It has been just about one year since I started blogging and here I am with post #100. Amazing. In
my first post I shared the first quilt I had recently finished:
Well, I don't know about you but I have had a great time with this little blog! My initial goal was to stop being a silent blog reader and become a more interactive participant in the quilting blog community. Of course, I could (and will!) do more but overall I am very pleased with my progress in the first year of blogging. Although I don't have a long list of corporate sponsors or book signing deals in the near future, I am A-OK with what I have learned and contributed in this first year.
I am continuing to work on my photographing and photo-editing.
Every time I successfully apply something new in Blogger or with HTML it is cause for celebration! Is it just me? Why does a simple thing like numbering your comments require a research project? Thank you, thank you for all your help out there in google search world! A special thank you to my almost-DIL for her patience and assistance with my periodic technical quandaries!
As a result of this little blog, I've enjoyed being able to participate in my
first blog hop (thanks to
Beth at Plum and June!), my
first on-line quilt festival (thanks to Amy at
AmysCreativeSide) with not one but
two entries, and contribute to weekly and periodic linky parties.
I am still trying to find my social media routine. Not a big Facebook fan...way too much overuse and abuse for me. However, several of my favorite fabric shops have great FB pages that I do like. I enjoy viewing pictures on Flickr and the groups thereon, but geez, another place to upload pictures. Instagram may be the answer but first I need a major upgrade to the barely-smart phone I am using now. I love Pinterest for keeping track of tutorials and project inspirations (once I figured out the process for pinning on the ipad!) . But seriously, how do you busy quilters/bloggers/parents/grandparents find time to keep all these media active and useful??
I love being able to share fabric acquisitions with you! For some reason, this just doesn't illicit the same response from my husband and sons as I get from you!
I have learned to follow...many ways...bookmarks, reading lists, Bloglovin to name a few. AND I have picked up a few followers too! WOW! Thank you! I can't tell you how blown away I am when I get a comment that something I have made has inspired someone! Before I get all teary eyed about how wonderful you all are out there in blog land...it is time for a celebration!
In honor of my 100th post and first year of blogging, I want to give something to you! How about this jelly roll of Mama Said Sew from Sweetwater?
I used this lovely line to make a wedding gift for my BFF from high school days:
And because I really love you guys, how about another little fun pile of FQ's?
Just comment to this post and I will use the fancy random number generator thingy on Sunday, September 29 to select two winners! If you are wondering what to say in your comment, I would welcome any social media management advice! If you are a "no-reply blogger" please leave your email address in your comment or email me separately as I will have no way of getting in touch with you if you win!
Speaking of linky parties that have been a big part of the fun and frivolity of my first year blogging...I am linking up with AmandaJean's
Finish It Up Friday. Thanks to all of you who visit from her link-up!
Now, off to work on the next 100 posts! Have a wonderful weekend!
Kathy
PS The Worldwide Quilt Shop Tour is heading to Orlando, Florida next week. Any suggestions??
Congratulation!!!!Hugs Bambi
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your 100th! I am not brave, or have enough to say, to have my own blog. But I enjoy seeing what others are completing. Keep up the great work, I love the browns in the kayak!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on all you have accomplished Kathy! I love Pinterest and use Flickr too... Haven't really used Instagram much. I do Facebook to keep up with family and friends who use it. But reading blogs is my favorite!
ReplyDeleteWhat a terrific gieaway--congrats on your 100th post--I love reading your quilty doings. Great inspiration..hugs, Julierose
ReplyDeleteI found you today from a comment you made on another page (Threads on the floor, I think... or maybe Crazy Mom quilts). I've been buying lots of fabric and 'quilting stuff' I just haven't actually started quilting yet. I enjoy blogs and have bookmarked yours. I might start blogging some day to document my journey from a 100% NON-sewer to a quilting genius (or at least, that's the goal!).
ReplyDeleteYay on your 100!!! That is super duper exciting and Happy 1 year too. I am in exactly the same position as you on the social media. I get it. I too am contemplating Instagram but need a new phone...for now Blogland for me it is!!! Thanks for the chance to win some gorgeous new fabric - I adore your Mama Said Sew quilt that you gifted to your friend. It is every so pretty and gentle and soft, which I love - how did you do that when those colours black/red seem so bold!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the 100 posts! That's awesome! I'm a new follower, from the linky party. Let's see, I don't know much about social media managment, but I can tell you what I like! I like when blogs have a FB page. That way, I can follow along on FB instead of Bloglovin. I like it when follow and/or Share button are prominent (Yours are great!). I like it when my feeds are clogged with daily posting/updates. I also love guest posts and tutorials. I'm looking forward to reading some more of your blog and seeing more of your beautiful photos and quilts!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Kathy - here's to the next 100! A lot of what you have written resonates with me and many others, I'm sure. The important thing is to enjoy it all - quilting, blogging and following - I know we both do :)
ReplyDeleteLovely quilts! I especially love that log cabin with the blues and grays. Before I stoped by on your blog (from Crazy Mom Quilts) I was just thinking how I need to start up a quilting blog but I hate having to deal with blogspot and trying to get my pics up (I have a personal blog but not one dedicated just to quilting). Keep it up! I know social media can be a challenge sometimes but it's fun to see what everyone is doing and get inspired to keep on quilting :) Thanks for the chance to win!
ReplyDeleteI don't have a blog - but I am an avid reader of all that link up to Amanda Jean's Friday Finishes. I work for a wholesale quilting fabric/notions company, and I'm always learning new techniques and what's happening in the quilting world through blogs. So thank YOU!
ReplyDeleteLisa
lnelson@r-and-z.com
Congratulations on your 100th post and the lovely quilts you have made.I only blog . I do not use the other media outlets because working , sewing, blogging, gardening and maintaining my home consumes my time. I think I would be overwhelmed if I had Facebook, twitter, etc..
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your milestone! Your quilts are beautiful. Rcoyle at olemiss dot edu
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your 100th post! You have made some beautiful quilts. I have just begun to blog, but I enjoy the back and forth that it provides. And I love seeing what everyone is creating.
ReplyDeleteHow fun! And congrats on 100 posts! I love the part about sharing fabric finds...and the less than enthusiastic responses from hubby and sons...and I know they try to be supportive! I am in the same boat/KAYAK here :) As far as social media...I just keep coming back to blogs! lol! No one on FB is quite as chummy or focused on sewing like bloggers! So after that, the flickr groups that compliment my blog habit...I just keep it all down to a manageable group....and you are part of it! :)
ReplyDeleteGreat job!! Love your quilts and quilt projects!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely bunch of quilts! you take beautiful photos. Congrats on your 100th post. Social media can be an incredible way to connect, or an incredible way to waste time. Only advice is to pick the platform that works for you & just mostly concentrate you energy on that one platform. I only pay attention to blogs on my Bloglovin feed, even though I have twitter, Pinterest, G+, FB, & even get a few emails.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Kathy! 100 posts is a big achievement, so now just keep on trucking! I made a decision not to use Pinterest for fear it would suck time away from my quilting. I do love Instagram though as you can be just picture based or have some great interactions with people through the comments. Here's to another 100! Clink clink!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your 100th post. Although I don't have a blog, I sure do enjoy looking in at what everyone is doing on their blogs. I have learned so much from them.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations from a fellow Peanuts lover! I really enjoy reading your blog.
ReplyDeleteHey, congrats! Well done. I have no advice because I'm still overwhelmed by blogging - writing and reading - let alone adding all the other things. :/ So I guess I can commiserate but not advise. How bout by post 200 you have it figured out and share with the rest of us??
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your 100th post. Here is to another 100 posts!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on 100 posts! I too am a non facebook kind of gal, but i do love instagram!! (i've also been know to get sucked into Pinterest for days!)
ReplyDeleteAnd i totally agree with you on the HTML victories!, though i still have yet to figure out how to number my comments!
Here's to many more years of Kayak Quilting!
Congrats on your 100th! How exciting :) Love love love that quilt in your header, so cool with the light and dark fabrics.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Kathy. I enjoy your blog and all your wonderful creations - your photos are amazing too! I am trying to cut back on my use of social media and appreciate my life here and now, so probably not the best one to give you advice! Thanks for a lovely giveaway :-)
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your 100th post and on all you've done with your blog (and your quilts)!
ReplyDeleteAs far as social media goes, I really like to use Pinterest for quilt inspiration, and Bloglovin' for following my favorite bloggers. I find Facebook difficult to manage, and primarily use it for blogging purposes, as well as for fundraising and awareness for various causes. I'm not on twitter or instagram.
Good luck!
Congratulations on your 100th post! My advice would be to just use what you are comfortable with, that way it won't all seem too onerous (after all, the only person you have to answer to is yourself, so just do what you want to do!) Cheers, Jenny
ReplyDeleteCongrats on hitting 100! Enjoy your visit to Orlando next week. My fav quilt shop is Wandering Stitches just north of the airport. A bit tricky to find but worth the search!
ReplyDeleteCongrats Kathy! I love reading your posts and your photos are gorgeous! I started a blog a couple of months ago for similar reasons and am thrilled when I get responses (and followers!) My primary goal was to start to document my quilts but I love the interaction. I've tried a bit of Instagram, and Flickr but it all seems like hieroglyphs to me! Plus the time it takes eats into my sleep schedule. I find blogging takes plenty time so I can't really afford more. Otherwise I'd never get any quilting done! I love the linking parties! I follow mostly on bloglovin and all the things I like about other blogs and the convenience of the buttons are things I need to learn (research) to add to my blog. I'm encouraged by this post so thank you for your honesty, it helps to know not the only newbie out there! My blog www.pinprickedfingers.com if you are interested and my email ritaferber_5@hotmail.com because I still can't tell if I'm a no-reply blogger! Keep your paddle in the water!
ReplyDeleteI sew back on your blog all your works and I like it very much. Congratulations to this great blog!
ReplyDeleteEdit from Hungary
I think you have a great blog so just having that is great. You've made some lovely quilts! I'd say just pick a couple of social media outlets and stick with those. It can be really time consuming to keep up with it all! Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteGreat projects! I enjoy blogging very much too. Congrats and have fun!
ReplyDeleteYour blog is one of my favorites! Thanks so much for sharing your quilting. I am not an expert on media, just getting started on bloglovin'. I like to keep my list of things I follow simple, to save time for actual sewing.
ReplyDeletekchquilts@gmail.com
Congratulations on your 100th post!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your 100 posts! I love following blogs, but I wouldn't know how to begin one, so kudos to you for that. I don't follow all the social media. I mainly follow blogs I like (found you thru Amanda Jean) and when I see something I like I pin it to my pinterest boards. Keep up the great work.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to you, Kathy! I really enjoy reading your blog and enjoyed getting to know you through the blog hop! Your quilts are so beautiful!
ReplyDelete:) Kelly @ My Quilt Infatuation
I think you can link some different social media platforms, I know that you can have your tweets automatically post to facebook at least, if you want to use both and don't want to have to post multiple times. Flickr can post to facebook automatically too, as can pinterest, although that isn't much help if you don't like facebook I guess! I don't really use instagram and find the app a bit confusing as I've not used it much, but my friends have theirs linked to fb too somehow. I have facebook, twitter, instagram, flickr and pinterest, but there is no way I have time or the inclination to use all of them! I don't like twitter and don't browse pinterest as it is a time eater, I just make my own pins and then sometimes browse my own boards for inspiration! I tend to stick to facebook and feedly, to try and not waste valuable crafting time! I'm not sure how people manage to keep up with all of them and have time to craft too! And blog!
ReplyDeleteAnd congratulations on your 100th post :)
Ohhhh.....a give away, lovely and thank you
ReplyDeleteI'm not media savvy, but I blog, Pinterest (sometimes), Instagram and Facebook
I like that it's about sharing with like minded people
and I've made a lot of friends!!
I also love being connected to further quilting friends via internet. Love the beautiful fabrics you are gifting.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had social media advice for you. Instead, I read your post and felt there was a kindred spirit out there.... I'm in the same boat as you! That quilt for your BFF is just so great. Congrats on your 100th post!
ReplyDelete~robin
welchrobin@Hotmail.com
Congrats on reaching such a cool milestone! Flickr and Instagram are the easiest for me to use. Face book is too snarky and political.
ReplyDeleteCheers......Patti
Blog reading is my favorite but I do also use Pinterest and Facebook:)
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the 100th post. I'm about a year into blogging as well but mine has been about 95% military family living overseas and 5% quilting. We just moved back to the states though so maybe now I'll have to focus more on quilting.
ReplyDeleteI'm just over a year into my blog as well. Its only been about 5% quilting posts as I had lots of other things to write about while we were overseas. Now that we are back in the states and life won't be quite such an adventure, I'll have to do more quilting posts.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your 100th blog post!! As for social media, I mainly read blogs, but even that takes up quite a lot of time (that I'd also like to spend sewing and writing the odd blog post...) I am wondering if a smart phone would make it easier as you'd be able to check social media more easily. I'd need an upgrade though ;-)
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your 100th! Love your quilts...no advice on social media...but I agree with you...too much can be overwhelming. I do use Pinterest...a lot....and I love being able to keep everything where I can find it. Facebook has really turned me off...too much crap on the page when I load up...my eyes are old. I try to blog regularly but I admit I get to reading everyone elses and run out of time to post to my own. Thanks for the chance to win.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your 100 post! I love following your quilting adventures. I am not a blogger so I do not have any words of wisdom for you. I would really love the jelly roll of Mama Said Sew to make a quilt for my "mama". Thank you for all the inspiration. Jennifer - JennerMom@aol.com
ReplyDeleteI don't have any social media advice - I use Pinterest alot - but find I don't often go back to the projects I've pinned. Sorry - not much help. I love the give aways - would make an awesome addition to my stash - though I don't think either would stay long, as I can see them in quilts already!
ReplyDeleteLoved this post and of course your quilts are gorgeous! I find it hard to keep up on all of it too! Hopefully you will get some good tips and share!
ReplyDeleteI just discovered your blog from your link to Crazy Mom Quilts. I love that you pieced the back of your green/aqua quilt so it's visible when all the pillows are on the bed and the quilt is folded down. I'll definitely do that for my next quilt. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI have NO social media advice - I don't blog. I just post pictures on Facebook when I finish something. I love reading blogs, though!
Hi Kathy! Congratulations on your first blog-iversay, and a hundred posts!!What a great recap you put up here. It's fun to see your progression!
ReplyDeleteKelly
Congratulations on your first blog-iversay, and a hundred posts! Your quilts are beautiful, and its fun to see the progression in one post!
ReplyDeleteHere's to many more gorgeous makes, fun blog posts, and happy days spent quilting!
I love seeing your posts on Crazy Mom Quilts. Congrats for your 100th post, and so many beautiful quilts.
ReplyDelete