewing/embroidery/knitting/crochet/craft circle :)

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  57. Hello! My name's Caitlin and I blog at http://caketin-does.blogspot.co.uk/ craft wise I'm mainly knitting and crochet but I have started to do some sewing now.

    I found your blog earlier this year through bloglovin recommendations I think and this is my first comment on it.
    I normally craft on my own so sharing my work is the social aspect. I like to talk about the stories and the inspirations - that's also why I follow other peoples blogs. It also helps to feel connected knowing other people are doing similar things all around the world. Maybe because I am a bit of an irregular blogger I haven't really got into the community past that but I would like to. Thank you for reaching out to us all!

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  58. What a nice idea to reach out like this. I have blogged on and off for years now and I love it, but one thing that has always contributed to the "off" times is the lack of true back and forth with readers. People may comment and I can reply, but that is really the end of the conversation. So I love that you thought to reach out like this.
    My name is Katie and I live in Texas these days, though I have lived a bit all over. I have an Etsy shop (https://www.etsy.com/shop/stickgreendesigns) where I sell bags mostly for kids, but some for adults too. I work mostly with canvas and other heavy-weight fabrics. I have a growing love for embroidery, but it is mostly in the ogling phase. One day, I will find the time to do it more often and learn more about it. I also blog at http://stickgreendesigns.com and am going to start teaching again part-time next year after a seven year break.

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  59. Hey mollie!

    What wonderful words. I am myself a blogger and try to carry the word of stitchin out to the german speaking world. I get a lot of inspiration of you blog
    On my blog <a href="http://www.sticheleien.eu>Sticheleien</a> I write about the stitching world in german and would love to feature you too. Drop me a word if you are interested! I would love to show my german speaking community you work.

    Alle the best Pat

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  60. Hi Mollie. Thanks so much for blogging! I have been teaching my boys to sew and embroider and it has helped me to look through this blog for tips and ideas. And the little faces on everything always make me smile. (I confess, sometimes I save looking at this site for when I need a little pick me up.) My kindergartener and I are busily cutting away the cat bookmarks for a little gift for his classmates. We had to print them on green paper because he thinks green cats are the coolest.

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  61. Hi Mollie!

    My name is Paula and I live in Barcelona, Spain. This post you've written sums it up for me. I have a blog and read many blogs around the world, and the thing I like most about them is exactly that, this sense of community, of sharing. I can't really put into words all the wonderful things my blog has made for me, from opening up a sense of creativity I didn't think I had in me to helping me meet wonderful people around the world. I now have friends I have never met but still love dearly, and I get happy, sad and worried with them, through their words.

    I really enjoy doing everything creative. I wish I had some more time, or maybe, I wish I managed my time better to free up some time for my creative projects. I am really enjoying polishing and painting wood at the moment, and I have a major redecoration coming around the house, which I hope I can share in the blog, if I get the time!

    I am really proud of being a member of your community, as I really enjoy reading your blog!

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  62. Hello Mollie! Sorry to be so slack commenting. I read my feed every night and sometimes forget to go through my starred items.
    It seems I am much better at reading about craft than actually doing it. Soon after my first daughter was born (21months ago) I decided to do something creative every day, as much as possible, because I found myself slumping due to the regime of sleeping, feeding and being zonked and stunned by parenting. I've had a few lulls, and am in one right now actually, but I've done pretty well. I keep a blog - http://makerspy.blogspot.com - but it's really for me to journal my days. It's full of bad photography and not a single giveaway or freebie. That's just beyond me. Your post today though made me realise that I may have to craft my way out of this rut, that maybe I'll have to go to the motivation. So I'm finishing this comment and putting down the ipad. Thanks from Melbourne, Australia ;)

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  63. Hello! I'm Haruyo from Osaka,Japan! I like cross-stich,embroidery,crochet and sewing.
    I first came to your blog for about a year ago, and now on the way reading through all the articles in your archive. How I love your 'kawaii' products!
    I'm sorry I've never comment your blog before. Because it's very difficult for me to write what I want to say in English.( I always read your blog using an elctronic dictionary and now I'm writing this with the help of it.)

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  64. Aloha! My crafting time has been cut significantly by the activities of a toddler, but I love to work with my hands. Cross Stitch, knitting, embroidery... fiber arts are my first love. I enjoyed doing your Summer Stitch along last year. I love browsing blogs for inspiration, while my blog is more of a record of the things I've been working on. Thank you for taking the time to get to know us!

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  65. Hi, Mollie! My name is Cynthia and I live in Minnesota, USA. I turned 58 this year and have been doing some type of craft since I was in fifth grade and my mother taught me how to sew. My grandmother taught me to crochet when I was 16 which lead to a wonderful experience, I crocheted my wedding dress. Some of the crafts I enjoy are: crocheting, knitting, cross stitch, hand and machine embroidery (I make my own patterns for both), needlepoint, sewing for myself and making shirts and coats for our baby with paws (I made my husband a three-piece suit for our 1st anniversary), and there are probably other crafts I have forgotten. I started following blogs a few years ago and found yours just by going from blog to blog and seeing what each person followed. I just love your designs, they are so cute and so "me." I started a blog when I turned 56 but I didn't get very far. I keep it open hoping I will get back to it someday. I gave away a pattern set that I had designed for hand embroidery and shared some recipes for humans and their pet companions. My blog is DigbysDoodles.blogspot.com and the reason for it's name is that Digby is my baby with paws. My e-mail address was in memory of our first baby with paws so I gave my blog Digby's name. Thank you for reaching out to us bloggers. I am retired now and have very little contact with anyone (other than my husband). It's nice to feel I have blog friends around the world. Have a wonderful weekend!

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  66. Hi Mollie, just to let you know I do follow you and read your posts, I never comment though as I feel I never have anything pertinent to say, that and the fact most people are more skilled than I so I have no comments to add!
    I do have a blog and I craft, lots, but I never really blog about it. I tend to spend most of my time on my phone, such as now, so lengthy posts and quick comments aren't as easy as they should be, must try harder.
    I have subscribed to your spring stitch club, managed three or four embroidered bits and then life seems to have got in the way, another thing languishing in a basket.
    I think my life motto will have to be 'Must Try Harder'

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  67. Hello Mollie, first of all I'd like to mention that I really enjoy your kawaii diy tutorials! I started blogging 10 years ago and noticed that people would leave comments far more easily (myself included). But I think it shifted towards social media, like Facebook and Twitter. I hope thinks will shift back, there's just something magical about a personal website. So please keep doing what you are doing ^_^

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  68. Hi Mollie! I love your blog and your patterns, and I enjoy blogging and its community! It's wonderful to meet people all around the world with the same interests as me.
    I like all kinds of crafts, especially patchwork, embroidery, crochet and knitting.
    I look forward to your new project! Hugs!

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  69. Hi Mollie!! I have followed along with your blog for quite awhile now. I love your adorable projects!! I enjoy sewing as well. We make mostly felt crafts for our daughter. My husband sketches all of our designs (and sketches coloring pages too!) Our blog is almost a year old now and I am really enjoying getting more involved in the crafting community myself.

    Looking forward to connecting more!
    Alicia

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